Talk about a "glamor shot"! That is real "rose porn"!

I'll say, Jeri!

Jeri, how would you characterize the color of this rose! Does that change throughout the season? I wonder if it ever veers toward the more violet/purple end of the spectrum.

May I ask how your husband is doing? I wish him all the best, and you too in what must be a very stressful time for both of you.

Beautiful picture. I snipped a nice smelling one from mine today. It's a blackish red for me. Reminds me of Francis Dubreuil. Red is not my favorite, but I keep it because it smells good, and it's a small plant that easily kept in a pot, doesn't take up much space.

Ingrid . . . Yes. You're right. The color starts out a fairly red-red and slowly darkens through purple-red to almost black. Here, you see it darkening. But I don't have images of it in the final stages.

As for my husband, he is improving stadily, now. It's just frustrating for him to know that it's going to take a good 6 more months of healing. Neurological trauma isn't fast-healing.

Belle, yes. The colors are really similar. Only Eugene has far more petals, and really, they have more substance. More "starch".

It's funny to consider that your "Francis Dubreuil: is really a Hybrid Tea -- 'Barcelona'.

And 'Eugene de Beauharnais' is more of a Bourbon than it is a China.

My Eugene usually looks like your second photo, but with all the petals taking on that blackish purple right away. I usually don't see much of the lighter red tones. The sun/heat may be too much for it here. I'm waiting to see if it will do the same when our weather turns cooler.

Those purple tones are beautiful! I'm envious because I don't think I get those either, but I'll have to pay closer attention from start to finish. I'll also try to get pictures as well.

I tend to think of the "true" Chinas as having rather thin and floppy petals, which some think is part of their charm and others not so much. From these pictures it's obvious that EdB has thicker, more upright petals. It's definitely a very handsome rose.

Ingrid, you are right. Now, let me tell a story . . .

Back when I was exhibiting roses, and when we grew 'Eugene de Beauharnais' on its own roots . . . And when we sprayed regularly . . . EdeB put out a magnificent spray . . . The only one like it we ever got. It was to die for.

At that time, ARS's "bible" (Modern Roses) listed 'Eugene de Beauharnais' as a China. That meant that, even if logic told you it could not be a China, that's what you had to enter it as. So we did. China Rose. Entered in the Dowager class.

Much later, when judging was completed, and the show opened, we went to the table where the Dowager entries were displayed. There was our spray of 'Eugene de Beauharnais' . . . DISQUALIFIED. The judge's notation read: "NOT A CHINA."

Well, DUH.

The Chairman of judges was a friend, so I went and asked him, "What gives?"

He said that the judges LOVED that spray. LOVED it. But they were not familiar with the rose. So, they showed it to the only person in the room who grew Old Roses, and she, truthfully and correctly, said that it didn't look like a China. (And we know that is true,)

So, the entry was disqualified, which was not correct or even logical, and really ticked me off.

Ugh (if you intended to win) but Bravo, if your intention was display and inspiration.

Well, it was UGH. Nice that folks got to see it, but sad that there was so much ignorance,

We don't show anymore, because local societies no longer hold shows, and anyhow are fast losing memberships. I used to really enjoy entering things people weren't familiar with.

It's been so long that I've forgotten its name, but when I lived in Sacramento I would journey over to the San Francisco area where there was an event that displayed old roses in vases. I was new to them at the time and was like a kid in a candy store. Jeri, I'm sure you must have attended. It's killing me that I can't remember the name. I'm even wondering now whether you weren't in some way in charge of this event also.

@ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 I believe you're thinking of the Celebration of Old Roses in El Cerrito. There are articles about the 34th held last May but nothing yet about whether there will be a 35th.

I love my Eugene de Beauharnais. Hard to capture the deep color for me sometimes, but the rose is so beautiful and undemanding.

Ingrid, I've never been "in charge" of the Celebration . . . But I have taken part in it annually for many years. I was overjoyed, recently, to hear from a friend who has relocated from SoCal to TX. Having attended several Celebrations with us, she is hopeful to eventually stage one there. And THAT is very, very good news.

Kim and Jeri, yes that's the one! Jeri, I somehow knew you were there, and had probably seen you mention it on the forum here. I remember one year I brought some roses, and I think it was because we had been encouraged to do so on the forum here, and they ended up under the table, along with quite a few others, because so many people had brought roses that year!