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Old 20-03-2003, 07:20 AM
Allegra
 
Posts: n/a
Default still another batch of roses


"Cass" wrote
Guess who is the first to bloom this year? Safrano! (Well, Fortune's
Double Yellow is trying to open up too.) Talk about a rose slow to
build, Safrano is right at the top of the list. I bought this tiny
twiglet from Ralph Moore's place on January 11, 2000. Just now it is
about 30" tall and pulls buds out of the air like a magician. I love
buff roses and the old yolky yellow, the shades of Lady Hillingdon,
Danae, English Garden, Crepuscule, Buff Beauty (waiting for Regina to
claim her). I have pots of Golden Celebration, Celine Forestier,
Sunshine Sally (Poor little Sunshine Sally suffers from the yellow
curse [blackspot]), and Flutterbye waiting to join their yolky
sisters...just as soon as I excavate some new rose bunkers.


Hi darling,

Listen I have Crepuscle and she is not a yellow-yellow.
At least not here. The old yolky yellow is the ugliest shade
in this weather and at this latitude. In our house in Buenos
Aires my mother had the most gorgeous yellow roses
festooning the entire upper balcony in the first floor patio.
(I know you are familiar with Spanish style construction
where the houses are boxes with central patios and the
rest of the house is built around it) - They were fragrant
and big and generous. Those I would like. But here...

Zilch in Oregon. Not a single yellow I have yet found
even at John and Luise's gorgeous gardens that I have
said to myself " Self, that one is coming home with us".
Why E.Veyrat Hermanos is called Pillar of Gold
escapes me completely. There is something about
yellow roses and the implication in both the Spanish
and Italian folklore that they represent jealousy that
perhaps permeated my formative years or something.
I love peaches, apricots, rust color ones of great intensity,
love reds that bleed into maroon or black, like Black Jade
-don't like minis but that one is a joy - I love Ralph Moore
and I respect his magnum opus but there is something
about miniatures that makes me think they need fertilizer.
Never mind, let's don't go there. I have always thought
of them as the barbies of roses. Please the rest of you,
no offense intended so I hope none taken.

I just think a rose is voluptuous and must flower with
abandonment, should bob sometimes on its neck out of
sheer sensuality and I like the almost vulgar abundance
of a bloom bursting forth with petals and fragrance.
Minis always look stilted to me. As if something happened
and they just never got "there".

So, back to yellow. I have several times attempted to get
"there" myself and just couldn't bring myself to. Years ago
someone gave me a great Persian Yellow. Healthy plant,
and what have you. I felt guilty every time I walked by her.
I sensed that rose was putting out like crazy and I was not
only indifferent but almost bothered by this. I wanted to like
her, and I couldn't. We parted ways honorably. I gave her
away and never subjected myself to another.

Yet.

Allegra