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Do you have a favorite Moss rose?

HU-284226487
last month

I fell in love with "Goethe' at the Sacramento Cemetery rose garden.

I have grown 'Quatre Saisons Blanc Mosseaux' for 2 years and its' coming into bloom this first week of March. I adore it. Not only for the fact that it blooms from March through November where I live, but the blooms are adorable, and the moss on the sepals is green and abundant and fragrant of crushed spruce needles. The flowers have a light damask scent. Most of the year it blooms in clusters of 3.

In my Mediterranean climate it blooms as often as my Tea class roses.


Luxrosa


P.S. I am a big fan of 'Goethe; though I don't have space for one.

Comments (20)

  • roseseek
    last month
    last modified: last month

    Several. Deuil de Paul Fontaine. Will Tillotson wrote it was a "real he-man of a rose" in its deep, rich coloring of burgundys and browns. In the old Newhall garden in the mid desert, it suckered a bit and flowered as reliably as any floribunda. I'd grow Fontaine again in a heart beat if I could find one. Quatre Saisons Blanc Mousseux for scent, gorgeous flowers and outrageous sepals. Gabriel Noyelle for color, scent and reliable bloom. It's modern and showed mossing was an inheritable trait as it was a cross between a moss and a Pernetiana HT. It also produced Lady Moss, a Moore modern full sized reliably flowering modern moss when crossed with Mr. Moore's wonderful Fairy Moss, which I am employing with species. Waldtraut Nielsen, another modern moss resulting from moss X HT. Eons ago, at a Huntington Old Rose Symposium, a lovely lady from Northern California asked me at a dinner for the event if she could get me to bud a Waldtraut Nielsen for her to purchase at The Huntington. She was a very attractive lady and a lovely person and she had a 16 year old daughter following in her foot steps and wanted the rose to plant outside the daughter's bedroom window as "security". I told her I would look into it. Waldtraut grew in the Study Plot where I found it. The canes were nearly as thick as my wrist and the prickles SO dense, it was nearly impossible to find growth buds. I found it had layered itself and rooted in the mulch. The Curator of Roses gave permission for me to pot the layered piece and for her to purchase it at the Plant Sale. I told her when I found it and looked for buds, I wondered what I had done to offend her, the rose was SO prickly, it would have resulted in quite a bit of "blood loss". We both got a laugh and she got her rose. Waldraut is a MONSTER.

    Fakir's Delight is one you MUST grow if you enjoy mosses. It's literally a Bracteata-Moss. Mr. Moore was quite surprised when he raised it and was delighted to show off that seedling on a visit. All of the prickles hook downward and are so dense so you can grab the heavily armed canes and move them around without getting shredded. It reminded me of a bed of nails, so I suggested the name. He hated it, but like so many others, he used it when the rose was introduced. When he negatively reacted to his first and only blood transfusion and landed in the hospital for the first time in his life at age 99, the call went out saying if we wanted to say our good byes, get there. Carolyn kept us all busy at the nursery until our times for visits came up as he was limited to only two people at a time. Carolyn HATED the rose because it was SO prickly and the buds SO sticky with the moss resin. She handed me a bucket and pruners with the instruction that since "I" had urged Mr. Moore to introduce it, "I" was to be the one to collect 50 cuttings of it for her for propagation from the mountain of the plant out back. I gave her 150. Mr. Moore scared everyone as the reaction to the transfusion nearly literally killed him, but he recovered and went on for another several years. Of course, I have to include "Kim Rupert", the moss Mr. Moore bred, Paul Barden purchased as a "throw away" seedling but discovered it was too good to not put in commerce, gave back to Mr. Moore and convinced me to allow him to name for me. Mosses and stripes have LONG been "my thing".

  • User
    last month
    last modified: last month

    The Mosses are, as a group, an odd bunch - often with peculiar growth habits, spare rebloom (if any) and many have disease issues. The OGR Mosses are often quite good, but don't expect reliable rebloom. I never got along well with 'Deuil de Paul Fontaine' (Blackspotted badly, always chlorotic, struggled to make new growth) nor 'Alfred de Dalmas'/'Mousseline' (refused to grow taller than 15", rarely flowered), but 'Soupert et Notting' does quite well for me. 'Gabriel Noyelle' was a pretty thing, and it grew reasonably well, but it was a total martyr to disease and it eventually succumbed to Blackspot, dying completely during a particularly hard winter. Of the once-blooming Mosses, I've had very good results from 'Capitaine John Ingram' and 'Henri Martin'.

