Actually, Josephine did not import Old Blush. It predates her garden.

But it's a great rose. I don't grow it here because it and most of its direct progeny mildew for me here at the SoCal coast. But I know how beautiful it is in TX. How wonderful for you to have a clone of it in the family.

I also have a "family rose" which I expect is a chance seedling or sport of OB -- and it mildews here too (though it was lovely in TX). But I am obligated to grow it ;-) so I hope it eventually will outgrow the plague. Here is "The China From Adina":

I love Old Blush when it's healthy but mine invariably developed mildew on the stems just below the flowers and of course on the leaves. It really spoiled the look and I finally gave up. Yours has grown beautifully and seems to be free of disease.

Thanks so much for the pictures! I have lusted after Old Blush for years, but never did anything about it. Then I read that the climbing version blooms more than the bush (it is usually the other way round). Climbers are my most favorite.

Just a few minutes ago my Dh noticed that there were some dead and/or drooping buds and leaves on a cane of our Buff Beauty. It is intermingled with 4 other climbing roses, so difficult to see it. However, I went out and examined it, and EVERY cane is dead or dying (a one trunk bush). So, it is coming out later today. Now I have a nice dilemma - I will have a space for a new climber, and I could order Cl Old Blush......But, should I be adding roses in this drought? Our water district still has not published its new restrictions, and now they say they will not be out until late May. Very annoying. We have about 24 different irrigation stations in our garden. We are planning on re-orgainizing them, re-programming, cutting back, etc. However, we do not want to have to do that 2-3 times, so we are waiting for the official announcement (which will probably include which exact days of the week we can water). In the meanwhile, it is tempting...

Jackie

Very pretty, loved seeing a progression of it's growth over time.

Wow, it's doing great!

That is a beautiful and inspiring series of photos. I have a baby plant (also a passalong) that had one lovely bloom a few weeks ago. It wanted to bloom more this week, but the Japanese Beetles arrived on Earth Day. C'est la guerre...

Thanks for the lovely pix,

Virginia

I have had Old Blush for years now. Always the first thing to bloom. Never had powdery mildew and I pretty much ignore it, but it just keeps on blooming. I live in a dry, hot climate. In the last day or two, the first blooms for 2015 appeared. Someone gave it to me as a gift at least 10 years ago. The blossoms look just like yours.

Old Blush WILL mildew in mildew prone climates and it WILL get over it as soon as temp / humidity conditions become unfavorable for PM. It is a tough rose. It will also blackspot on ageing leaves. We don't get much BS here but this winter and spring have been exceptionally wet and chilly and my 4 OB bushes are currently inflicted with BS on older leaves and PM on younger shoots. This didn't stop them blooming all year long. I agree that wherever mildew is a year long problem OB may not be a good proposition in spots where one can see them up close. On the other hand it is a plant it and forget it rose in suitable climates.

Jerijen- thanks for the info. My books are wrong?! And I thought they would be more trustworthy than the web. Boo.

Ingrid- I guess there is a benefit to having 4% humidity. Mine has never mildewed, even when grown indoors. On the other hand, there's Winchester Cathedral, and Glamis Castle, which mildew given any excuse (or lack of one).

Jackie- good luck on the drought. Maybe this will be a good year to clear out the old. On the other hand, if my Old Blush does this well in our dry high desert climate...

Michaela and Seil- thanks!

Virginia - it will grow. And grow...

Beaverfoot- good to know that I am probably on the right track in the ID of this rose!

I've seen Old Blush in mature TX gardens upwards of 6-ft. tall. And my "China From Adina" was a good 7-ft. tall, when we first saw it. I agree -- a wonderful rose in the right conditions, and tough as nails.

The 'Old Blush' clone from Vintage mildewed like crazy here (in a very good spot) and, though vigorous, was removed. Oddly, though, my 'Old Blush' or its look-alike, collected from an old cemetery, mildews only a bit in the worst part of the year for that (not enough to be a bother), blooms practically year round. A seedling, perhaps, or somehow different? It is in an ostensibly less advantageous spot than the Vintage clone was, too.

Here it is this morning (drooping a bit from our very welcome 1/3" of rain overnight - plant is now about 4.5' tall):

Catspa, your post reminds me of when I posted photos of an unlabeled rose I saw in a local city garden, requesting ID help. Most responders said 'Old Blush' or a sport/seedling thereof.

I got the bright idea to e-mail the city horticulturalist to see if she'd be able to ID the rose, and she responded by saying it was "Natchitoches Noisette", and that it was one of the cleanest and best-flowering of all the roses they had.

I now have young plants of both roses, and intend to keep an eye out for similarities and differences...

Whether yours is either of those, or a close relation, it's certainly very beautiful- thanks for posting the eye candy!

Virginia

Here's an update on what I think is 'Old Blush'. Just keeps getting better.

How neat to see the progression of photos as Old Blush grew up for you. A wonderful view of how an ogr builds into a lovely plant when it's cared for with patience.

I'd have to grow Old Blush, just for it's history alone, but it's very pretty here. Yeah, the individual flowers aren't spectacular, but it's such an exuberant bloomer, & here, at least, such a healthy happy plant.

Very happy this spring--this is about 5' tall.

And it's offspring, Pink Poodle--its blooms get dark, like mini Old Blush blooms in cool weather; in the heat of summer they're pale pink.

Jackie, IIRC, Vintage's catalog commented that cl. Old Blush bloomed a bit less than the bush form. I have it also & it does bloom less, but it's not in as sunny of a position as the bush, so who knows? It has bloomed well this spring, but not like the shrub.

This year is a little later, the bush is bigger.

And I should report that my "China From Adina" did indeed finally outgrow its mildew problem (tho, our changing climate may have helped it).

I've also got 'N92 Nanjing', now:

I hope soon to add "5 Yuan" ("Camellia Temple Rose"/"Ten Thousand Camellias Red China")

I think I was too impatient with O.B., when I had it. Because The China From Adina has outgrown the problem, and is doing fine.

Tough old rose that it is, it went without water for a long time last summer in temps over 100 deg. It died back some, but has made a GREAT comeback, and is now about 5 ft. tall.

Here's a photo I took back in February, after I cleaned it up. It's much bigger and much fuller, now, and blooming happily.

Still going strong.

Looking good. Mine never mildews but does get blackspot. It's the first to bloom here too.

Thankfully, we don’t get blackspot here, and the mildew it gets is rare and mild. Beautiful photo, Erasmus!

@ noseometer: I'll say.

Re the beauty of 'Old Blush's blooms. I think OB is largely admired for its profusion in flower, its historical importance, and its general unkillableness. However, I have, on admittedly rare occasions, seen it produce individually beautiful flowers: full, shapely, delicately veined. One sees 'Old Blush' occasionally here in northern Italy, I think as a passalong plant, as I've never spotted it in a nursery.

N.b. My 'Old Blush' gets mildew AND blackspot. I don't let it bother me (being able to look the other way is an important gardening skill).