Despite the wide availability of relatively cheap cut flowers, a rose in winter always seems like a small miracle. It seemed perfectly fitting last week that I glimpsed some of those miraculous winter blooms adorning a church Advent wreath. The roses were pale purple, in keeping with the Christian tradition of using that color for vestments, altar hangings and church decorations during the Advent season. The effect of the soft purple blooms against the dark evergreens was dramatic and beautiful.
The pale, silvery-purple roses available these days to both the cut-flower and nursery trade are different from their purple forbearers. Older varieties, like ‘Cardinal Richelieu, a Gallica bred before 1847; and the lovely hybrid perpetual, ‘Reine des Violettes’, introduced France in 1860, feature dark, reddish-purple petals that age gracefully to shades of mauve. ‘Baby Faurax’, introduced in 1924, and a youngster by comparison, also sports relatively dark red-purple petals. I am not sure what the breeders had in mind in 1847, 1860 or 1924, but the generations of silvery mauve roses developed after World War II were produced by breeders in hot pursuit of the rosarians’ Holy Grail—the blue rose.
Plant scientists now know that it takes more than selective breeding to turn roses blue. The species’ genetic make-up lacks the genes necessary to produce blue pigmentation. With genetic manipulation, it is possible to change that situation by introducing genes from plants like delphiniums or petunias that naturally produce blue flowers. The Japanese conglomerate, Suntory, has done a great deal of work on the blue rose, introducing ‘Applause’, a rose with “nearly 100 percent blue pigment in the petals” in 2004. ‘Applause’ may be a breakthrough, but
it still looks purplish. Clearly, the blue rose is a work in progress.
The silvery mauve varieties are certainly not “blue”, but they are very beautiful in their own right. One of the first was the hybrid tea, ‘Sterling Silver’, bred in 1957 and introduced in 1960. Its parentage included the illustrious and well-loved ‘Peace’, which probably accounted for ‘Sterling Silver’s beautiful form, with big, ruffled blooms and high-centered buds.
‘Sterling Silver’ had other qualities that it bequeathed to its mauve offspring—a pronounced citrus or lemon scent and a relative absence of thorns. When I go rose shopping and see an alluring silvery-purple rose, I always give the blooms a good sniff. If the lemon fragrance is present, I know the rose is a ‘Sterling Silver’ descendant and probably a good grower.
‘Sterling Silver’ helped beget the American-bred ‘Angel Face’, a floribunda with clusters of large silver-lilac flowers. It has been a best-seller since its introduction and is relatively easy to find in nurseries and garden centers. Though it is a modern rose, more than one rose lover has remarked on how well the color blends with older specimens. I think ‘Angel Face’ has the strongest citrus fragrance, but sometimes intensity depends on temperature, soil and time of day. The blooms also look lovely in arrangements and last fairly well.
‘Angel Face’ was a parent of another silvery-mauve rose, ‘Lagerfeld’, named after the fashion designer. The characteristic lemon fragrance is very much in evidence in the large-flowered variety, which is either a grandiflora or a hybrid tea, depending on the whim or knowledge of the vendor. Like its designer namesake, the rose, introduced in 1986, is still going strong today, ready to do star turns on the horticultural catwalk.
The great French rose house, Delbard, has also produced a mauve hybrid tea with the same characteristics as ‘Angel Face’ and ‘Sterling Silver’. The French ‘Blue Nile’, is still available in commerce and bears large, multi-petaled flowers on tall stems. The lemon fragrance is pronounced.
I have never been wild about hybrid tea roses, because I associate them with my father’s garden era, which was defined by a regimen of spraying and cosseting that is incompatible with my lifestyle. However, the major rose producers have gotten wise to modern ways and today’s hybrid teas often grow on their own roots, meaning that if they die back to the ground because of bad weather, they will regrow from the roots and be true to variety. Also, silvery-purple roses like ‘Angel Face’ and ‘Lagerfeld’ have stood the test of decades and are still popular with gardeners. That means that they are tough enough to handle differing climate conditions and levels of care.
When I have trouble sleeping, I design gardens in my mind. I can see a white/blue/silver layout with a few judiciously placed “blue” roses like ‘Lagerfeld.’ A vision like that is inspiring enough to get me through the winter.