(Shiva) wrote in
s.com:

PENELOPE. Jesus, Alice, what were you thinking? If I want a GD azalea,
I'll plant one. In fact I have scores of them already, the gift of an
overzealous former property owner. Insiginficant little POS
not-quite-pink blooms that prove there IS a color worse than pink. It
is Aspire-to-but-just-cannot-achieve Pink. It lives on, but in
justified fear for its spindley, puny life.

How different personal appreciations can be!

I love Penelope. Mine just began to bloom in its first full season and
though it's smaller than just about everything else I have (it's young
yet), it's a stunner. With delicate semidouble petals that remind me of
porcelain, this rose seems to me more like a sasanqua camellia than an
azalea; there's something Far-Eastern and exotic about it to my
eyes...and it has an enchanting scent. I took these photos last week:

http://sakionline.net/penelope.htm

I tend to be intrigued by subtleties in roses rather than the screeching
look-at-me styles of many modern floribundas and hybrid teas, so you can
understand my affection for Penelope's opalescent blush. Clearly though
it's not everyone's cup of tea, though if you're an Oolong fancier it
might be more your style.

Yes, Jeffrey, it IS okay to hate a rose.

I'm still wrestling with this concept. I haven't found a rose that I feel
inclined to hate, though some I won't grow for whatever reason (too big,
too leggy, too mildewy, too yellow, etc.).

Some seem to hate *me*. I have a couple Jeanne LaJoie that simply won't
bloom. I had them in pots originally; switched them to the ground; just
dug them up and potted them back up in my convalescent area. I think I've
had them about eight years or so. Somehow I can't get rid of them. I
think there's a Good Rose somewhere inside those canes begging to get out
and I feel obligated to let it try.

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