A to Z challenge 2023 – Z is for . . .
My
theme for this challenge is Nature in all much of her wonderful
diversity. My posts will reflect the fact that I am resident in the south of
England.
All
photographs in this post are the property of the writer.
Zéphirine
Drouhin
This deep pink, exceptionally fragrant rose is a classic old Bourbon rose. It is one of the first and last roses to bloom, flowering profusely for six months, from June to Deember. It is a vigorous climber with an eventual height of 3m (20') and will grow in sun or semi-shade.
In addition to its generosity of scent
and beautiful rich pink semi-double blooms, it is remarkable for its lack of
thorns. It is not entirely perfect, though, because it is subject to blackspot,
mildew and rust.
Enlarge the photograph to see and count the aphids!
I read
that ‘David Austin Roses’ describes the scent as ‘strong, fruity’, while others
say it is ‘blessed with an intoxicating, strong raspberry scent.’ Thinking
about it now, I can confirm that the scent is very strong and mouth-wateringly
sweet, an irresistible perfume.
I looked
up Bourbon roses as I thought it was about time I understood tried to
understand what they were. As ever, when investigating something, I was lead
into a fascinating subculture. No wonder plant breeders can concentrate an
entire lifetime on just one species.
Bourbon roses
are a serendipitous group of hybrids, the result of a chance cross between an
Autumn Damask, which is a species of deeply scented rose that flowers twice, in
summer and autumn, and an ‘Old Blush’ China rose.Damask
roses are a very old group of roses, most of which are very fragrant and are believed
to have their roots (pun intended) in
the Middle East. The legend is that they were brought to Europe by the
Crusaders.
‘Old
Blush’ is also a very old rose that has been cultivated in China for more than
a thousand years. It originates from Rosa chinensis, and is believed to be the
first East Asian rose to reach Europe. The unplanned cross happened around 1817 on
the Île de Bourbon (now Réunion) in
the Indian Ocean, and the resulting rose was taken to France a couple of years
later to produce further hybrids.
In 1868 during
the reign of Napoleon III, a French rose breeder called Bizot developed Zéphirine
Drouhin. Its provenance is unproven but believed to be the result of a cross
between a Boursault rose and a Hybrid Perpetual.Monsieur
Boursault was a respected amateur horticulturalist. The Boursault rose is the most
resilient of the climbing roses. Hybrid Perpetual roses are crosses between
Portland, China and Bourbon roses. Portland roses are hybrid roses named after the
Duchess of Portland in 1780. (The deeper I
delve, the more complex it becomes!)
Zéphirine
Drouhin has three child plants, something I’ve never heard before. It
transpires that it is another name for a ‘sport’, a genetic mutation which can
occur by chance, changing the appearance of any part of a plant. Sports are
also known as breaks or chimeras (as well
as children, apparently)
The registered
sports are ‘Kathleen Harrop’ (bred in UK
by Dickson in 1879 or 1919, depending on which expert you’re listening to) ‘Martha’
(discovered by Knudsen in UK before 1912)
and ‘Emily Rhodes’ (bred by Clark in
Australia in 1937)
It is a
beautiful rose and something I look forward to welcoming every year.
Roses have a fascinating history and your selection here is just as fascinating to look at.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine did her Art dissertation on roses, donkey's years ago - I thought at the time it was a lovely choice.
DeleteFascinating and you clearly did some really deep digging around. Now can you suggest to us a tall scented rose that isn't subject to mildew, rust and all those othe pestilence you mentioned? We need to replace a trellus rose that hasn't lived up to its description (but doesn't succumb to pestilence, so hasn't died either.)
ReplyDeleteI've just done what you probably have and looked up 'best roses etc, etc'.Two stood out to me: 'Claire Austin', said to be particularly disease-resistant, scent like vanilla and myrrh, repeat-flowering, cream in colour. The second was 'The Generous Gardener' - that name would suit you, F - it's pale pink, strongly disease-resistant, repeat-flowering and strongly scented.
ReplyDeleteI think we're going to have to find space in the garden for these!
Oh how I wish I could smell the scent of this beautiful rose through the screen! And congratulations on completing the A-Z challenge and finding such a fascinating range of nature-related topics to write about.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Gail.
Thank you, Gail.
DeleteBeautiful. It's only in recent years that I've become a rose lover, I have a few now which I grow in pots. I bought one named Sheila's Perfume when my mum died and another, Our John, when my dad died. Their names were Sheila and John. I left my favourite behind when I moved house, Golden Wings. I did think of digging it up and bringing it with me, or even taking a cutting, but I decided against. For all I love it, it's just so thorny, it seemed more so than usual.
ReplyDeleteThat is a splendid idea - I've just looked them up and they're lovely.
DeleteBeautiful roses. I had no idea of that particular meaning of sports...thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nilanjana.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved roses. My grandmothers both had many and my mother would take a tiny slip, put it under a jar and it would grow. I have done that also. I really only like the ones with fragrance. However, I have no roses here as the deer herd simply eat them thorns and all like candy. Love the photos.
ReplyDeletePropagating roses is surprisingly easy, isn't it, and so satisfying. It's a toss-up between roses and deer - I think I'd opt for the deer :-)
DeleteYour photos have been a delight all month, thanks for your visits and encouragement .
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martine. My pleasure.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating history roses have. Thank you so much for sharing, and congratulations on making it to the end of your A-Z challenge! xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann x
DeleteThese roses are lovely, and thank goodness they are fragrant unlike newer hybrid varieties. Congrats on completing AtoZ 2023 and thanks for visiting/commenting on my blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Molly, and congratulations to you, too. I agree with you about scentless roses - nothing there for the pollinators.
DeleteBeautiful roses. I enjoyed your posts this month :-)
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for Z:
My Languishing TBR: Z
Zoo: Faery Frogs
Thank you, Ronel. Congratulations on completing the challenge.
DeleteOh what beautiful roses - you have my rose-loving heart swooning with this post. Congratulations on a lovely challenge series!
ReplyDeleteAll roses are beautiful, from the simple dog rose onwards. Thank you, Deborah.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing the A to Z. I enjoyed all the wonderful plants and creatures with your beautiful photos.
ReplyDeletehttps://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com
Thank you, Anne. Congratulations to you, too. I greatly enjoyed your prints
ReplyDelete