    But the real winners in the Moss family are the ones bred by Ralph Moore, IMO. Ralph did a very good job of taming the bad manners of the clan (tall, lanky canes that couldn't decide if they were tall shrubs, or climbers) and came up with some very attractive shrub type, repeat blooming varieties. I was particularly fond of 'Lady Moss', but it was killed in the 2015 Deep Freeze, sadly. I would replace it in a heartbeat if I could. 'Rougemoss' is also quite good here, with fiery scarlet blooms of a shimmering hue, and well-mossed buds. It does get Blackspot here, though. Though not commercially available, one of my favorite Moore Mosses is "O.M" (Orange Moss), one of Moore's earliest "foundation" hybrids, getting it's mossing trait from Pedro Dot's 'Golden Moss'. But "O.M." blooms only briefly in the spring, and it's not what you'd call a "tidy" plant. But the blooms are a rich orange/yellow blend and they small a bit like orange juice. I have to find some photos, but for now, here's a photo of one of "OM"s offspring, 7-62-9, also a Moss type:




    Of the smaller Moore Moss roses, I've found 'Rose Gilardi' to be one of the best in terms of shrub shape, disease resistance, hardiness, fast repeat and the striping. A related hybrid is 'Scarlet Moss', with deep red blooms and excellent mossing. It's an upright plant, with less than graceful habit, but it's a sturdy plant that flowers reliably.

    Finally, I have to give my "favorite" vote to 'Fakir's Delight' as well. Such a peculiar rose, but charming and the blooms are so beautiful. Everything Kim says about it is true. Fortunately for me, it's disease free in my garden, which is unusual for a Modern Moss.

  • oursteelers 8B PNW
    last month

    Capitaine John Ingram is my favorite. I like Henri too but I must have made him mad for some reason because he didn’t bloom last year

  • judijunebugarizonazn8
    last month

    I can not imagine any rose more beautiful than that photo of CJI above, Markay. Rich, velvety purple red and such a beautiful formation! I could look at such a rose all day.

  • Melissa Northern Italy zone 8
    last month

    I don't know the modern mosses, unfortunately. Another vote for 'Capitaine John Ingram', though the last time I saw it, it was being overrun by its neighbors, so I may have to acquire it again. I like the mosses in general. One of my mystery roses, obtained from a fellow gardener who collected it and which I've never been able to identify, is a low-growing, suckering, erect, once-flowering plant with pink blooms, looking like it has a dose of Portland in its ancestry. Another pleasant curiosity is 'Mme. Moreau', mossed AND striped, once-flowering, tidy pleasant blooms on a healthy plant. I like all my mosses, which is partly due to my being a not-too-ruthless gardener, and partly to them doing well if I put them in a spot where they have half a chance, i.e., they like my conditions.

    Oh! and how could I forget 'Blanche Moreau', once-blooming, low-growing, white flowered, a tremendous suckerer and, apart from the need to control it, a perfectly carefree rose. It's beautiful, by the way. I particularly love the white mosses.

    My impression is that there are quite a few good moss roses around that are not widely grown. Some may not be in commerce in the U.S. I got quite a few of mine from Petrovic in Serbia, about ten years ago.

  • User
    last month

    Speaking of white Mosses, I used to have ’Comtesse de Murinais’, which was very beautiful; just a hint of peachy-pink when fresh, then a clear white. unfortunately it didnt thrive in my clay soil and gradually gave up.

  • Marlorena
    last month

    'General Kleber' is a sweetly scented, very vigorous Moss with good foliage and, I think, exquisite blooms..








  • Melissa Northern Italy zone 8
    last month

    Paul, I used to have 'Comtesse de Murinais', a tall-growing rose on its own roots that I got from Heirloom back when they had a big collection of old roses. I thought it was beautiful, too! though it got more disease than some of its neighbors, which I didn't let bother me. I've tried to grow it here, but with no luck, possibly due to my own heavy clay soil.

    Marlorena, your 'General Kleber' is in fact lovely. This is another one I've tried and had no luck with.

    I just remembered another good moss: 'William Lobb'! Strong, healthy, happy rose with lanky canes that can be trained as a small climber. Mauve to purple flowers, very handsome and good.

  • jacqueline9CA
    last month

    Sorry I am so ignorant, but can someone tell me if "crested moss roses" are a sub set of "moss roses", or is there a separate type of "crested rose" which is not a moss rose?


