RoseFile Essays

Name	Color	Cold	Breeder	Rating
Comtesse du Cayla	Apricot	Zone 7	Guillot
Park’s Yellow Tea Scented China	Buff	Zone 7
Jean Bach Sisley	Coral	Zone 6	Dubreuil
Cramoisi Superieur	Crimson	Zone 6	Coquereau	8.7
Louis Philippe	Crimson	Zone 6	Guerin	8.6
Serratipetala	Crimson	Zone 7	Jacques
Arethusa	Pale Apricot	Zone 6	Paul
Echo	Pale Pink	Zone 6	Lambert
Pink Pet	Pale Pink	Zone 7	Lilley	8.5
Hermosa	Pink	Zone 7	Marcheseau	7.8
Juno	Pink	Zone 6	Laffay	7.0
Old Blush	Pink	Zone 6		8.7
Mutabilis	Pink/Yellow Blend	Zone 6		8.7
Louis XIV	Purple	Zone 6	Guillot
Slater’s Crimson China	Red	Zone 7		7.6
Gloire des Rosomanes	Red/White Blend	Zone 7	Vibert
Sophie’s Perpetual	Red/White Blend	Zone 7	Re-introduced by P. Beales	8.0
Archduke Charles	Rose	Zone 6	Laffay	8.3
Le Vesuve	Rose	Zone 7	Laffay
Martha Gonzales	Scarlet	Zone 7	Woodward
Irene Watts	Shell Pink	Zone 6	Guillot

During the late eighteenth and early ninteenth centuries european explorers and merchants returned to Europe carrying plants from the far east. Among these were a small handful of roses. Four were used over and over again in the hybridization of roses: Old Blush, Slater's Crimson China and Park's Yellow Tea Scented China were among them. The chief characteristic of the chinas is their tendency to bloom repeatedly through the season. Several are very nicely branched and fragrant. Furthermore, most will resist the fungal diseases that can quickly destroy many other roses growing in hot, humid weather. From a gardener's point of view their biggest disadvantage might be the informality of the blossom, or the fact that they need warm, sunny weather and mild winters to thrive and survive. When their minimal requirements are met, however, they can be quite an impressive part of a garden.