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.
