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Walk Through The Garden, 2008A
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Tessellations 2005-3Shrub, 2005, Shimbo
"Tessellations" and her sister "Papyrus" are two roses which seem to grow at their best in partial shade. Tess got her name because before she was planted in direct sunlight, her thin, glaucous leaves looked like tiny mosaics. She still shows a bit of this early in the year when the ground is wetter and there is less searing sun, but later in the year she reverts to a more damask-style foliage, unless there is sufficient shade and plenty of water available. Tess grows to about three feet in height and stays bushy, and is extremely floriferous; by mid season she is is covered with flowers about 8cm across, with a light, pleasant fragrance. The individual flowers last for about a week on the plant or in the vase; the petals tend to curl and become more festive as the flower ages. The flower also becomes rather lighter in color, and, curiously enough, opens quite pale in deep shade.
"Tessellations" is very much a duplicate of her sister "Papyrus" but without the spots and moss. She has not suckered much so far, although I have gotten a rooted sucker off to Minnesota, where she is reportedly doing well.
The flower below is one of the first she made in her debut year. The flower at right is a firstling from her sophomore year. She retains the partial button eye and the mostly quilled type of petal, and shows a definite quartering arrangement that she showed none of last year.
When
I first saw that Tess and Papyrus had very thin leaves, I began to
hope that I might perhaps get translucent petals, of the kind I so
admire on R. canina. I seem to have gotten this with Papyrus,
but Tessellations is more “normal” in this respect. It seems to
have a slight button eye, and the same overall color as her parents.
There are some striped petals and a very few spots. Generally there
were around 100 petals per flower in her debut year, and the flowers
which were produced were no more than 8 or 9 cm in diameter. There is
a lovely scent of rose and citrus, and later on a hint of anise. The
flower opens to reveal a few stamens.
This rose would make an excellent dense, low border.