'Hero' English Rose
Austin, 1983, UK , 'The Princess' x seedling

	On a very hot and humid day in July, my family and I stopped by unannounced at Roses Unlimited near Laurens, South Carolina. I had bought a number of roses from them through the mail just a few months prior. We were returning from a short vacation, and my family obliged me in the pleasure of visiting this wonderful nursery and display gardens. We had to take a rather large detour, but they were good troopers. They even went to town to get lunch for us while I meandered about the roses pointed out to me by a very gracious and sweaty worker. She pointed out to me the long rows of English roses on the other side of the drive. The Japanese beetles were there in force, but a few good blooms were still intact.     One English rose shrub caught my eye with its pleasing mid-pink color and large somewhat double flowers. A few blooms were only partially open, and these reminded me of the shells we had just seen in abundance on the beach. I looked for a name-tag on the plant but found none until I searched near the base of the plant and found a very faded handwritten label: 'Hero'. I took one one home, along with six other roses. We packed the bounty in the back of our already-crowded station wagon and scurried off.     I do love this rose for its bloom. I must admit the shrub is a bit gawky and awkward with stems growing at odd angles in a rather open habit about 4' x 4'. But I am attracted to the flowers: the form and the color, as well as the prominent yellow stamens draw me to it. A moderate fruity fragrance. 'Hero' blooms throughout the season. Note that the photo on the bottom left looks very little like the other photos, although I assure you it is 'Hero', it is not typical.
	Hardiness: Zone 4-9 Hero was the priestess of Aphrodite, for whom Leander swam the Hellespont and drowned.
	This photo demonstrates just how varied individual blooms can appear on the same plant. I believe a rather late cold snap may have affected the developement of this flower.
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