Irene Watts - China Rose

Creator: P. Guillot, France, 1896
Origin: “Mme Laurette Messimy” seed
Flowers: 4 cm
Height: 70 cm

The pink salmon flowers are beautiful and appear continuously until the autumn. The shrub, covered with small shiny green foliage, can be planted in pots.

Dainty Bess - Hybrid Tea Rose

Creator: Archer, England, 1925
Origin: “Ophélia” x “Kitchener of Khartoum”
Flowers: 11 cm
Height: 1 metro

When it appeared in the market, this rose was considered to be the most beautiful rose ever produced. The flowers are large, exuding a light fruity scent, adorned of long wavy pale pink petals. The purple stamens are prominent, which contributes decisively to enhance the beauty of the class of Hybrid Tea.
In warm and temperate climates it blooms almost all year round.

Albertine - Hybrid Wichurana Rose

Creator: Barbier, France, 1921
Origin: “R. Wichurana” x Mrs Arthur Robert Waddell”
Flowers: 10 cm
Height: 4,5 m

Still today this is one of the best-selling climbers around the world.
It is a very floriferous rose and spreads easily. This rose produces dark coral buds that open into very fragrant light pink folded flowers, with little disordered thin petals, flowering in groups of three to seven.
The bush is very vigorous and has abundant glossy green foliage. Thanks to its strong thorny branches, this rose is suitable for climbing trees or large shrubs.
Sometimes it needs to be protected against attacks of mildew, in the year in which this disease is to be feared. Reportedly Barbier intended to honor the memory of Marcel Proust (1871-1922), but another rose breeder anticipated him, by assigning the name of this famous writer to one of his creations.
So Barbier decided to name this rose after one of the heroines of the famous novel. "In Search of the Lost Time." Apart from this, Barbier’s family was responsible for one of the most impressive sets of Hybrid Wichurana ever being produced. The "Barbier et Cie" was founded in 1875 and the process of trade expansion was fast and consistent.
Curiously, for several years, Barbier’s were seen by the public as a reputable nursery trade and production of fruit trees, and were not even considered proficient rose breeders, but later turned out to be. In 1890 René Barbier imported the "Rose Whichurana" from the United States and in its first crossings, he proved to be a talented hybridizer, able to produce the “Alberic Barbier”, “Elisa Robichon”, “Francois Foucard","Paul Transon" and" Rene Barbier. " wichuranas roses
The flowers of these new hybrids were generally larger and more dazling than the U.S. roses and had then produced a wider variety of colors. Most climbers produced by Barbier resulted from crossing with tea roses, in particular the "Souvenir de Catherine Guillot" responsible for seven of its most successful wichuranas "Moulla Adelaide", "Alexander Tremouillet", "Edmond Proust" "Guichard", "Leontine Gervais", "Pinson" and "Valentin Beaulieu."
Almost all the roses produced by Barbier still exists today and have excellent qualities: they are lively, flexible, healthy and have a good flowering.

Paul Transon - Hybrid Wichurana Rose

Creator: Barbier, France, 1900
Origin: “Wichurana Rose” x “L’Ideal”
Flowers: 6 cm
Height: 5 m

The flowers are medium-sized and folded, disposing of a mix of pinkish salmon and terracotta color reflections in the center, appearing individually or in groups of three to five. " PaulTranson " is not a lush rosebush. Nontheless the foliage is beautiful. Unfortunately it is susceptible to mildew. What makes this rose peculiar is that it sometimes repeats flowering in autumn in regions where the climate is mild.

Princesse Louise - Hybrid Sempervirens Rosebush

Creator: Jacques, França, 1828
Origin: “Sempervirens Rose” x “Parson’s Pink”
Flowers: 7 cm
Height: 5 m

Antoine Jacques obtained this rose, as he intended to honor the Princess Louise d'Orleans (1812-1850), the eldest daughter of the Duke of Orleans, and future King Louis-Philippe of France, who married King of the Belgians, Leopold I in 1832.
The red buds of this climber are magnificent and bloom in beautiful white flowers, making quite a contrast, highlighting the subtle beauty of this "sempervirens". The flowers come usually in groups of five to twelve, within its dark green foliage, exuding a sweet musky scent

Cramoisi Supérieur - China Rose

Creator: Coquereau, France, 1832
Flowers: 5 cm
Heigt: 1 m

The flowers are cup-shaped and appear in groups throughout the year. This rose has a magnificent crimson color, the petals have the reverse and the edges of a less intense color, and the same may be said regarding its central petals that have some shades of white.
The effect is undeniably a unique beauty. The scent is light and very pleasant. In hot climates this rose can easily reach one meter in height. The leaves are small, dark green, and are susceptible to attacks from the black spot.
In 1885, a French rose breeder came up with a climber mutation of this rose. Known as "Agrippina", it was a great success in Italy and is under 4 m height.

Jean Sisley - Hybrid Tea Rose

Creator: Bennet, England, 1879
Origin: “Adam” x “Emilie Hansburg”
Flowers: 10 cm
Height: 60 cm

A wonderful and rare rose created by the legendary Henry Bennet. The flowers are folded, quite scented and of a rosy lilac attractive color. The plant has a moderate growth and good foliage, but can be attacked by powdery mildew and black spot when the weather is hot and humid.

Lauré Davoust - Hybrid Sempervirens Rose

Creator: Laffay, France, 1834
Origin: possibly “Sempervirens Rose” x “a Noisette Rose”
Flowers: 3cm
Height: 5 m

This rose is very difficult to classify: for some it is a hybrid of "R. Multiflora ", for others it results from a happy crossing between" R. Sempervirens "and a rose Noisette.
I opt for this last one. But regardless of their genealogy, the truth is that this rose has a unique charm especially during its prolonged flowering. The tiny flowers in perfect pompons, appear in clusters, with a mix of pink and white, very attractive. The bright green foliage is exceptional.
It is unclear who the person who wanted to honor Laffay was, but it may possible to have been a relative of Marshal of the Louis Empire - Nicolas Davout (1770-1823).