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Do most of 'Norma Major's blooms look as 'perfect' as this? Can it produce 5-7 inch peduncles in 2s and 3s as well as singularly? Does it ever have an orange tone to it? What about its scent when in a vase? I'm trying to identify a similar rose that has these 4 qualities
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Hello everyone I'm trying to identify an HT rose similar to PB but in a slightly warmer orange-pink tone. At 5 feet tall, the ageing plant was growing against a South-facing shed in Norfolk, UK prior to 2010. The lightweight, lantern-shaped, colourfast blooms were borne on 5-7 inch, very slim, green peduncles mostly singularly but also in 2s and 3s, lined up along a thicker, prickly stem. The flowers, only 3.5 inches wide by 4 inches tall, kept their spiralling folded and reflexed form - not flattening out into discs of wavy petals and lasted 5-8 days from the cut. When placed in a vase of water overnight, the scent production was off the charts, of strawberry, raspberry, a hint of lime and zero spice. When I descended our stairs the scent met me halfway down - from behind a closed door and two rooms away! I invite readers to suggest what rose it might have been....?
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Fellow rose growers, I'm trying to confirm if a plant which I encountered in a friend's garden in south east England prior to 2010 was actually a 'Norma Major'. If there were any visible differences to NM I would say the blooms were more compact and of lighter weight (since they didn't lean outwards as the photos on these pages seem to show) and of a slightly deeper (though dullish and non-vibrant) orange-pink than 'NM'. Question: Can NM's flowers appear singularly and also in 2s or 3s ? The high centres and the nicely folded, reflexed petals gave the impression that every bloom was taller than its latitudinal diameter (of 3.5 inches) - almost lantern-shaped. They kept the perfect ovoid spiralling form and didn't flatten out into discs of wavy petals as with 'Duke of Windsor' or 'Prima Ballerina' for example. Question: Are NM's flowers any wider than 4 inches? That would definitely rule it out. The colourfast blooms, unchanged by weather, had no silver-green streaky imperfections or ragged-shaped petals around the centre which itself wasn't revealed before the petals fell cleanly away after 5-8 days in the vase. At least 5 feet tall (like NM), the prickly plant was open, rather sparsely foliated and was braced against an exposed south-facing wooden shed by a single horizontal wire. The immediate smell of the flower was only mildly 'fruity-rose' but curiously, when I put 2 in a vase of water, the next sunny morning the entire downstairs atmosphere had been flooded with an exotic 'buoyant' aroma of sweet strawberry mousse, other fruits and a hint of lime. This phenomenal scent production is the reason I am posting here for help, being similar to (but fruitier than) the 'Special Anniversary' rose of 2003 by Ted Smith UK but I stress: NOT big, cabbage-like blooms as with SA, Fragrant Cloud or Superstar etc. Although in the Description page it just says 'mild' and 'sweet', the Norma Major rose has 2 member ratings of 'Excellent' for its scent. Any other suggestions for the ID. or is NM the one I'm looking for?
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I cannot ascertain if my Fred Loads will smell or not. High Country says zero FR and HMF says strongly scented. It's only a year old. What FR rating would you give it 0 to 4? And what notes? Thank you
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For me, the 'Fred Loads' rose has quite a pronounced smell and I would certainly give it 3 clouds. Both HMF and R.V. Roger (An online supplier in the UK) list it as 'Strong'. I bought one from my local nursery in June of 2024. To my nose it is fruity (strawberry) and slightly tangy but sometimes it has another perfume-like smell with less of the fruitiness. It is always more noticeable in the air than 'Super Star' for example and it is of course bee-friendly which is good.
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