8 November 2022
Scauri (Latium), Italy
Zone about 10
My garden
Own root (my cutting from a grafted plant) planted in springtime.
Changeable colour, very nice bloom.
I like it very much!
'Irene Watts'. From Nancy Steen's 'The Charm of Old Roses', 1966. page 80.
This photo appears to be that of 'Comtesse de Labarthe'. Compare also page
91 of 'Tea Roses: Old Roses for Warm Gardens' for a similar photo. New
Zealand nursery people also confirm that Nancy's Steen's "Irene Watts" is
undoubtedly 'Comtesse de Labarthe'.
It's very tempting to think that the rose depicted in this portrait of Mrs Irene Watts by Charles Goldsborough Anderson is the original rose. The pale pink Tea-like rose seems to match early descriptions in a general way. I can't find a date for the portrait.
