Ah, "collecting the museum piece mode", I have been there before! All of those grew in that Newhall garden, too. Roses of Yesterday and Today's description of Lavender Pinocchio drove me to order that from them over twenty-five years ago. "All the colors of an old Persian carpet!" Well, not quite, or at least not in my hot, arid climate, but it did have a wonderful "hot chocolate" tone, dusted wtih cocoa powder, before the heat and brilliant sun faded it out to pale lavender. Lovely fragrance, too, but on a rather weak (for 1980s eyes, even worse for Twenty-first Century ones) plant which resents being pruned much, if at all. Thin wooded, sparsely foliated and easily attacked by black spot in these parts. None of the own root plants I've had (or have) held a candle to that original budded plant, and it wasn't very good in all honesty. Not that I resent growing it, I still do, all these years later, and fondly remember its faded glory. So many more modern "odd colors" stem from its muted, sombre colors.

Lilac Dawn is a greatly improved plant over Lavender Pinocchio, though still not 'great' to what we expect from "good garden roses", but you're looking at a plant nearly fifty years gold, and which wasn't selected for being a GOOD plant, but rather a fragrant, more double lavender flower, which was a real find back then. Here, light mildew and heavier black spot could be issues, which fortunately cleared when the weather heated and dried up. Much more double flowers with much less of the "russet tones" and more traditional lavender coloring. Far more "main stream" than Lavender Pinocchio in coloring and much closer in growth to what more modern gardeners of the time would expect. The description of it having a "lilac fragrance" sealed the deal. I admit, I'm a sucker for those colors and anything which smells like a natural lilac fragrance. I enjoyed the rose, even though its scent wasn't "lilac" to my nose.

Edward LeGrice's "Maid" series had to be in that garden. David Austin had already used Dainty Maid to create Constance Spry (who also held court on that original hill because of her fragrance, nearly single appearance and the "mascara" she wears on her "eye lashes" (stamen) in the open flowers. My admiration for Mrs. Spry's accomplishments and her ability to combine Edwardian Lady with modern business person, only made that enjoyment better), and I've always loved single to semi single roses, so Dairy Maid grew and flowered there for years. In that heat and sun, "Milk White" was a good description of the color. Average growth with average health for that warm, arid climate would be a good description of its plant. History states LeGrice raised Lilac Charm (which was in that garden and remains in my current one as it is a great, single floribunda which should always be enjoyed) from a Lavender Pinocchio seedling crossed with a R. Californica seedling, however, I raised a number of very similar appearing roses from putting Lavender Pinocchio's pollen on Dairy Maid.

If you "go in for' those early odd colors, and don't already grow them, you should also make room for the already mentioned Lilac Charm, plus News (beet root purple); Grey Dawn (as gray as Grey Pearl only on a much more easily maintained plant); Distant Drums (like an improved, updated Lavender Pinocchio with an "English Rose" fragrance); Vesper (cool, soft "orange", not garish and very "restful"); Brownie (week in Jamaica sun tan, dusted with cinnamon powder with butter yellow reverse, fading strawberry and white); Jocelyn (as really "brown" as you can get in a rose, quite double and very "old-fashioned" looking shape); Victoriana (ruffled orange, fading purple with white reverse); Julia's Rose ("copper and parchment", which translates to "brown paper shopping bag"); Orchid Masterpiece (often quartered, large, gray-lavender-nearly chocolate milk, fading lavender with a "creamy" scent); Amberlight ("Egyptian Buff" with a "rich, honey fragrance"); Blue Chip (rich, deep, dark lavender with magenta blush and intense fragrance, one of the few florist roses which smells good!); Blue For You (very new, very fragrant, vigorous and the bluest rose around these days!); Cafe (coffee with half and half on an almost "English Rose" shape and an odd, spreading low plant); Great News (pansy purple, though it never showed the advertised silver reverse in my climate. Obviously never brought here officially as it would have supreceded Intrigue); Iris Webb (fiery, dusty orange aging taupe); Edith Holden ("The Edwardian Lady", like Brown Velvet, Jocelyn, Victoriana and a host of others, orange tones which 'age' by forming a purple haze over the petals until they appear very 'brown'. All of which are amazing in floral arrangments); Magenta (not as garish as the name suggests, but a rich, darker lavender with a real snoot-full of fragrance!); Seven Seas (one of Mr. Harkness' best! Intensely fragrant, rich lavender, good plant, large flowers and absolutely beautiful!); Sherry (deep, rich, russet/sherry color, smoldering in its intensity, ironically, the same cross which created the brilliant Orangeade, only reversed); Silver Cloud (Ralph Moore's venture into Coffee Roses. Silvery, lavender-tan, cupped and ruffled flowers with scent on a decent plant. One which they decided to introduce here after its South African introduction but feared they'd lost until I led them to the old plant growing at Sequoia all along!). If that doesn't over crowd your garden, I'm sure we can come up with even more you can't live without!