Newsletter  (May 2013)  
 
[From "The Unsettled Case of Sophie's Perpetual'", by Darrell g.h. Schramm, pp. 25-27]
In 1960 Englishman and rose lover Humphrey Brooke apparently discovered the rose ‘Sophie’s Perpetual’ at his place, Lime Kiln, in Claydon, Suffolk, England.....Brooke had married Nathalie Benckendorf, the granddaughter of Countess Sophie Benckendorf (1855-1928). The Countess had designed her own garden at Lime Kiln, ensuring that it was replete and redolent with roses, 500 of them, many being ramblers.....According to Brooke, in 1924 Countess Sophie had bedded six of the plants, then named ‘Dresden China’, from George Paul’s nursery at Cheshunt. This seems quite plausible. The rose was in commerce before 1922, for the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society in its 1922 issue reports it as ‘Dresden China’, from G. Paul of Cheshunt, a “very free flowering, sweetly scented China rose of moderate size and a pleasing carmine-rose color.” ....
After Brooke acquired Lime Kiln, he found four specimens of ‘Sophie’s Perpetual’ still surviving, three as climbers, one as a bush of about three feet. He decided to rename the rose in honor of his wife’s grandmother and of the nearly year-round bloom of the rose. In 1972, R. C. Notcutt of Woodbridge re-introduced the rose under its current name....
To complicate matters, a more recent article, “Volatile Components in Chinese Roses” (2007) by five Japanese scientists, suggests that, given ‘Sophie’s Perpetual’ fragrance, which emits the same Nerol 2.40 and Beta-phenyethyl alcohol as Rosa damascena Miller, the red damask rose, ‘Sophie’s Perpetual’ may be related also to R. damascena. In that case, it would certainly be closer to a bourbon than a china.

Article (magazine)  (2007)  Page(s) 404.  
 
Table 1. Comparison of key volatile components in representative cultivated Chinese roses and species. [adsorption volume by Solid Phase Microextraction (peak area, x10')]
'Sophie's Perpetual'
Nerol 2.40
Beta-phenyethyl alcohol 18.8
Dihydro-beta-ionone 2.71

Article (magazine)  (2007)  Page(s) 402.  
 
...some cultivars...did not emit these components [charactertic of Chinas] and 'Sophie's Perpetual', belonging to the China group, emitted beta-phenylethy alcohol and Nerol which R. damascena Miller also emitted...These cultivars might have no relation to Chinese roses and likely derived from European ancient species such as R. damascena.

Book  (Apr 1993)  Page(s) 562.  
 
Sophie's Perpetual. China (OGR), pink blend, Classification and origin uncertain, prior to 1928; Re-int. Humphrey Brooke, 1960. Flowers pale pink, overlaid with deep pink and cerise red, globular; foliage dark green; few prickles; 8 ft.

Book  (1993)  Page(s) 77.  
 
Sophie's Perpetual China. Description. A beautiful rose found in an old garden, named by Humphrey Brooke and reintroduced in 1960.... Of obvious hybrid origin.

Book  (1993)  Page(s) 104.  Includes photo(s).
 
Sophie's Perpetual. A China hybrid. The contrast of pale centre and deep red edge may be very striking. Found and named by Humphrey Brooke, a great connoisseur of Old Roses, launched 1960.

Book  (Jun 1992)  Page(s) 110.  
 
Sophie's Perpetual Bourbon. Introducer unknown, pre-1928... silvery pink, petal edges blushing deep rose... Sophie, Countess Beckendorf. [Author cites information from different sources.]

Book  (1988)  Page(s) 137.  
 
Planted at the rose garden at Lime Kiln in the 1920s as Dresden China by the Countess Sophie Benckendorf... rediscovered and renamed by Humphrey Brooke...

Website/Catalog  (1986)  Page(s) 39.  
 
Sophie’s Perpetual (China hybrid).....Cg. 

Website/Catalog  (1982)  Page(s) 37.  
 
Sophie’s Perpetual An old rose of unknown origin. Shapely, double, silver and pink cupped flowers. Scented. Shade tolerant.R) 8 x 4’.