(1957)  Page(s) 38.  Includes photo(s).
 
Charles de Mills A startling and voluptuous rose, more Rabelaisian than classical in appearance. Its provenance is not known, but where 'Belle de Crécy' would adorn the panniers of the eighteenth century and 'Cardinal de Richelieu', despite his name, would not be out of place beside the temple of Bacchus, 'Charles de Mills' is the perfect rose for the late Victorian herbaceous hat.
It is a strong, vigorous rose of some 3 to 5 feet in height. The leaves are well cut with broad deep green leaflets, paler beneath. The tightly-furled buds uncurl to show a fascinating whorl of folded petals. The open flower is huge, flat and geometric as an alderman's rosette, cut out of genoese velvet and all the petals stitched into close and perfect quarterings. The ground colour is rose-crimson shaded with violet and deepening to an almost black-crimson, most intense at the inner rings of petals, paler round the centre, where the upturned folds of the petals show a silvery reverse. the colour is set off by a pale green eye at the heart of the flwer and frequently by the big green and white spiders who seem to have a partiality for this flower. The scent is heavy and delicious.

(1957)  Page(s) 40.  
 
'Duchesse de Montebello'
This is apparently a doubtful name, but as Monsieur Vibert says, with some desperation, 'it is a privilege of beautiful roses to have several names', and this particular rose is certainly among the most beautiful.
It is a strong grower reaching some 4 to 5 feet ; the vigorous canes are bright green, sparsely set with thick and juicy thorns, the leaves are a fresh grey-green.
The petals of the flower are folded as beautifully as those of the Bourbon rose 'Boule de Neige'. The colour of the flower is an exquisite pale coral rose, and as it opens it displays aperfect quartering. The petals gradually expand, recurve and fall in a soft, ivory shower tinged with no more pink than the light from the setting sun allows. The scent is faint but very sweet.