Given its lineage, the first bug-eaten bloom surprised me with how vivid it was, and how much it smelled like "Glendora," or a slightly sweeter Rose de Rescht.
Pickering Four Seasons has typical Damask shape and color to its hips, but not at all typical size, they're much larger than those of most Damasks or Portlands.
Although most Damasks and Portlands produce only a seed or two per little hip, the old authors said that Rose du Roi was a prolific producer, and so is the rose in trade in the US. In the foreground is a hip on Rose du Roi "of commerce," and in the background is a hip on Pickering Four Seasons, which is also an exceptional seed producer for a Portland, but not really on the same level. Pickering's hip has the usual shape and color for a Damask, while Rose du Roi's are quite different.
