| Rose Books
Online |
| The Complete Flower Paintings and Drawings of Graham Stuart Thomas by Graham Stuart Thomas, 1987, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. / Sagapress, Inc., New York Rose drawings, paintings, and text from pages 104-149 |
Three Old Rambling Roses: ‘Adelaide d’Orléans’, 'Félicité Perpétue, and 'Spectabilis' pages 110, 111 |
It has often been stated that the head gardener of the Duc d’Orléans, Monsieur A. A. Jacques, raised two of these roses at the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century. ‘Adélaïde d’Orléans’ was named in 1826 and ‘Félicité Perpétue’ in 1827. Furthermore, a third, ‘Princesse Louise’, appeared in 1829. Hybridisation was at that time not fully understood and therefore Monsieur Jacques would have taken open-pollinated heps and sown them in hope. It is remarkable that these roses have remained in cultivation ever since. I think they owe their success to their prolific flowering and great hardiness, for ‘Félicité Perpétue’, in particular, may be seen thriving on old cottages and walls in upland Wales and Scotland, where few other roses are found. Perhaps, too, this rose may be fortunate in its name, with overtones of perpetual happiness (its name was spelt as above in French lists of the early nineteenth century). These roses, and ‘Spectabilis’, are all hybrids of Rosa sempervirens and probably R. arvensis, the latter a native of Britain. They are both members of the Synstylae section of the genus Rosa and as a consequence not only are their styles united in a column in the centre of the flower but their fragrance is carried in the stamens, instead of in the petals as with other roses. This accounts for the fact that these very double ramblers have little scent, the stamens having turned into petals. There is a delicate fragrance of primroses. ‘Adélaïde d’Orléans’ is extremely vigorous and will ascend to fifteen feet or more, its graceful sprays of flowers hanging down from its long trails like those of a Japanese cherry. ‘Félicité’ is equally strong, but of a more bushy growth. All these ramblers flower once, at midsummer, and were duly treasured when they were among the very few ramblers available. In 1879 ‘Félicité Perpétue’ produced a dwarf sport in the nursery of Peter Henderson & Company of New York. The dwarf sport seldom achieves more than two feet in height, but, like other dwarf sports of ramblers, it it continuously in flower from June until autumn, It is identical in colour and leaf to its parent and makes an excellent bedding rose, or a charming half-standard. It is known as ‘White Pet’ or ‘Little White Pet’. ‘Princesse Louise’ resembles the above two ramblers; it is also fairly double, cupped, of creamy blush, opening similarly from pink buds. The three make a most charming trio, but they need the clear pink colouring of ’Spectabilis’ to enliven them. We have no record of the raiser of this most pleasing little rose, but it is obviously a very close relative of the others. The Musk rose, R. moschata, does not appear in the parentage of any of the trio, though it was known and grown in the early seventeenth century. The other rose which has had such an influence on the breeding of ramblers, R. multiflora, was not introduced from Japan until 1862. In common with other once-flowering rambling roses, these roses should only he pruned immediately after flowering, but as a rule little but thinning is required. All will thrive on any supports and will grow into trees, or they may be trained on walls of any aspect. |
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last modified September 29,
2002