Laurie, Maybe the best answer to your question is to be found in old publications. In his OLD ROSE ADVISOR, Dickerson quotes material from three different 19th century sources (European and American) to describe SdlM Rouge: (1) "Flower medium sized, full, beautiful velvety dark red . . . "; (2) "Large flowers, beautifully imbricated; very full, perfect form; color bright, glowing crimson, very vivid, rich and velvety; highly scented . . ."; (3) " . . . the blossom is of moderate size and a dark velvety red . . . It produces a charming effect when bedded with 'Malmaison'." In discussing 'Captitaine Dyel, de Graville', Dickerson quotes from the Journal des Roses: "Flower very large, very full, a fresh beautiful pink with a darker center; well-held, very remontant, opens perfectly . . . ". The greatest difference these days between the two varieties is that we know that 'Capitaine Dyel, de Graville' continues to exist. Dickerson himself is among those who catorgize SdlM Rouge as a rose which is, or seems to be, extinct.

Phil, it is similar to Abba Dabba Do- except much lighter - I got good contrast on the pic above , contrast is much more subtle - so we'll see in a few years how much different. I have Abba Dabba Do about 20 feet away and it is much darker. I saw a similar plant in the Dean Garden from the tours - so I'm guessing not an unusual sport. Here's Abba Dabba Do and the above sport both taken July 4th for comparison- I'm gonna label it "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" from song Monkey and the Chimp. Paul

Ann ~ it's so nice to read your rational posts, and I would love to have you as the BM on the flip side to my extended family. The simple point you made months ago, to the extent of why wouldn't BD be happy to have another caring and supportive person in his kids' lives, made me smile. It seems, and I generalize I know, that too many bio-parents let their insecurities force them into hating step parents. Those feelings then put their children in the middle of an affection battle that ends up harming those children everyone says are trying to protect. Ironic, huh? I think only one poster really touched on this, and it's one point we struggle with. What are we teaching our children about dealing with conflict if everything has to be broken into "mom" time, "dad" time, think about "my" feelings, etc. Aren't we adults? What about their first job with a co-worker who makes them feel insecure, takes some of their spotlight on a big project and makes it uncomfortable to come to work? Should they alternate days at the job with the co-worker so they feel more secure? Grow up! Aren't the kids' time and feelings more important then ours now? Isn't that what being a parent is all about, or am I totally off base? Okay - this obviously struck a nerve and I apologize for the rant. Ann - I wish you the best, and hope things continue on this current path. You all deserve it.

Ooh, Dara - how exciting! I'd never heard of the Heritage Rose Australia before - I must look it up! I would love to join fellow rose lovers and view gardens on the tour - perhaps not the whole thing but certainly the part in Perth. (And thank you so much for the compliment about my garden :-) ) Marlorena - yes, that little tree is a frangipani (plumeria) - it was one of the earliest things I planted when we first moved in the house. There had been a native peppermint tree growing in that spot which inexplicably just turned brown & died, so I had to replace it - and a frangipani was recommended. It's got beautiful pink flowers, although it's not really fragrant. Oh, and I'll share my photos of John Clare next! :-) Karen - I love that phrase "fat and sassy" - haha! And yes, Golden Celebration has one of my favourite fragrances. I think Jude is my favourite, followed by Golden Celebration and Windemere. Ingrid - we get hardly any rain in the summer months but we do get rain in winter - so I think that's more than you? It must be so hard for you to cope with the drought conditions. We do have water restrictions in summer - we're only allowed to run the drip irrigation twice a week - but we can water by hand as much as we like, and in the last month, I've been out there almost every day carrying buckets of collected waste water from the kitchen & bathroom out to the roses. Rosylady - yes, I think you're right! I'm very lucky that the previous owners chose the light stone walls and had the house painted white. It's actually brick but covered with a white plaster coating, and it does keep everything light and bright. In fact, in mid-summer, I find it a bit too dazzling to look out sometimes as the sun reflects off the walls and there's a terrible glare. But it does help all the colours stand out! ~ HY