Moondance is a white Floribunda rose honored by the AARS in 2007. We can always use more white (and true dark red) in the garden and the loose somewhat casual nature of the blooms is a juxtaposition with the clear, precise white color. We can always use more fragrant roses, and Moondance’s fragrance is described by the AARS as ‘delightfully spicy’, and spicy it may be, but the copyrighters over there at the AARS need a swift kick in the rump.

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Rosa Laevigata, Cherokee Rose, is the state flower of Georgia, my home, so it is understandable that this rose is close to my heart. However, it is not native to Georgia, having been naturalized from China. Nonetheless, Cherokee Rose is a wonderful rose with a good story surrounding its introduction.

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Pure white roses are actually quite rare; Bourbon rose Boule de Neige bears clusters of buds tinged red, but opens to a flower of unblemished, chaste white. Blossoms are fully double and globular in form. Due to the many petals, Boule de Neige is susceptible to balling, but this should not stop you from including this magnificent rose in your garden.

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David Austin rose Perdita bears clusters of flowers which move through a range of color as they mature, starting as creamy buff buds which change to soft peach or apricot as they open. Repeat bloom is good. David Austin’s penchant for focusing on fragrant roses is borne out with Perdita. Fragrance is excellent indeed, as Perdita was awarded the Royal National Rose Society’s Henry Edland Medal for Fragrance in 1984.

Perdita takes a couple of years to become well established in the garden, maintaining an open habit until the center of the shrub begins to fill in. Growth habit is slightly arching.

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There must be some reason that the China rose Ducher is the only white China rose on the market today, most probably because first of all, white China roses are virtually non-existent, and second, because Ducher is a great rose. Cool, ivory flowers grace a plant of good health and form. Flowers are double in form and pure ivory in color, although reflected light may give them a glow of the softest lemon. Many white roses hold onto their petals with a death-grip while they age to a spattered brown; we are fortunate with Ducher because petals drop cleanly when spent.

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There is an awkward grace to the rose Penelope that warms the heart. Plus, I was a bit cheeky in my last post on a Pemberton rose (Bloomfield Dainty, the Reverend, Well-Limed Thighs, and my Sordid World), so I thought I’d try to make amends. (Who am I kidding? I revel in the debauchery). Anyways, Hybrid Musk rose Penelope bears flowers of no particular distinction; her habit is chunky and open. Yet, I love her still. It’s as if the sum of all the awkward parts blends into a whole which is beautiful and graceful, a gawky sort of beauty.

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White Unifies
White is the great unifier in any garden, especially one with roses; it complements all other colors. White roses are spectacular, especially on the bookends of the day. A tremendous asset in every well-designed garden, white is a superb accent for brighter colors. Further, as dusk approaches, no colors shine as brightly as white, glowing in an ethereal light.

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Fragrant. Cold-hardy. Disease resistant. Tolerates some shade. Historic rose. What more could one ask? Also known as the White Rose of York, supposedly the emblem of the House of York in the fifteenth century War of the Roses, Alba semi-plena is a strong choice for the garden.

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Introduced in 1941, the Floribunda Rose ‘Nearly Wild‘ provides cheerful exuberance on a compact, healthy bush. Repeat bloom is excellent, and ‘Nearly Wild’ will thrive in zones 5 and southward. If you are searching for a rose with single flowers gracing a disease resistant plant, then consider ‘Nearly Wild’.

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