Article (newspaper)  (Mar 2014)  Page(s) 2.  Includes photo(s).
 
Patricia Routley: Bishop Darlington I love. (Not that old bloke of course - got another old bloke I am rather smitten with). This is a 1926 rose named by the breeder, Captain George C. Thomas, after his friend James Henry Darlington, an American Bishop who lived from 1856 to 1930. The seed parent was ‘Aviateur Bleriot’, 1910 (a rambler) and the pollen parent was ‘Moonlight’ 1913 (a hybrid musk). I have all three roses (mother, father and child) in my garden and one would think there would be some family resemblance, but there is only a slight hint of ‘Moonlight’ shining through. In a 1927 reference Captain Thomas said of ‘Bishop Darlington’ “Hardy in Pennsylvania 1917-19”, and so I presume he got to work on ‘Moonlight’ fairly quickly and that ‘Bishop Darlington’ had been bred by 1917. It was not registered until 1926 and it was introduced in the U.S. in 1928 when it was described as a climbing hybrid tea as well as a pillar rose. Modern Roses 1 in 1930, probably picking up from the seed parent, and possibly without ever seeing the plant itself, called it a hybrid wichuraiana. G. A. Stevens in 1933 went with the pollen parent and linked it with the hybrid musks. By 1940 Modern Roses II decided to call it a semi-climber, but by 1974 the lure of the musk classification stuck and it seemed to remain a hybrid musk in the literature from then on. Lately modern shrub has cropped up once or twice. For me it grows mostly like a semi-climber, or a tall and narrow hybrid tea and grows 120 to 200 cm here. I always have to go and say hello when I see the blooms waving around at me from the top of the bush. It certainly looks quite different from other hybrid musk roses here. The bush is sturdy and strong and stands quite upright on some very bare legs. It really does need a companion daisy or something planted in front of it. This 1926 rose is still quite freely available from nurseries. ‘Bishop Darlington’ came as a cutting from the Pinjarra Heritage Rose Garden in 1999 and it has been one of the healthier roses I got from there. It is said to tolerate poor soils and it grows so well from cuttings that I’ve recently struck and planted out another two bushes in different garden beds. The large 10cm flowers come singly and in small clusters on a long stem. They have a look of fragile loveliness with just 15 petals. The blooms are blush and pale cream with pink tinting and a yellow glow lights up the centre. They are decorated by some pretty curling petaloids as well and these have an apricot reverse that shows up nicely against the cream petals. Charles Quest-Ritson wrote in his 2003 book: “But one or two small petals towards the centre of the flower usually fold themselves over and obscure the fine, long stamens – a trait that spoils its beauty”. I find those little curling petals utterly charming as though it is shielding its private parts from the inquisitive gaze. Interesting perceptions from both sexes there.

Book  (2008)  Page(s) 26.  Includes photo(s).
 
‘Bishop Darlington’ Hybrid musk, George C. Thomas (USA), 1926. Apricot to cream flowers borne all season in sprays on a tall spreading shrub or short climber. Sweet scent. ….. but Captain Thomas preferred to honour an old family friend, James Henry Darlington (1856-1930), the Episcopal bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Consecrated in 1905, Bishop Darlington is remembered as ‘a man of high culture, deeply religious and deeply humane’. Loved as a spiritual leader and philanthropist, he was a tireless worker in the cause of Christian unity, a poet whose verses are still in print, a lover of music – at a time when many saw jazz as the work of the Devil, he invited jazz musicians to play in his cathedral – and a pioneer conservationist. His role in the creation of Pennsylvania’s first wilderness parks is remembered by the section of the Appalachian Trail that bears his name. His rose is a double tribute, first to the good bishop himself and second to the American Rose Society, whose headquarters were then in Harrisburg. Not one of those roses that screams out loud for attention, it is worthy of the honour.

Book  (2006)  Page(s) 100.  
 
‘Bishop Darlington’ HM Good reliable rebloom. Outstanding fragrance. Habit: 2. Thomas, Dreer, 1926. [provenance: Matson]. Semi-double flowers of soft peachy-pink with a yellow glow. An upright shrub, rather like a tall Floribunda, to 6’. Delicious scent.

Book  (2004)  Page(s) 215.  Includes photo(s).
 
‘Bishop Darlington’. Hybrid Musk. Bred by Thomas (USA) and introduced in 1926, this rose is still widely grown. It bears repeat flushes of long, slender buds that open to semi-double, peachy cream flowers with a yellow glow in the center, around amber stamens. There is a good musky fragrance. Foliage is large, dark green and healthy and the growth is vigorous and upright. It is one of the tallest of the Hybrid Musks. (‘Aviateur Bleriot’ x ‘Moonlight’). Zones 6-9

Book  (2003)  Page(s) 126.  
 
p126. ‘Bishop Darlington’ [Thomas, 1926]

Book  (2003)  Page(s) 26.  
 
L:IV/5c. ‘Bishop Darlington’ Thomas, 1926. Wich. H. fleischrosa bis crème.

Book  (2002)  Page(s) 26.  
 
Rated 7.5

Book  (2000)  Page(s) 118.  Includes photo(s).
 
‘Bishop Darlington’ = Arbuste. Sur la quarantaine de rosiers créés par le capitaine George C. Thomas, c’est l’un des plus répandus… boutons effilés, d’un joli rose corail… pétales pêche et crème, retouchés de jaune à la base… parfum subtil... Bien érigé, de forte végétation et garni d’un beau feuillage vert bronze… Thomas, US 1926.

Book  (Apr 1999)  Page(s) 362-363.  
 
Bishop Darlington Hybrid Musk. Capt. Thomas/Dreer and Howard & Smith 1926. Parentage: 'Aviateur Blériot' (Wichurana) x 'Moonlight' (Hybrid Musk). The author cites information from different sources... Cream to flesh-pink with yellow glow; reverse light pink...

Book  (1999)  Page(s) 118.  Includes photo(s).
 
‘Bishop Darlington’. Modern, modern shrub, apricot blend. Repeat-flowering. Out of some 40 named roses raised by Captain George C. Thomas, this is one of the most widely grown. The long, pointed buds are a pretty shade of coral pink, and open in a blend of peach and cream with yellow bases to the flowers, which have a pleasing scent. They are semi-double and soon reveal prominent stamens, often half-obscured by a stray curled petal. The flowers make an effective display even when seen from a distance, and their repeat-flowering increases their value as a background shrub for mixed borders. It can also be grown with support as a climber. It is a substantial plant, larger than average for a shrub rose, with an upright habit and a good complement of bronze green foliage. Zones 4-9. Thomas, USA, 1926. ‘Aviateur Bleriot’ x ‘Moonlight’.