Expect the Unexpected!

[leene_chan]

The Huge Flower of "Simon Estes.", a photo by Leenechan on Flickr.

Griffith Buck Rose "Simon Estes" officially bloomed for the first time today. Unless you count that anemic flower I photographed last year.

I have to say that I wasn't expecting this at all! There aren't many photos of "Simon Estes" online, and I was worried that it would end up looking like a Knockout rose.

With flowers this big and full, it might as well be an Austin rose! It's pretty much the same color as Chapeau de Napoleon, with a light, sweet fragrance. Now I understand why the ARS gave it an 8.5! This flower is massive!