Magazine  (May 1904)  Page(s) 171.  
 
Le Rosier Pompon Mousseux
Cette variété du Rosier Pompon nous vient d’Angleterre, où l’on cultive aussi le Pompon mousseux blanc, qu’on trouve dans la pépinière de M. Kennedy. La tige, qui s’élève à un pied au plus, est recouverte d’un grand nombre de petits aiguillons inégaux, presque droits, rapprochés, entremêlés de poils glanduleux. Les feuilles se composent de trois ou de cinq folioles glabres en dessus, glanduleuses en dessous et sur la bordure; elles sont portées par un pétiole couvert de glandes. Les fleurs sont terminales, disposées par deux, assez souvent par trois, à l’extrémité des rameaux. Le pédoncule, les pédicelles, le tube du calice et les divisions du limbe sont couverts de poils visqueux, ramifiés, assez semblables à de la mousse. Les bractées qui accompagnent les pédicelles sont très allongées, spatulées, même foliacées au sommet. Corolle de huit à dix rangs de pétales à peu.près, de la couleur de ceux du Pompon ordinaire.

Book  (1892)  Includes photo(s).
 
WHITE MOSS. (White Bath.) Moss Roses are a favorite with everyone, on account of their beautiful buds, which for bouquets and cut flowers are invaluable. As a class, they are rather more subject to mildew than some others, and therefore, need high culture and rather close pruning. Nothing so soon responds to this generous treatment which maybe seen in the increased number and size of the flowers. All are hardy, but in ex- posed sections are been benefitted by protection in winter

Website/Catalog  (1885)  Page(s) 79.  
 
Miscellaneous Roses.
Moss. White Moss the old common white moss. 

Book  (1877)  Page(s) 13-14.  
 
The old White Moss was discovered in the nursery of Mr. Shailer, at Battersea, early in the present century; it originated on a sporting shoot from the Old Moss Rose, which gave white or nearly white flowers instead of rose-coloured...This has not so much moss as the Clifton, and is not pure white, but inclining to pale flesh-colour; it is also much more delicate in habit.

Book  (1868)  Page(s) 380-381.  
 
...A white moss-rose has been seen to bear a flower half white and half pink.('Gardener's Chronicle', 1845, p. 564).....Prof. Caspary has carefully described the case of a six-year-old white moss-rose, which sent up several suckers, one of which was thorny, and produced red flowers, destitute of moss, exactly like those of the Provence rose (R. centifolia): another shoot bore both kinds of flowers and in addition longitudinally striped flowers. As this white moss-rose had been grafted on the Provence rose, Prof. Caspary attributes the above changes to the influence of the stock; but from the facts already given, and from others to be given, bud-variation, with reversion, is probably a sufficient explanation. ("schriften der Phy. Ökon. Gesell. zu Königsberg," Feb. 3, 1865, p. 4.)

Website/Catalog  (1862)  Page(s) 27.  
 
Perpetual Moss Roses
'General Drouet' deep rich crimson, shaded.
White  white, blooming in large clusters

Book  (1858)  Page(s) 147.  
 
Rosa centifolia muscosa ...  Alba plena, double, white.

Magazine  (1853)  Page(s) 95.  
 
First Moss Roses.—On the first introduction of the old red Moss Rose, it was sent over with some plants of Orange trees from the Italian States, to Mr. Wrench, then a nurseryman and gardener at Broomhouse, Fulham, in or about the year 1735. It remained in that family nearly 20 years, without being much noticed or circulated until a nurseryman of the name of Grey, of the Fulham nursery, now Messrs. Osborn's, brought it into note. In speaking of the first production of the the white Moss Rose, which took place in the year 1788, the first birth was from a sucker or under-ground shoot. My father, Henry Shailer, nurseryman, of Little Chelsea, an extensive grower of Moss Roses,* perceiving it to be a lusus naturae from a stool of the red Moss, cut it off and budded it on the white Provins, or Rose La Blanche Unique. The buds flowered the following season a pale blush ; he budded them again the following season; it became much whiter; it was then figured in Andrew's Rosery, under the name of Shailer's White Moss. He then sold it out, the first plants to Lord Kimbolton, then to the Marquis of Blandford, Lady de Clifford, the Duke of Gloucester, &c, at five guineas per plant. He continued to sell it at that price for three years; he then entered into a contract with Messrs. Lee & Kennedy of Hammersmith, they taking as many plants as he could grow for three years, at 20s. per plant, binding him not to sell to any one else under 42s. per plant After cutting down the shoots which produced the White Moss, it threw up two weak shoots which he budded from; they flowered the second season from the buds; that was the birth of the Striped Moss Rose, a most beautiful and delicate variety, but when grown very strong, apt to go back to the original parent. The first production of the single Red Moss Rose, in 1807, was a sport of nature ; my father sent some plants of Moss Roses down to a nurseryman of the name of Essex, in Colchester; on the receipt of a letter from that person, I went with my father to see it when it was in bloom; I took some cuttings away with me to bud; and fetched the original plant away in the following autumn to our nursery at Little Chelsea from there we sent the first plants out at 5s. On the first production of the old Scarlet Moss Rose, which is a semi-double, it flowered on a plant given by my father to his brother, F. Shailer, of Cook's Ground, and Queen's Elm, Chelsea, in 1808, nurseryman; the first production of the Moss de Meaux, was from a sport of nature from the old De Meaux, in the neighborhood of Bristol, but brought into a high state of perfection by Messrs. Lee, of Hammersmith. The birth of the Sageleaf Moss Rose, I must claim myself; it was a sport of nature; I discovered it on a Sunday afternoon, in the month of June, 1813; I sold the whole stock to Messrs. Lee, of Hammersmith. It has a delicate shell-like form, and is a beautiful blush; it is now nearly extinct. The Rose Blanche Unique, or White Provins, was discovered by Mr. Daniel Grimwood, of Little Chelsea, nurseryman ; he was on a journey of business in the county of Norfolk, in the month of July, 1775, when riding very leisurely along the road, he perceived a Rose of great whiteness in a mill; he alighted, and on close inspection he discovered it to be a Provins Rose; he then sought an interview with the inmate of the mill, who was an elderly female; he begged a flower, which was instantly given him ; in return he gave her a guinea. In cutting off the flower he cut three buds; he went to the first inn, packed it up, and sent it direct to my father, at his nursery, Little Chelsea, who was then his foreman, requesting him to bud it, which he did, and two of the buds grew ; in the following autumn he went down to the same place, where for five guineas he brought the whole stock away; he then made an arrangement with my father to propagate it, allowing him 5s. per plant for three years; at the expiration of that time he sold it out at 21s. per plant, my father's share amounting to upwards of £300. Mr, Grimwood sent the old lady at the mill a superb silver tankard, &c, to the amount of £60. The Shailer's Provins, or Rosa gracilis, so named by Messrs. Lee, was raised from the seeds of the Spineless or Virgin's Rose, sown by myself in 1799, and flowered in 1802; we raised numerous varieties from seed up to 1816, generally selling them to Messrs. Lee, who sent them out under their own naming. I can vouch for the truth of the above. —H. Shailer, in Gardeners' Record

