Wednesday, March 3, 2010

whose hat did you say that was?



I wrote a post on roses a while back and then a friend asked me to send her a list. I send a list of woody ornamentals and roses. I can't tell what I will end up getting in the department of perennials, but roses I sort of have an idea.
I sent my friend this list and on it she was amazed to see this one rose- Chapeau de Napoleon.
A crested moss rose, having been discovered growing on a convent wall in Fribourg, Switzerland in 1820 from my understanding. So is this actually a found rose? Interesting.

R. centifolia cristata

I would grown this rose for it's odd sepals alone. It is also very fragrant and has a spicy almost damask like fragrance- so a double whammy.
Fully double blooms are a cabbage like and I have heard the color described as deep silvery-pink? What is DEEP silvery-pink? I would say it is a nice strong, pure pink with some deep tones to it, but also a sheen, that might be the silvery-pink in reference?
The rose shrub itself is not as full as other antique varieties like bourbons, but it does grow to five feet tall and do I need to rehash about the blossoms? I would suggest using this rose in mixed borders as it gives that old world/English look so many desire.
The moral of the story is that I went out and took more cuttings of it, it might be just the unique rose some gardener needs, wants, lusts for?