Rook's Coming Out Party.

[leene_chan]

Paul Barden Hybrid Gallica Rose "Rook" didn't bloom at all last year, but this spring it's treating us to five perfect flowers. In spite of being a modern Gallica, I think it could be a quintessential example of its class. At least, it has better disease resistance and performs better in rain than the old Gallicas. It also has a nice, tidy habit, unlike Belle de Crecy, which is splat on the ground right now.

I wonder if Rook looks a lot like the moss rose "Capitaine John Ingram?" Mine isn't going to bloom this year, so I have no way of knowing for sure.