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'St. Francis Xavier' rose Reviews & Comments
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Not only does it not seem to set hips, but its pollen doesn't seem to be fertile either based on the crosses I tried to make with it which all failed to take.
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It's rare, but it happens.
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#2 of 3 posted
31 MAY by
 HubertG
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No doubt, since nature has a way of really wanting to reproduce, but just an observation that this rose clearly isn't a very fertile one either way.
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I agree.
They usually give fertility one way or another if given enough time and opportunity.
This said, I have given some roses away for lack of fertility here.
That doesn't mean they might give fertility for someone else in a different climate, under different circumstances.
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Parentage of this rose needs to be moved to the "Francis Dubreuil (in commerce as)" list, please.
Presumably also any other recent offspring attributed to Francis Dubreuil (Fragrant Symphony, Sweet Passion, JASwee).
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Good one Margaret. Corrected, Thank you.
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In the recent heat we've experienced this rose emits a lovely lychee dominated fragrance. In fact yesterday when I smelt a bloom it was almost exactly the same as how I remember 'Tipsy Imperial Concubine' smelling. Which makes me wonder ... does 'St. Francis Xavier' inherit its lychee scent from its Tea Rose ancestry (and 'Papa Gontier' which I grow smells nothing like this), or perhaps is it passed down through its HT side through "Francis Dubreuil (in commerce as)"? And if it's from the HT side, is 'Tipsy Imperial Concubine' possibly a renamed European rose with HT blood?
'St. Francis Xavier' has one of the best and sweetest scents of any rose I know in any case.
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Last winter I bought 'St Francis Xavier' to try out and so far I'm very pleased with it. Inspired by the photo here of its bushy habit, I planted it into a large decorative terracotta pot. It has done well and I feel it will only improve over time. This rose has a gorgeous strong rich damask scent and dark but bright red flowers with a black overlay. It seems to be very quick to repeat too.
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#2 of 3 posted
15 JAN 20 by
HubertG
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It's worth growing for the fragrance only which is stronger than Muriel Linton (Hadley) but more complex too. It's hard to describe the components but I detect something like lychee in it as well as the classic old rose Damask scent. It doesn't seem to set hips (at least not for me) so doesn't really need deadheading either and keeps sending out new shoots. Since I'm virtually frost-free I'm looking forward to seeing how late into the colder months it will continue to flower. A medium-sized rather than large flower, it's worth trying out. Ross Roses seem to be the only supplier.
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#3 of 3 posted
4 SEP 20 by
HubertG
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Just an update - it really didn't offer any winter flowers in my frost-free garden.
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