I think you've got a variety of Rosa multiflora. The scent is wonderful. Check Blooms in clusters. Check Apple green foliage. Check More leaves per compound leaf than almost any other rose. Check Deeply fringed stipules at the base of the leaf. Check. Double check, if the anthers turn brown before the petals start to fade. There is a variation on multiflora out there that is much shorter and well behaved. It's a natural variation. I had it in the garden and got rig of it, thinking I could get some that was down by the ferry landing. Only the Fisheries and Wildlife folks bulldozed it to increase a parking area. (Roses ARE wildlife, too.) If the next growth it puts out (almost before the blooms are over) is really vigorous, you have the barn eater multiflora which needs to be sited carefully in home yards. (Great photos, and it's good to see you posting.) Ann

Originally, the two roses 'Roulettii' and 'Pompon de Paris' were distinct cultivars. Some rosarians I know have owned roses purchased under each of these names and some say the two are slightly different, and some say they are identical. It is extremely likely that one of these varieties dominates the commercial nurseries and is sold under either name, erroneously, as the case may be. This would explain why some growers have found the two to be identical; they are in fact growing two of the exact same plant! It has also been proposed that the roses grown as 'Roulettii' and 'Pompon de Paris' may not even be the originals,but seed grown selections of one or the other. Sean McCann is one person who has an opinion on the matter, and I quote him, speaking about 'Roulettii', 'Pompon de Paris' and R. indica pumila: "The strange thing about all of these is that they are very much alike and you really need to sit down and study the plants to find the differences. But, after careful examination, you will probably find - as I did - that Pompon de Paris and R. indica pumila are one and the same variety; R. roulettii resembles them too, but its blooms tend to be slightly smaller. These three are in similar deep rose to lavender colours, depending on where and how they are grown." Margaret Pinney in her wonderful 1964 book The Miniature Rose Book has covered this issue extensively and gather quotes from a number of knowledgeable people. Her findings don't clear up the issues as much as they muddle them further. See for yourself: "The tiny, two inch plant discovered in Switzerland by Major Roulet which M. Correvon grew, propagated and named Roulettii is, according to Mr. (Jan) de Vink 'not very strong and not very common.' A larger, coarser plant very like it, sold everywhere in the United States as R. roulettii is called by the European breeders and growers Pompon de Paris. But don't think that this resolves the tangle! In this country (The USA) a still larger plant, differing in some respects from what we know as R. roulettii is everywhere sold as Pompon de Paris. Mr. Roy Shepherd stares that 'Pompon de Paris appeared in Paris in 1931, R. roulettii officially about 1922. It is quite apparent that the original R. chinensis minima or Lawrenceana rose as described by earlier writers was somewhat larger in growth than R. roulettii as we know it today. In my garden, R. chinensis minima attains a height of 1 foot, whereas Roulettii, planted in the same bed, does not exceed 6 inches. Other than the size of the plant and blossom, they are identical and we can safely assume that one is a dwarf form of the other'." Mrs Pinney goes on to quote several other authorities of her time, all of whom simply add further layers of confusion to the matter. However, she comes to a kind of conclusion towards the end by quoting one of the original owners of the famous Bobbink and Atkins: "When I visited the Bobbink and Atkins nursery several years ago, old Mr. Bobbink told me that he believed our (American) R. roulettii to be the true Pompon de Paris. This is apparently the view held by by most European breeders, and in studying foreign pedigrees, one must take this into account." American hybridizer Ralph Moore takes a somewhat neutral position on this matter, stating in his 1966 volume All About Miniature Roses "In Chapter 1 some of the history, discovery, and possible origin of miniature roses is given. I cannot accept this as the whole story, nor do I believe that Rosa rouletti necessarily is one of the older varieties rediscovered." Mr. Moore is of course, referring to the often-told story of the discovery of Roulettii in a Swiss window box in 1922. So, the identity of this group of plants is a very murky one indeed, shrouded by a lack of factual written history prior to 1922, and the fact that there are probably several varieties being distributed in commerce under the wrong name(s). I have only the American 'Roulettii' obtained from Sequoia Nursery of California, and so I have no other dwarf form to compare it to. I do have the climbing form of 'Pompon de Paris' but that is hardly the plant to make comparisons with, as it is a massive plant when mature. While this may not clear up any issues for you, I hope it has at least been insightful. You can rest assured that the identification problem has been a persistent one, and one that many people have many opinions about. Regards, Paul Barden

Patty, that is good to know that she ended up going own root eventually. I'm hoping Pat will have some FFT that she can send me, if not Palatines unless Chamblee's decides to carry her. I'm wanting a few of these since so many state she stays small. I have 'Kosmos' coming from RU and have an older own root 'Sisters Fairy Tale' that does really well and stays small. I can't hope to have "one of each" like so many of the rose growers here since I don't get the 8 hours of sun so many roses require in any part of my yard, the best is about 5 hours of sun. I just want roses that will do well in my limited sunlight gardens, are black spot resistant and can survive our crazy, erratic winter weather and stay manageable in size. Scent is a bonus. Kordes do very well as do Easy Elegance. My 'Champagne Wishes' bought own root last year is huge and loaded with buds. That's the kind of roses I want to grow :-)

That's a really a difficult one, but it would have to be Sterling Silver or Mr. Lincoln, or Peace... These are all classics for a reason.