Wonderful Old Rose

'Pink Grootendorst'

That's adorable . Is it growing in your garden Simon ?
It's like a baby carnation . Where does it get it's frilled edges from ?

cheers. Rosalie

Yes, it's one of mine The original plant is called 'F.J. Grootendorst' and it has sported a few times into 'Pink Grootendorst', 'Grootendorst Supreme', and 'Pink Grootendorst' sported into 'White Grootendorst' which is, IMO, the most beautiful of the lot. I don't much like the original 'F.J. Grootendorst' or 'Grootendorst Supreme' as their colours are too harsh for my taste that don't show off the frilled petals very well. The original 'F.J. Grootendorst' is thought to be from a cross between a rugosa ('rubra' I think) and a polyantha called 'Madame Norbert Levavasseur'. It's almost completely sterile, however, it does make small amounts of fertile pollen. It does not work as a seed parent. I have heard on one clain where it was used as a seed parent, however, it is thought to a dubious claim. I know of one person who has tried to recreate the Grootendorst roses to try for roses with more fertility and the frilled petals, but they were not successful. These roses are often called the carnastion roses because of their resemblance to them and dianthus. They don't, unfortunately, have any scent that I can detect and they are typically rugosa thorny. Lots of people describe the leaves as being dull and boring. I think they are wonderful. The bush is also criticised for being gaunt, however, there is a photo of 'Pink Grootendorst' on HMF in which the whole plants looks pretty darn good to me. It's needs nothing in the way of spraying or pruning and is reputed to flower continuously. Mine is quite new so I can't comment on this yet. I've been collecting pollen to try on my more reliable seed parents to see what I can get