Well Rose Kids,

We were selling roses propagated from mother plants to raise money for the Summerland Ornamental Gardens today at our spring plant sale today. Thirty-five Canadian dollars for a rose plant struck from cuttings last year. Many of them early English Roses. We made some pretty good money to support our volunteer Public Garden by selling roses propagated from what is now a singular collection of rare and heritage roses.

There are a few varieties though that are so rare, I do not want to sell the new plants, but rather plant the few I have to increase the varietal gene bank we conserve. One of these is the very early English Rose "Lordly Oberon". I have a well established mother plant going into its 4th season that is likely to overtop its climbing structure this summer. The Friends of Vintage Gardens website has this to say about Lordly Oberon:

Lordly Oberon

S/Aus rrr/fff/4 Austin, 1982

Immense globes of blush-pink with an intense fragrance of

anise, blended with Damask. It is a wonder that this rose

has received so little attention, considering how like it is to Constance Spry™ it is, in a lighter shade with such superb rebloom.

I too cannot imagine why this rose was placed on Austin's superseded list, other than it grows huge, and perhaps likes dry North American climates far more than cool wet England. I fully agree that it should be at least as famous as Constance Spry. So I am growing on the one cutting I have of it from last year and will plant a second here in "Canada's Secret Garden" next spring.

This is not a particularly good photo of the mother plant, but it shows a three year own root plant sourced from California in full bloom. She is going to be much larger this summer and a fragrant stunner of a rose. I know this is one of Kim's unsung beauties, as he is the only one who seems to have experience with it, besides myself now. Anyway, it is a rose that deserves much more attention, except perhaps in the wetter parts of the continent. Pretty good cold hardiness too, a self cross of Chaucer, I would expect hardiness to be 5a if not colder.

Just thought I'd share another little bit of rose curating happiness and satisfaction.

Cheers, Rick