RoseFile Essays

Name	Color	Cold	Breeder	Rating
Madame Pierre Oger	Candy Pink	Zone 5	Verdier	8.0
Blairii No. 2	Candy Pink	Zone 6	Blair
Kathleen Harrop	Candy Pink	Zone 5	A. Dickson
Gruss an Teplitz	Cerise	Zone 5	Geschwind	8.2
Victor Emanuel	Crimson	Zone 6	Guillot Pere
Great Western	Mauve	Zone 6	Laffay
Madame Isaac Pereire	Mauve	Zone 6	Garcon	8.5
Souvenir de St. Annes	Pale Pink	Zone 5	Hilling
Bourbon Queen	Pink	Zone 6	Mauget
Gros Choux d’Hollande	Pink	Zone 6
Louise Odier	Pink	Zone 6	Margottin	8.5
Madame Ernst Calvat	Pink	Zone 5	Schawartz	8.1
Madame Lauriol de Barny	Rose	Zone 6	Troullard
Paul Ricault	Rose	Zone 5	Portemer	7.5
Reine Victoria	Rose	Zone 6	La Bruyere	8.0
Zephirine Drouhin	Rose	Zone 6	Bizot	8.1
Honorine de Brabant	Shell Pink	Zone 4		8.3
Souvenir de la Malmaison	Shell Pink	Zone 6	Beluze	8.7
Boule de Niege	White	Zone 6	Lacharme
Coquette des Blanches	White	Zone 5	Lacharme	8.2
Variegata di Bologna	White/Pink Blend	Zone 4	Bonfiglioli & Son	8.1
Kronprincessin Viktoria	White/Yellow Blend	Zone 6	Volvert

The first rose to be classified as a bourbon rose was a chance discovery on the isle of Bourbon, today known as Reunion. It was evidently a chance cross between a china rose, perhaps Old Blush, and a European old garden rose. This chance find led to a whole new chapter in rose breeding history and proved to be a crucial step in the development of today's remontant roses. Bourbons are a mixed bag. They tend to produce roses of cupped or old rose form. They can be quite fragrant. Some, like Great Western and Honorine Brabant will tolerate poor soil and resist disease. Typically the tougher ones are not remontant. At the other end of the spectrum are Souvenir de la Malmaison and Madame Isaac Perreire which thrive in moderate weather, require protection from blackspot, and require deep, rich, fertile soil. Where these roses are well cared for, they can be quite pleasing.