My most perfect rose is new this year, and it is Desdemona. I’m a bit obsessed with this rose. Since she is new, time will tell if she has any bad habits. Every rose has its quirks, just like people. But so far, ‘Desdemona’ has been happy to grow (I’ve had many roses that don’t want to grow), happy to bloom (some roses grow but don’t bloom). The flowers tolerate heat and don’t show much damage to thrips (both are particularly hard on white roses). I love the shape of the flowers, which are cupped to loosely globular. Petals are like shells found on the beach. The flowers even look good from the side and back. The flowers are held on the bush in a graceful way. The flowers keep their shape, color, and petal count in the heat, when most roses do not. The bush itself is not stiff but well branched without awkward growths, well foliated, not overly thorny. Leaves are attractively shaped, and not shiny plastic-like as some modern roses have. To top it off, the flowers are incredibly, lusciously fragrant. One morning I sniffed two flowers: the newly opened one smelled of passionfruit, the older one smelled like cedar and old rose. Even the fragrance stays in the dry heat of summer. It’s not perfect, but it’s as perfect a rose for me as any I’ve grown. What keeps it from being absolutely perfect? I do wish the flowers had a few more petals in a quartered formation.
Other people have posted photos that are much more impressive than mine. But I didn’t just choose Desdemona based on her good looks, as beautiful as she is.
Why didn’t other lovely roses make the cut?
Alnwick Castle: Spring flush has stunning globular blooms, consistent raspberry fragrance, vigorous grower, burgundy/purple winter leaves, BUT flowers turn coral and open up in the heat, long pauses between flushes, flowers are very short lived. But this was my former “closest-to-perfect” rose.
Evelyn: beautiful flower and beautiful scent, BUT rangy growth and scent is inconsistent.
Bishop’s Castle: Eager to grow, impressive flushes, vigorous, consistently fragrant BUT flower form isn’t outstanding, fall flush comes on octopus canes.
Marie Pavie: tough rose, blooms through the heat, wafting fragrance BUT tends to get chlorotic in the heat, flowers are pretty but not my idea of “perfect”. By the end of the season, the bush is decidedly ragged looking.
Sonia Rykiel: Gorgeous flowers of cupped formation, and sometimes a very lovely fragrance BUT awkward growth, not well foliated, inconsistent fragrance, very susceptible both vegetative and floral to thrips, major diva.
Bolero: Lovely flowers, a most delicious fragrance, BUT extremely susceptible to thrips damage, messy flower form (which although charming in its own right, loses points for “perfection”), loses size, form and petal count in the heat, flowers fry in the heat here, plant is smaller than I’d like and lacks grace.
Eden: breathtakingly beautiful flowers (to me) BUT essentially a once bloomer, extremely susceptible to thrips damage and wind damage, insignificant fragrance.
Abraham Darby: flowers can be absolutely perfect, and the scent when it is on is possibly my favorite, BUT flowers are rarely “perfect” in my garden. They can be luridly orange and not always formed well. They are very susceptible to heat (flowers lose form, petal count and fry within hours). Flowers and growths are very susceptible to thrips, leaving damaged distorted growths and flowers. He has awkward growth in my garden. Scent is inconsistent. If Abe had consistent cupped flower form and color, and if he grew and bloomed like Desdemona, he would be perfect.
Q
Sheila MacQueen rose ages to GREEN??
Q