Magazine  (1852)  Page(s) 109.  
 
THE MOSS-ROSE.
Having collected a few facts relative to some of the old good Roses, particularly Moss-Roses, which owe their origin to accidental " sports," I beg to present my gleanings to the readers of the Florist.
Shailer's White Moss—the Unique or French White of the catalogues—was produced by one of those fortunate freaks of nature, a "sport." It is distinguishable from the Bath or Clifton White Moss by a more robust habit, it is more double, has a peculiar glaucous foliage, and it is not so well mossed as the Bath White, but when expanded it is a much fuller flower. Like its compeer, it often sports in colour, having frequently one or more petals reddish pink, and sometimes one half the flower is of that colour. The period of its discovery was about 1799, and occurred in the following manner. In the nursery of the late Mr. Shailer,* King's Road, Chelsea (now the site of Messrs. Knight and Perry's, and Dennis's nurseries), a plant of the red Moss was noticed to have forced a sucker under the box edging and through thegravel-walk; its glaucous foliage having fortunately been observed, it was allowed to remain and flower, when, to the great surprise of all, it proved to be indeed at that time a (unique) white Moss.
The existence of such a flower was then considered incredible, and hosts of inquiries were made as to its authenticity. Amongst the earliest inquirers was the then Countess of Carnarvon and the lady of General Carpenter, both of whom ordered two plants.
It was not sent out till the third season after its discovery, when about thirty-six plants were disposed of at five guineas each. The late Marquis of Blandford, a liberal patron of horticulture, called at the nursery, and ordered six plants of it at that price, and six plants of a striped Moss (on which a word hereafter), for which the same amount was charged, and his lordship gave an order on Messrs. Lee and Kennedy of Hammersmith for the amount. Although several offers had been made, it remained in Mr. Shailer's hands until his lordship's purchase brought the variety under the late Mr. Lee's notice, when that much-respected nurseryman made the following offer: that they would take all the sound plants that were propagated of it at one guinea each, provided Mr. Shailer sold none under five guineas; which agreement was carried out for several years, and proved, I believe, advantageous to both parties. It is estimated that this piece of good fortune realised to the original proprietor a sum of from 800£ to 1000£. It is figured in Andrews' Rose-Garden, and the particulars of its origin, &c., corroborate these few notes.
Like all Moss-Roses, it delights in a deep rich soil; and, on the Celine stock, this, like most of the comparatively shy growers, is very much improved.
Ealing. C. G. Wilkinson.

* For these particulars I am chiefly indebted to the present Mr. Henry Shailer, of Chapel Nursery, Battersea Fields.

Article (magazine)  (Jul 1851)  Page(s) 188.  
 
The first production of the white moss rose, which took place in the year 1788, was from a sucker, or underground shoot. My father, Henry Shailer, nurseryman, of Little Chelsea, an extensive grower of moss roses, perceiving it to be a lusus naturæ, from a stool of the red moss, cut it off, and budded it on the white Provence, or Rose La Blanche Unique. The buds fowered the following season a pale blush. He budded them again the next season, when the flower came much wbiter. It was then figured in Andrew's Rosary, under the name of Shailer's White Moss. He then sold it out, the first plants to Lord Kimbolton, then to the Marquis of Blandford, Lady de Clifford, the Duke of Gloucester, &c., at five guineas per plant. He continued to sell at that price for three years ; he then entered into a contract with those highly respectable and extensive nurserymen, Messrs. Lee and Kennedy, of Hammersmith, they taking as many plants as he could grow for three years, at 20s. per plant, binding him not to sell to any one else under 42s. per plant.