Heirloom Roses - An Impossible Choice .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

An impossible choice; deciding on a favourite rose.   

With so many heirloom roses taking their turn to offer exquisite blooms, it is impossible to choose just one;

Perhaps in the cool of the evening I might decide on a long-time favourite; Souvenir de St. Anne’s, circa 1917, reported to be a sport of the Bourbon rose, Souvenir de la Malmaison.  Discovered in a Country Estate garden near Dublin, she has pale pink blooms that appear as though shaped from the finest porcelain, until you snatch a sweet, cinnamon spiked perfume.  But don’t be fooled, Svnr de St.Anne’s is one tough rose, continuing to bloom through drought and heat.

Or perhaps the handsome 1894 French tea rose known in Australia as Francis Dubrueil. Richly perfumed to match his luxuriant velvet-like dark red roses, this is a surprising member of the usually less showy Tea rose family.  An aristocrat in the garden.  

Or in the early morning, just as the sun is spreading over the garden, a warm glow greets your eye.  Not strictly heirloom being an English rose, Benjamin Britten’s coral hues are a surprising blend of bright and warm reds, softly yellow at its base.  The full blooms are strongly perfumed, held tall on prickly limbs. 

  

A new favourite is one of the lesser known Hybrid Musks, Nur Mahal, released by Rev. Pemberton in 1923. 

A deep primrose pink, with a spicy perfume, Nur Mahal is as exotic and beautiful as the Indian Empress for whom she was named.  The influential wife of the early 17^th C Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Nur Mahal supported the cause of women in the Empire, providing land and dowries for orphan girls, even modifying women’s clothing to suit the hot climate.  Brilliantly clever, Nur Mahal used her intellect to promote culture and the arts, increase revenue from trade, influence architecture and create beautiful gardens.  These she opened up for the common population to enjoy.  Nur Mahal is also credited with discovering ‘attar of roses’ through observing fragrant oil floating on water strewn with rose petals. 

I love that three centuries later, in the early 20^th C, a Reverend from the United Kingdom acknowledged this extra-ordinary woman’s intellect and influence.  Had he not, I may never have heard of Nur Mahal’s incredible legacy. 

And so it is for her legacy brought to life through a visionary rosarian, that I planted Nur Mahal amid the heirloom roses.  The lovely semi-double blooms are exquisitely and vibrantly wrought; a worthy testament.

Aaaah, such choices ...