I received an email from Friends of Vintage Roses today, the subject was their upcoming sale--no mail order, alas. Pick up in person only.
The Friends claim to have IDed BL as "a recently discovered form of 'Ardoisee de Lyon' ". I don't think I should say more because this not my discovery. I imagine details could be found at the Friends website.
I will say that growth habits of BL and Baronne Prevost, alleged sport parent of ADL, are quite similar.
I don't grow either, but I'm noticing some similarities between this rose and the rose currently being grown as 'Rembrandt' (not the original). Has anyone else made the comparisons?
‘Rembrandt’ would work as far as the pedicel and smooth receptacle goes, but on this characteristic alone, so would ‘Paul Perras’ and another foundling of mine “Eileen Giblett’s No. 15” in the same bed.
I wasn't implying that "Benny Lopez" was 'Paul Perras', but rather ON THIS CHARACTERISTIC ALONE, two of my other roses were the same. So perhaps it may be a fairly common feature of some roses and perhaps one should look for another distinguishing trait or signature of "Benny Lopez".
Just for clarification, pics I see on here for both "Benny Lopez" and 'Rembrandt (in commerce as)' show variability with respect to having smooth vs prickly receptacles and pedicels. Maybe what's grown as 'Rembrandt' in Australia differs from that by the name in the US. Or maybe these roses just vary. But, going back, I still see some similarities between "Benny Lopez" and 'Rembrandt (in commerce as)', at least based on pictures. I'm hoping someone who grows both chimes in with their thoughts.
Though the coloring seems the same in the flower, my 'Rembrandt' is much more prickly and much taller than my "Benny Lopez"; they grow about ten feet from each other, so the comparison is easy to do. In addition, the leaflets of "Benny Lopez" are much more sharply serrate than those on 'Rembrandt'. They also have more sheen to them than those of 'Rembrandt.
