Florence Bower's Pink Tea in full bloom

3 years ago

Florence is going into her third season in my garden, and I finally have what I would call a real flush of bloom. I'm so enamored with this rose! It's beautiful, a bit blowsy, superbly scented, hardy, and ultra healthy. The only thing I hope will improve is her remontancy. Last year she had one small flush of bloom and the occasional bloom after that.

Thank you for introducing me to this wonderful rose!

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jerijen

3 years ago

I love EVERYTHING about this rose!

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Comments (16)

Rosylady (PNW zone 8)
Original Author
3 years ago
This picture is the new wallpaper on my phone :)

This is the view from our breakfast nook window. I love sitting here and gazing at Florence! That is 'Colette' on the right. If you look closely through the rose arch, you can see my neighbour's tarp covered wood pile :) What a great view to frame...not! haha I am planting a hedge back there soon.
Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
3 years ago
Fabulous Rosylady! I love mine too, year one.

I empathize with your hedge need. Couldn't they at least use a brown, army green or other subdued color tarp. Some people.....
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Nastarana, Florence Bower's is on HMF (but no pictures). I can never get it to come up with the whole name typed in, even with quotation marks. The easiest way for me to find it is to just type in "Florence" and scroll down. I am sorry to have not taken and posted some pictures of blossoms on HMF when mine was in bloom this summer -- too busy -- but will do so when the next bloom comes around. I like it -- the color here, so far, ranges from ivory with warm peachy pink tones (in the first flush, especially) to pink, getting pinker as it ages. My plant is only two years old and just one year in the ground, so it is much too young to know how it really is. This first year in the ground, it has had three flushes of blooms, put up two 8' canes, and has had spotless leaves, so I don't think it gets powdery mildew too readily, the main scourge here. Thus far, my sense is that this is probably going to be a good rose. ~Debbie
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Yes--same delicious earthy aroma as 'Mrs. B.R. Cant'. My 'Florence Bowers' is straight ahead outside my bedroom window, so is among the first roses I see every morning. It's only a few years old, but has taken hold well, and gives every appearance of having a bright future ahead of it. I'm as yet undecided what it might be. In so many ways, it seems "Tea"; but I've never seen a Tea with such thin, wiry, lithe branches. My current theory is that it's a cross between Tea and . . . something . . .
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You know, Ingrid -- I don't know what has done it -- but our rain total for the whole year was a rousing 6.38 inches. And yet . . . And YET . . . We are having a spring bloom better than almost any I can remember. I don't know why it's happening, and I'm not tempting fate by questioning it. I know horrible summer heat is ahead, but somehow, we'll keep it together. At least this year there are two of us who are capable of going up and down the hill.
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I ordered ' Florence Bower Pink Tea' during the last month that vintagegardens.com was open. Tea is my favorite class of rose and I sincerely thank whoever saw that this rose was introduced into commerce. I have these pink and pink bland, Teas; Duchess de Brabant Clemintina Carbonieri Mme. Antoine Mari, one of the most elegant of all Tea roses. Mme. Lombard I love this so much I have two of them. Monsieur Tillier (in my garden a coppery pink) Mrs. B.R. Cant Susan Louise Mme. Berkeley (pink with yellow hues) and two China-Teas; Archduke Charles Le Vesuve I mentioned those roses because of how Florence Bowers Pink Tea contrasts with all the rest: She usually shows many pale to medium tropical hues, like a fruit punch made with pink grapefruit juice, with a bit of orange juice running through. It is a real treat to have such a brightly colored Tea rose. F.B.P.T. in my garden appears like a sister to though not as vividly colored as Clemintina Carbonieri, Plus her speed of rebloom is superb as a climber. Praise the Lord for Tea roses! Luxrosa
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shebabee
3 years ago
Heart-breakingly lovely, this rose. I was able to start a cutting of FBPT and was thrilled when it took. Last month, I had the first blooms from the baby plant -- such a thrill!
roseseek
3 years ago
I hope you can give her enough heat, Shebabee. I had to rehome mine as Santa Maria simply wasn't hot enough to make her happy. But, that SCENT!
shebabee
3 years ago
Kim, we shall see how it goes. She seems pretty happy thus far -- no rebloom yet, but her foliage looks great and she had a lot of blooms, and she is in a very small pot -- maybe 1 gallon only. It will be great if her foliage stays healthy and she doesn't struggle with fungal diseases, which are a problem here. So far so good -- wish me luck! And yes -- the fragrance -- I couldn't always smell it, but it's wonderful and to my nose, unusual. How would you describe it?

