Evening star., 1938-08-13

and desirable than herself. In other
words, her offsprings show Ophelia to
possess finer rose qualities than she
herself exhibits. Ophelia is not only a
fine garden rose. but one Of the best
greenhouse or forcing roses OF her
color. The same is true of some of
her progeny as will be shown later.
This salmon -colored rose, with yell
low at the base OF the petals, was
propagated by William Paul and Son
at Waltham Cross, England, one of
the rose shrines Of that country. They
report that she came from a pod Sc
lected at random from their rose
breeding collection. At the time they
propagated Ophelia the house of Paul
had been producing new rose varieties
for nearly one hundred years. Paul's
scarlet climber, mermaid, and Paul's
lemon pillar are others Of their roses
we'll known to Washington rose gar
deners.
Ophelia was imported into this
country by the late E. G. Hill OF
Richmond, Ind, soon after the Pauls
discovered her in 1912. The develop
ment of her numerous and fine rose
family then, was largely in America.
These progeny are the just pride Of
that American rose house Of Hill,
which largely produced this rose fam
lily. Up to 1880 Ophelia had SO de-
scendants Of note. These continue to
spread her influence throughout Amer
lea and Europe.
THE list includes Madam. Butterfly,
Joanna Hill. Mrs P. S. du Pont,
Talisman, President Herbert Hoover,
Columbia, Briarcliff, Dainty Bess,
Rose Hill, Rapture, Templar, Imperial
Potentate, Souv. de Jean Soupert,
Plus XI, Lady Sylvia, Rosalind, West
field Star, Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Pink
Pearl, Johana Tantau. Rose Marie,
Lord Fairfax, Mrs. Herbert Hoover,
Edith Krause, Sensation and Autumn
up to 1880. Since that time the
daughters, grand-daughters and great
grand daughters of Ophelia include
such new roses as Comtesse Vandal,
Nine. Cochet-Cochet, Pink Dawn,
Texas Centennial. Alice Harding,
Chieftain, Better Times. Signet, Queen
Mary, Sun Glow, Rome Glory and
others of note.
Several of the above rose varieties
are to be found in the best IL rose
lists for local planting. Many of
them appear in the published pre-
ferred rose selection list of Is for
members of the Potomac Rose Society.
Ophelia, as the name implies, is
English. This mother rose was named
for that gentle, beautiful and romantic
maiden in Hamlet.
It has pointed bud of medium size
and long blooming period. The roses
are usually borne singly on long stems.
The growth Of the bush is vigorous,
the foliage strong and healthy, al
though 1t does black spot somewhat
in this climate. The fall blooms Of
Ophelia are darker than the salmon
pink Of the spring and summer The
flower is especially pleasing during
october.
IL is Ol ulteIeSG W llOtc lIic lOIoi
inheritance of this rose Up to 1880,
of the IS sports" of Ophelia, one was
creamy white, one deep rose pink
one clear pink. two yellow, four pink
with yellow base and the balance Of
six apricot to salmon and flesh colored
pink A sport" in roses means the
appearance of latent or usually
hidden character, expressed in bloom
that is different than the rest of the
blooms on that bush, such are called
sports" For the above reason sports
have but one parent, the mother rose.
These above mentioned colors were
possessed by the mother rose suffi-
GENTLY to be transmitted to her
sports"
It is Of further interest to note that
among her 81 daughters, We find 4
white. 10 yellows. 81 with mixed rose
to yellow shading, &c rose colored, l