Stop Picking on Ellen Tofflemire.

The ARS gave her a 6.5 and said that in their 4 years of trialing her in their test garden, she never bloomed. But here she is, blooming away and I only planted her last August. I think that she's like Charles de Mills, another Gallica that needs a hard chill in order to set buds in the following year.

So here she is. In her first spring she produced 5 buds, and 2 were eaten by caterpillars. I don't think this flower is even open all the way, but look at that petal count! Look at that color! Look at that rain tolerance!

Evelyn got soaked.

I ended up cutting this flower for a vase. Thankfully she has more to come. I'm amused by how similar the prime Evelyns and Mariannes look in spite of lacking shared parentage. Both are beautiful. Marianne is the healthier plant but Evelyn has a better fragrance in my opinion.

New Favorite.

I hate that the protective cage mars the photo. But I love, love, love Blanchefleur. She is the finest white OGR I've seen so far. She was one of the more expensive bands at RVR, but she was so worth it. Damn!