Nancy Steen was the first to mention the name 'Belle of Tehran' (spelt Teheran in her text). A small search for this name in my library has proved fruitless.
Maybe a NZ synonym? "Belle of Teheran" searched in G....e leads to a novelette "The Show Girl" by a Max Pemberton, published in the New Zealand Herald, December 14, 1908: One of his characters, Lea d'Alençon "had she not seen "The Belle of Teheran," as they staged it at the Bouffes, and did not that glittering spectacle of sequins and seraphs stand to her for the whole glory of the Asiatic world?"
Following up on this, the Théâtre des Bouffes,seems to be a theatre in Paris founded by Jacques Offenbach in 1855 for the performance of operettas and "opera bouffe" (comedies).
Searching a little further, Jessie Mould, a friend of Nancy Steen used the spelling 'Belle de Teheran' in the 1968 reference. This spelling was later copied by Gibson in 1980 and Griffiths in 1983.
This is the perfect pot plant!!!! Other plants in our summer heat wither and die but Little White Pet just keeps blooming non-stop in the heat and part-shade. I love this rose! The pictures do not do it justice.
I have had it own-root in a large pot for about 8 months now. It started off as a small band but grew quickly. I would think the size of the pot should control the growth. I guess if it got too big I could prune the top and also do some root pruning. I just bought another one from Rogue Valley roses. By the way - the pictures you contributed are beautiful. California is such a wonderful place to grow anything - especially roses. I envy your weather!
I'll be interested to hear how it performs confined in the long term. You can see that it gets large in the Netherlands, too. My success with roses in pots has been spotty, primarily because every rose other than a miniature wants to be at least 4 feet tall. Wrangling 4 foot roses in and out of pots each year isn't high on my bucket list.
'Little Dot' was introduced by Bennett in 1889. A poly distinct from 'White Pet'. It was described as very dwarf, a soft pink, flaked deeper on the outter petals.
Just to confirm before we make changes - you're saying 'Little Dot' and 'White Pet' and two separate Polys ? Do you have details on 'White Pet' ?
Thanks Fred.
Reply
#2 posted
27 JAN 06 by
Unregistered Guest
Yes, Little Dot and White Pet/Little White Pet were two separate roses. Little Dot was a Poly ,while WP/LWP was a dwarf sport of a sempervirens rambler and has been classified as a Poly or as a China. However, in New Zealand, according to Nancy Steen, WP/LWP was known as Little Dot. So the entries should say WP/LWP sometimes identified as Little Dot. Still researching details on White Pet/Little White Pet.
