I am always confused by the photos - is MP pale peach, fading to white, or dark orange?

Jackie

Ma Perkins was a rather nice old floribunda. The fragrance is good, being a cross of Red Radiance X Fashion. HMF states "susceptible to black spot". I'll add "and to rust, where it is supported by climate". @jacqueline9CA the color can be a bit bright pink in cooler weather but heat and bright sun softens it. The really orange photos tend to be the artificially colored ones from old publications and catalogs. White Ma Perkins is a white sport I grew many years ago that was every bit as nice a garden plant as its parent. Austin used it to create Wife of Bath, which went on to help create a few dozen of his earlier roses.

I've grown the same Ma Perkins since I got it from Vintage in 2001. It's a really nice pink with a slight salmon-y tone FL that blooms well and stays <3 feet... perfect for the 15 gallon pot it's been in for 24 years! I don't find that it fades much at all, even though it's in one of my most full-sun spots. Caveat is that I'm in coastal Calif., 2 miles from the ocean, so we have mild summers. I've never had much (or any) disease on it, at least that I can remember. I adore FLs, and have always had a soft spot in my heart for Ma Perkins, maybe because it's from 1952. At this later stage in my rose life, I wouldn't replace it if I lost it, but I'm really happy that I have it!

Thank you for the comments!

Good to know that it can be kept in a pot. It would probably be lighter pink here, but that's fine with me.

What is the fragrance like? Spicy or sweet?

I shall defer to @susan9santabarbara on that question. I've not even seen the rose in nearly 20 years. My nose can't remember the specific scent, only that it was pleased by it.

Hello, I grow Ma Perkins, she is about five years old in my garden and one year in the ground. The bush is moderately sized for a floribunda, more spreading than tall, with very healthy foliage in my garden. Bloom production is consistent with several flushes throughout the year. The color ranges from a quite pale orange pink to darker shadings tending more toward orange in stronger sunlight/higher temperatures. These photos sum up the spectrum of color fairly well. The fragrance is rather strong, to my nose, with a distinct scent of myrrh/anise. She's a great garden plant - cupped blooms - so rewarding!

Myrrh! No wonder David Austin used it. Ha! I like the streaks of color in the petals.

Thanks!

Isn't that funny? Austin used to proclaim the myrrh scent was from the Ayshire roses so they were some of the OGRs he mined for it. Except, he never did and MANY old moderns shared that type scent. Try Moonsprite. It is everything the early Austins SHOULD have been, including the scent.

Susan, I am so happy for the little Pink Chiffon you sent me last year. It’s not a big vigorous plant but it’s steadily growing and yes, it blooms its little heart out with the sweetest porcelain pink blooms. And since I like myrrh scent, I like the smell.

Judi, so glad to hear it's doing well for you. I keep meaning to check in to see, but I didn't want to be a pest asking after my babies :-D

You made me laugh, Susan. I share my cuttings and have to really hold myself back from pestering my friends for the blow by blow of their growth. SO HARD!!! They really are our babies.