Those of you who have had the privilege of growing the species rose, 'Rosa bracteata', might feel about it as I do, that being, an odd combination of both ardent admiration, respect and exhilaration in the way that one might view an impossibly wild animal in some way. Like a beast who's beauty can never really be captured and maintained outside of nature . 'Bracteata' must be considered one of the great and dangerous but achingly beautiful wild beasts of the rose kingdom.
It's demure whiteness and simple beauty belies it's nature, seemingly almost, coy and deceptive. This beauty is juxtaposed to it's nature, like a lion, wild and impossible in some ways to tame…at least in a climate that suits it's taste. It's taste includes most of the Southern half of the United States. An area to which it is so suited that it was and sometimes is even considered now to be native, depending on reference, even though it's thought to have truly originated long ago in China Rosa Bracteata' was brought back from that great geographic repository of rosa germ plasm by one British Ambassador, Lord McCartney in 1793, hence it's other appellation, "The McCartney Rose".
This rose is remarkably easy to grow and is not choosey about soils or fertilizer but is sadly tender to cold. It's a survivor and a doer in every other way with outstanding disease resistant evergreen foliage that is nearly holly like in quality. It is totally immune to blackspot.
Up until now we have had odd chance to enjoy the offspring of this great rose but counted even among in it's few offspring are creatures of legend. 'Mermaid' is ranked with the greatest roses of all time and rightly so as it is a thing of rare beauty but like its parent it too has a dark side and those of you who grow it know what I mean. Few roses are as rampageous and greedy in their desire to just grow! The single yellow 'Mermaid' is literally a "house eater" in some climates. Only the stone battlement of Sleeping Beauty's castle would suit it's tastes long term..and it does live a very long time, reaching tree like proportions in the scale of it's older wood.
One of the other characteristics of bracteata that makes it particularly vicious is the quality of it's thorns. They are particularly sharp and cruel and they are remarkably strong even for a rose. They truly demand and require respect. They can literally tear the palms out of heavy leather work gloves. This being said, there is nothing more lovely and classic than a single species rose and even among species roses this is a rare beauty. There is a waxiness, a heavy substance and sheen to the petal that is truly unique and wondrous, with a lovely strong perfume and lovely contrasting golden stamens. There is simply no other rose quite like it, and that is what has fascinated and has inspired those to possess and tame it through hybridization. Turning it to their will and it has, up until recently, remained a tantalizingly elusive goal that many experts considered nearly impossible.
At the Great Rosarians Lecture held at the Huntington Library in San Marino. CA in January of 2002, Ralph Moore mentioned that perhaps one of the greatest and luckiest crosses he ever made was that of Rosa Bracteata x 'Guinee' (a dark red climber - 1938). The offspring of this unlikely marriage was an unassuming variety named 'Muriel' (1989). 'Muriel' herself was no great beauty and she was, in fact, a frumpy pink rose lacking desired form and growth habit, but Moore knew that she could be, with luck, the progenitor of a new race of fabulous and unique hybrid bracteata roses.
He hoped he could unlock the genetic diversity present within the genes of 'Rosa bracteata' and make possible a whole range of genetic expression heretofore unavailable to hybridizers and eventually to the gardeners and gardens of the world.
He set about using 'Muriel' and through trial and error, with unerring faith, and perseverance, he did just that. 'Muriel' in herself by all rights should be infertile. She should be triploid and therefore unable to produce offspring, a botanical mule. In another twist of luck and fate 'Muriel' was found to have fertility though use of her pollen.
In the hands of Mr. Moore, 'Muriel's' pollen was used to produce several different hybrids including the beautiful climber 'Pink Powderpuff' but it wasn't until he made a cross with one of his miniatures, 'Sequoia Gold', that he knew he was on the road to really making 'bracteata' viable in terms of future hybridity. The offspring of that cross ( 'Sequoia Gold'x 'Muriel') was a shrub rose named,'Out of Yesteryear'.
'Out of Yesteryear' is a great beauty in it's own right, an extremely double white that would not look out of place beside many of the old and Austin type roses but for it's unique foliage, but the pollen again has proven to be the key to passing along those unique bracteata genes.
In 2002, Moore introduced three incredible new hybrid bracteatas using 'Out of Yesteryear'. These are 'Tangerine Jewel' 'Precious Memories', and last but not least and most amazingly to me is a miniature named 'Stardust'. It is with 'Stardust' that I wish to make the point of this article. It is an important, stunning and beautiful thornless white miniature.
'Stardust' is to me a point of utter bewilderment and amazement, yet another crowning achievement by the man that has accomplished and contributed so much to we who love roses. In a mere three generations that man-eating lion of the rose world has, in fact, become the lamb. Still demure and white but now with nothing to hide, the smallest child can play next to and see eye to eye with this rose for it is part of a man's dream of the future and to defy the odds. We who love roses live in truly exciting and fortunate times.
Mr. Moore thank you for having the dream and the fortitude to carry it through. Occasionally we need to pause and take inventory of the miracles happening around us. This is truly one such miracle we all can enjoy.
