She is an avid gardener and an author of many fine articles on old garden roses. U nlike R. gallica, R. centifolia and R. damascena , the first China roses brought to Britain were not species, but old, established hybrids. Those four forever changed the face of rose hybridizing in the West. Hume's Blush in 1809 and Park's Yellow Tea-Scented China in 1824.
China roses are all repeat flowering in varying degrees.
They begin flowering in early spring and will continue until frost. Whether they are considered perpetual, repeat, recurrent or remontant, it is the capacity for continuous bloom that defines the class. Chinas have an entirely different look than the roses previously introduced to European hybridizers. They have smooth surfaced mid- to dark green foliage, with touches of purple, dark red or bronze in their canes, leaves and new growth. They have fewer thorns than the old roses of Europe.