    I have a Ralph Moore rose which I got from Jeri Jennings, which she said Mr. Moore did not put into commerces because it was "not crested enough". Jeri named it 'Dawn Crest'. It is a pale pink once bloomer, and I love it. It does have a "crest" on the buds, but I do not see the very mossy growth in some of the photos above. Here are some pics of it:


    Any comments would be appreciated -

    Jackie







  • User
    last month
    last modified: last month

    @jacqueline9CA

    It kinda depends who you ask. Many list the Crested Damask (R. centifolia crisata) as a member of the Moss family of roses. I think the ARS lumps the two together.

    But the fact is that the original R. centifolia crisata that led to Moore's hybrids like 'Dawn Crest' is a separate and unique mutation that is distinct from the Moss varieties. "Crested" roses are not "Moss" roses, IMO. Both mutations arose within the same general family of roses (Centifolia/Damask) but they are not the same mutation.

  • jacqueline9CA
    last month

    Paul - thank you so much! A very clear explanation - also it explains why my crested rose does not have any "moss" growing on it.


    Jackie

  • erasmus_gw
    last month

    Deuil de Paul Fontaine was a wimpy plant for me, very bs prone, and blooms were always misshapen and not pretty. Color was pretty. Henri Martin was a healthy ;plant with pretty blooms. Died from drought I think. Wm Lobb is a lanky grower here.

    Rene d'Anjou is my best moss plant though I have a hard time saying it's my favorite. It grows better but is still bs prone. It is in part shade though. It repeats a little.


    I love the resin smell of moss. I ordered Crested Moss grafted on multiflora this spring. Had an own root one that didn't do well at all...no vigor. Dawn Crest does very well here and seems to me it repeats. Gets some bs in NC but it's a pretty rose. Great plant of it, Jackie. Interesting that they're not really mosses though the crested look gets my attention.


    I like Strawberry Swirl for its looks but don't really pay attention to any mossing.


    Rene d'Anjou:





    General Kleber is lovely and sounds like a good one.

  • bellegallica9a
    last month
    last modified: last month

    Mosses are fascinating. I got Soupert et Notting from RVR early last year, but so far it's not liking it here. There were a few flowers last Spring, but none after. There are a few buds on it now, but zero foliage. This might be it's last gasp, but I'll give it some TLC and see if that might help it improve.

    RVR had Deuil de Paul Fontaine briefly available last year, and I was tempted but decided to wait and see how Soupert worked out. Maybe Deuil would have liked it here more than Soupert...who knows..it is a beautiful dark wine color.

  • portlandmysteryrose
    2 days ago
    last modified: 2 days ago

    Such a delightful class of roses! I love this thread. :-) I have to chime in about the charm, beauty and fragrance of this one: ’Capitaine John Ingram’ is one of THE most exquisite roses of all time, in my opinion. Disease free for me. Slice the suckers and make more to share. ‘Salet’ is remontant(!), very mossy and very fragrant. No suckers in 20 years. And then I just have to mention my all time favorite: ’Carol Whitten’ bred by Paul Barden! This rose is the greatest gift and honor I could ever hope for because one of my favorite breeders and one of the loveliest human beings named this gorgeous red Moss after yours truly. My babies are growing, and I will share pics when they bloom. In the meantime, here’s a HMF link. Carol

    HMF ‘Carol Whitten’ Moss Rose

    https://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.89730

  • Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
    2 days ago

    @portlandmysteryrose happy to see you!!!

  • Marlorena
    2 days ago

    'Mme. Delaroche-Lambert' has these lovely blooms which don't last long enough and there could be more of them..


    ..I rather like her ''bad hair day'' look, or is it a French fascinator?..


  • Markay MD-Zone 7A (8A on new map)
    yesterday

    portlandmysteryrose, I just noticed the suckers that my Capitaine John Ingram was sending up! I didn’t know it suckered! Bonus!!

  • roseseek
    yesterday

    @Markay MD-Zone 7A (8A on new map) it's common for mosses to sucker. The original mosses were sports of Rosa Centifolia (which suckers) in France in the 17th Century. Others have been discovered as sports of further sports from Centifolia. It's relatively common for many classes of European OGRs to sucker. Even a fair number of later Hybrid Perpetuals can sucker, often quite a good deal. In loose soils in climates where she's happy, Grandmother's Hat can sucker several feet. The earlier the moss, the greater its potential for suckering. As they learned it was possible to literally breed for mossing, the abiltiy to sucker was greatly reduced and in most of the "modern mosses", it's fairly rare, but can occur.