In June it is literally covered with thousands of blush pink roses of amazing fragrance. Damasks are really old garden roses, having been grown in biblical times. Renowned for their fragrance, they normally bloom in white or shades of pink. Once-bloomers, some have a bloom period of up to two months, while a few, like Kazanlik and Quatre Saisons repeat. Kazanlik, by the way,is the rose grown in fields all over Bulgaria to produce the famous attar of roses so important to the perfume industry.
Most damasks have arching canes and flowers that bloom in small clusters.
These are only five of the many, many types of antique roses you might want to try in your garden. Meanwhile, if you want a sneak peak at lots of other wonderful old garden roses, try Rosaraie at Bayfields for a good photo gallery and some great articles about old garden roses. But, since they stop shipping in May, all you can do right now is look and dream and plan for next year. Carol is a garden writer and college professor in northeast Pennsylvania. But It's Rated For My Zone . . .