"Mike" greeted Allegra, thus


Hey! Why do I need trouble? I had to call ditech just to procure this
season's roses! Just what are you trying to accomplish here, missy?

I'll order the catalogue, of course. Thanks for the heads up!

Is insomnia common among rosarians? I've noticed on more than a few
occasions that more posts show up after midnight than during the day. I
mean, yeah *just in case* g I like to poke around ARE's website, too.
Nice layout and some good stuff. One thing I noticed on Peter Beale's
(yes,
I already peeked before responding) - what the heck is a pimpinellifolia??
I've never heard of that before.

Next time BH rolls his eyes over your rose obsession, ask him if you can
have too many tools. Roses/ tools. All is one and one is all. Goo goo ga
joob.

Mike
z8TX
Hello Mike,


Pimpinellifolias! Lets start by saying that until recently they were known
as R. spinosissima which in a literary translation from Latin it means rose
of many prickles (or more accurately "spinas" can be properly translated
as thorns) rose of many thorns.

They originated in Europe, although it has always been a matter of
discussion since most members of this family seem to have been found in the
less fertile areas of Scotland and Ireland and I remember many years ago
visiting my great-grandmother's house in Scotland and marveling at the
abundance of "wild roses" growing apparently impervious to the conditions
surrounding them. Strong and beautiful in their own right, mostly single and
a very few double.

From my notes I can quote "Over by the retaining wall there are at least
three small bushes, about 3 or 4 feet covered with single white roses, the
ones getting less sun appear to have a rosy tint to them, while the ones in
full sun are pure white. When I asked Lettie about their origin and their
name she dismissed them as unimportant. " That? the Briar? A weed" I thought
it was just another spinosissima because of the stems but I guess Peter has
classified them as Pimpinellifolias and if anyone knows, he is It. So forget
about spinosissimas here." Lettie says it is a problem to keep them "within
bounds". Apparently it suckers all over the place, including inside the
stable. I don' t think it would do well in Portland since the clay in there
would not do the trick. Pity."

Of course these roses have been used over the years by many growers because
the gene pool is really gorgeous. Stanwell Perpetual is a cross between R.
damascena and R. pimpinellifolia for example. The leaves are -I guess you
could describe them as green-gray, and I had one that sent me to despair a
couple of times before I found out that the purplish spots in the foliage
was not some kind of virus or fungus, but some kind of spontaneous
development for which I have yet to find an answer; Presently I do not grow
it, although it has been an old favorite of mine for many years. I love the
scent in this rose by the way. I think Cass can say more about her.

I grew Single Cherry for a couple of years; it never got up to 3 feet in
either direction. But it was like a red salute in the morning. It was bushy
and well rounded with black heps in the fall that for some reason I remember
noting in my journal the birds didn't seem to care for. The leaves had a
nearly creamy edge to them, and I don't remember any fragrance. One that I
would like to grow again is Mrs. Colville. Peter says that he thinks it is a
cross between R. pimpinellifolia and R. pendulina but I am not all that well
educated about R. pendulina to agree or disagree with this. It has fewer
thorns all right than the usual pimpinellifolias and the stamens are
gorgeous with a marked white eye that makes the red stand out even more.

Now, this I am sure is wayyyyyyyyyyy more than what you ever wanted to know
about the species. They love sandy soil, all spinosissimas seem to do, so
for me to grow any here is going to be another march down the heartbreak
highway if I try again. But knowing the Basque ancestry in my mother's side
of the family, guess what? ;) By the way, there are several double forms of
pimpinellifolias and I quote:

"Several exist with yellow in their make-up obviously derived from R.
foetida. The most important are the following:
R.x harisonii or " Harrison's Yellow (Yellow Rose of Texas) very double, USA
1846
William's Double Yellow - semi-double UK 1828

I find both of these rather coarser in growth than the other colours and
prefer an old, double form, which I call, simply - 'Old Yellow Scotch'. This
is more compact in growth, pleasingly scented and of very ancient origin."

About insomnia, in my case it is not insomnia, but quiet. During the day I
have so many things under foot that even trying to concentrate about
something other than what I am doing is impossible, as impossible some times
as to concentrate in what I am doing with one and one hundred interruptions.
So, at night, when the phones are quiet, and the world is asleep I usually
have an hour or so where I keep in touch with the rest of the obsessed and
find out who is growing what and how is it doing. If I can bring something I
think of value to the rest I gladly share what I know, and mostly I learn
from others just as well.

Now get thee to the public library and borrow Peter Beales Classic Roses. It
is the best source of legitimate and scholarly definition of roses you can
find to date. Yes, I am an ardent fan of the man. He holds a special place
in my heart for many reasons but his love for the rose is the one that has
seduced me for many years. There is not a greedy commercial gram in his
heart when it comes to roses and for that I admire him even more. But it is
his scholarly and yet simple approach to educate the world about this often
misunderstood wonder we all strive to grow that makes me admire him so much.
I have learned much from his books, his videos and from his lectures. But I
have learned even more from his simple romancing of the roses that has kept
me after almost now 33 years of growing roses still intrigued and fascinated
by them.

Say good night Mike, ;)

Allegra

PS: Actually I am the one who has to keep BH from the catalogues.
No greater enabler the world has ever known! I guess he complains when I get
to one or another before he does. I would have not thought of buying not
one but two Tipsy Imperial Concubines. Guess who?