This rose is the ultimate survivor (except when sons get into the garden). It has turned up in every state of Australia, and even in a derelict garden on Balladonia station, in the Nullarbor.
Did you manage to get hold of a plant? If not, we have a spare budded onto Dr Huey, which I could post to you. Send me a private message with your address, if you want one.
I was simply amazed the other day to see a lone hip on a bush of my "Mrs. Something" (from a Denmark, W.A. fence in 1995). It was the first time I have ever seen a hip on my six bushes in 21 years. The rose is growing next to a R. eglanteria. A photograph is too large to upload and cut-cat syndrome here prevents me from doing more than just report this one turning-orange, oval-ish hip.
'Mme. Desprez' continues to haunt me as a possibly identification for the “Brooks Rose”. ‘Mme. Desprez’ was a child of ‘Rose Edouard’ and I believe the colour of ‘Rose Edouard’ was about the same as our foundling, the "Brooks Rose".
Mme. Desprez produced just one first generation offspring – and that was ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’. The form of the bloom of Malmaison is somewhat the same as our foundling.
One other problem with this theory is, because the “Brooks Rose” sets no hips, and if it is ‘Mme. Desprez’, how did Mons. Beluze fertilise this rose to produce ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’?
Hi Pat, I have added 3 more offspring to 'Mme Desprez'! See also the references, which has the first mention of a possible parentage of SdlM in 1879. It seems 'Mme Desprez' of M. Beluze had a lot of seed.
Yes I saw two of the offspring yesterday and knew you were helping. I also added the 2005 reference in which Peter Harkness said 'Mme. Desprez' proved a fecund ancestor. That, and the 1879 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' reference which says " there is a great similarity of habit and foliage between" .... ['Mme. Desprez and 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'] tells me that I had better let this possible identification go and to look for something else. The only similarity I can see in the foliage is that they both have five leaflets. And I have never seen a hip on the "Brooks Rose" - could it be my damp climate? Both roses ball (she adds in desperation). Oh well - it did sound pretty good for a while there. Thanks Jedmar