Garden visitors invariably pause before the lavender roses to exclaim incredulously, “Lavender roses! Why didn’t I know there were roses in this color! What are their names?”
What magic or scientific process was employed to produce and grow roses in this unique new color?
Many years of research and untiring efforts of the hybridizer lie behind this achievement which is nothing short of a miracle to the rose world.
Lavender Pinocchio
Lavender Pinocchio was the first lavender rose ever produced. It was originated by Eugene Boerner and introduced by Jackson and Perkins Company.
This is a floribunda of true lavender enriched by a mass of golden yellow stamens in the open bloom.
The flowers, produced in clusters, go through an interesting color transition, opening a pinkish lavender and finishing a true silvery lavender.
Important Parent For The First Lavender Roses
Mr. Boerner tells me that Grey Pearl from McGrady’s of Ireland has been an important parent in developing the first lavender roses that he has produced. Grey Pearl is not a true lavender but was the first definite color break toward lavender.
It is a rare combination of delicate and subtle shadings. Ovoid buds of tan and olive-gray open into a flower of lavender-gray.
Twilight
Twilight is the second lavender rose introduced by Jackson and Perkins. It is a cross of Grey Pearl by Lavender Pinocchio. This is a hybrid tea and one of the most exquisitely beautiful roses in existence.
The color is a lovely lavender-lilac with a silvery reverse. This two-tone effect of lavender and silver is pure enchantment in the garden.
Amy Vanderbilt
Amy Vanderbilt, a floribunda, is the third and most recent lavender rose developed by Eugene Boerner. This is from a cross of a seedling of Lavender Pinocchio and Papoose by Lavender Pinocchio.
The color changes slowly from an opulent purple-lilac to a lavender-lilac and finishes a cool, crisp lavender. The 2 ½” to 3-inch flowers are produced in clusters of 4 to 8 individual blooms and are delightfully fragrant.
Lavender Girl
Lavender Girl, introduced by Conard-Pyle, is an origination of the famous hybridizer Francis Meilland. He has been working with a different group of roses to develop lavenders than the American hybridizers.
The origin of Lavender Girl is Fantastique x ((Ampere x (Charles P. Kilham x Caprecine Chambord). It is a low-compact floribunda that retains its distinctive lavender color even in the hottest sun.
In bud, the color is a variable ruby-red, changing in the newly open bloom to an intriguing rosy purple. In full bloom, the color is clear lavender.
Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver is a lavender hybrid tea with a silvery sheen introduced by Jackson & Perkins. This is the origination of Gladys Fisher, one of the few women rose hybridizers.
A $5,000 silver bowl fashioned by the Sterling Silversmiths of America was created to honor this rose. One of the parents of Sterling Silver is the most famous rose of all time, Peace.
Lavender Pompon
Lavender Pompon, introduced by Edward Marsh of California, is a low-growing floribunda with dainty flowers of lavender-rose.
These rose varieties are but a beginning in the search for more shades of lavender. The search for a blue rose continues, and the new lavender roses are a step in that direction.
44659 by Alvhild Y. Holmes