About 'The Fairy'

16 years ago

A question in Robert's clone thread about The Fairy needs to be split out, I think.

I've grown the Fairy in three states in very different conditions. It became a favorite of mine because in New Orleans, rose thieves avoided it because it wasn't a HT.

A good friend in Golden Colorado loves The Fairy because it does well for her and the blooms dry well for over winter color. And she inspired me to dry the blooms for use in a niece's February wedding for the flower girl to drop (and they cleaned up much better than fresh rose petals would have.)

But a friend up here had ordered several plants of The Fairy to cascade over a wall at the entry to her home. They were horrible. When she saw my Fairies, she all but went through the Kubler Ross stages of sorrow when she realized that hers were not what they might have been.

Yes, there are different Fairies out there.

And there's a further complication. On all of my good Fairies, there's a problem with galls. The galls seem to be more on the canes. But here and in New Orleans and Houston, The Fairy could live with that problem. I've had other roses elsewhere in the garden strangled by rootgall. Yes, literal strangulation that cut off vascular support of the above ground canes. But somehow, the Fairy can live with all the mini-strangulations along the stems.

I've seen elsewhere that some won't use Fairy in breeding programs because of the propensity to gall. Yet Fairy blooms a bit after almost all other roses in my garden, so a couple of bushes of The Fairy can extend opulent bloom for two to three weeks.

That other fairy out there...I have no idea where it came from, but I know it's out there and disappointing growers who get it by accident.

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Comments (7)

jacqueline9CA
16 years ago
It does seem as if there are 2 different "fairy" clones out there. My sister-in-law has a plant in her warm No Cal garden that is at least 30 years old, and probably a lot older. It gets 6 ft x 6 ft x 6 ft, and booms prolifically. I have one in my garden that was purchased about 20 years ago. I moved it because it was in too much shade, but even in its new location it is wimpy, straggling, and doesn't bloom much at all.

Has anyone seen info on this / does anyone know where one might buy the nicer one? Personally, I think I will try and root one from my sister-in-laws plant.

Jackie
Terry Crawford
16 years ago
I had the 'bad' Fairies..they came from WAYSIDE several years ago. They had tiny, vicious thorns that would cause horrible infections if you carelessly were pricked. These Fairies only bloomed well about once in early summer, and the bushes were not a pleasing form...they were very low and spreading. I also have seen other pics of 'The Fairy' and am amazed at its beauty and have often wondered what went awry with the 4 I planted and nutured for several years.

Last year, out of exasperation and since they were in a prominent place in front of the white picket fence alongside the sidewalk, I decided I could do better with other roses, and had DH dig them up. They did not go quietly..they had spread and had large root systems. One of the offspring was hiding and is growing in the fence; I'll have to deal with it shortly and dig it out without damaging 'France Info', who took its place.
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kristin_flower
16 years ago
My three 'The Fairy' are planted within three feet of each other. They have the same sun, same soil, same care, but one of them has a problem. It's flower buds are always deformed and do not open. The other two bloom prolifically from July until hard freeze. I've never seen an open bloom on the bad Fairy but in all other respects seems to be identical to my other two good Fairies. The bad Fairy was purchased from a different vendor.

It would be interesting to find out what the problem is. I've taken cuttings from my good Fairies and plan to remove my bad Fairy first thing come spring.

By the way, I agree the Fairy blooms are pretty dried. My daughter picked some this summer for her Barbie Doll's marriage to Ken Doll. We still have the dried bouquet.
york_rose
16 years ago
Yes, there are different Fairies out there.

I agree with this. The inflorescence, blossom form, and flower color are always the same, likewise the scentlessness (in an otherwise utterly charming, dynamite rose), but the habit of growth is not.
rjlinva
16 years ago
The Fairy may be the only rose that I have shovel pruned. It grew beautifully and healthy, but it never bloomed. It produced copious flower buds that never developed. I tried the plant in two different locations over a 4-5 year period. No regrets about eliminating it from my garden.

Robert
anntn6b
Original Author
16 years ago
So, Robert, you've already met the Bad Fairy.
michaelg
16 years ago
It's inconceivable that a normal Fairy that gets a few hours of sun would not bloom. This is one of the best-blooming roses over a wide range of conditions.

In addition to the flowers-don't-open kind, there is apparently a semi-climbing sport that makes six-foot shoots, and then the full climber. The semi-climber has been sold as the polyantha shrub.