At two years old, 'Fair Bianca' grows only about three feet tall in my garden, where it is growing next to my small pond. It gets splashed occasionally from the spray of the fountain, and I blame this for the blackspot that occasionally appears. It is quite a prolific bloomer all through the season: the photos to the left and below were taken in November. The first bloom last season was in the middle of May. Cut blooms last quite a while in a vase, and to my nose they smell a bit like liquorice. I will take more photos this season, hopefully of a more open bloom. 1999 November

"This one I call my little hussy, because she seems to me half angel, half demon. Her virginal colour is as strong as the sensuality of her perfume. First a few notes of anise, narcissus and syringia; then, when your head is reeling, the more secret, animal smells of musk and civet." --watercolor and text from Diary of a Rose Lover by Henri Delbard, 1994

"If you will come along with me, we shall see, smell, taste, touch and perhaps even hear the happiness that the roses in our gardens can bring to us. But first you have to learn to understand, through understanding to recognize, and through recognition to love. " Henri Delbard, 1994

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last updated 2002 February 3