The weather here has really changed a lot over the past 2 years -- we're getting MUCH more sunshine and temps of 70F and up, whereas where I live, normally we stay at 59-62F except during a heat wave or the rare blessed sunny day. We've also had more rain, and rain late in the year (even some last week). This is making a big difference to me, in my tiny very shaded chilly space, and to the roses and other flowering plants in my area. The various Mlle Cecile Brunners in the area, which I'm very familiar with for 30 years -- had an explosion of bloom this year, with I'd say three times more blooms than before--they've looked more like the MCBs one sees across the Bay in Berkeley. My neighbor's lilac, which has been there for 35 or 40 years, was amazing, like never before. My MCB is "respectable" for the first time this year.
shebabee
3 years ago
Jeri, your photos and posts about FBPT are the reason I HAD to have her. I had been given one little cutting of her and a few of of Lady Hill; I got the labels mixed up on the containers and it was a long time before I realized that I did indeed have one rooted growing FBPT as well as Lady H. That was a happy moment!
roseseek
3 years ago
It's scary that each year is now an "odd year".... I loved FBPT, and she ate her fifteen gallon nursery can and wanted MORE. I had to grow her against a western facing wooden fence to give her enough heat, but the foliage didn't remain clean, though she did flower like a weed and she produced some interesting offspring! I detected an almost grapefruit rind scent from her with sweetness behind that. But, each nose is different! Had I somewhere with more heat and room to let her eat, I would grow her again in a heart beat. Tamalpais Homestead Tea has a gorgeous flower and doesn't want that kind of heat, though there is no scent, but she's happy here.
Rosylady (PNW zone 8)
Original Author
3 years ago
It's interesting to hear each person's experience with this rose. Sheila...I'm sure you'll grow it to perfection! She will no doubt cover that wall she's planted against.

roseseek....I have perfect foliage and no rebloom. You had spotty foliage and lots of rebloom! Somewhere in our combined experience the answer must lie.

Jeri...that's a beautiful picture that really captures this rose at its best.

shebabee...I imagine she won't be in that 1 gallon pot for too long!
Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
3 years ago
If that spot works for FBPT, I might put Marechal Niel in the ground next to her. It is probably a hot spot and they could go over the wall together. Hauling the 15 gal MN pot in and out of the alcove may not be necessary although I would hate to lose him.
portlandmysteryrose
3 years ago
To everyone growing Florence Bower, thank you for sharing photos of and stories about this amazing rose I'll never grow.

...and speaking of roses I'll never grow, I'm talking about you, Marechal Niel! Sending you either lots of pixie dust to amend your soil or a nursery cart to haul around that 15 gallon pot, Sheila.
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
3 years ago
I hate to mention my Florence Bowers which, given the various vicissitudes of my plot of land, has in at least three years attained no more than about 18 inches in height and not much more than that in width. I'm surprised it's alive at all, and this is the first year it's had more than one bloom. It's planted close to the deck, and under that deck lives a tribe of squirrels and several bunnies so its days may be numbered, in spite of its wire enclosure. At least I can enjoy Florence vicariously via all the gorgeous specimens I'm seeing here!
shebabee
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I put my baby FBPT in the ground two weeks ago--there are a few pix. She has already @tripled in size and has a few buds now. I cut the first bloom yesterday.

Am having trouble with Houzz so forgive please any gibberish, etc.

In the ground by charming chain-link fence
Rosylady (PNW zone 8)
Original Author
3 years ago
shebabee....FBPT is the perfect rose to cover your chain link fence...it will be gorgeous in no time!

I wonder if anyone can tell me if their FBPT reblooms? Mine bloomed heavily in late May and shows no signs of reblooming. This is her third year in the ground for me.
jerijen
3 years ago
Mine is in deep shade, unfortunately, so is not as well-grown. But it scatters bloom through the year, while reaching for sun.
Rosylady (PNW zone 8) thanked jerijen
shebabee
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Mine will get plenty of shade . . . and fog. But I will be happy to get just SOME blooms. They are so beautiful. The one I picked the other day is full and frilly now, and very fragrant -- a delicious and unusual fragrance. What a gorgeous rose.
Rosylady (PNW zone 8) thanked shebabee