Phillips & Rix, "The Quest for the Rose", p 211, provide a good photo of Etoile de Portugal growing in the Huntington Rose Garden, Los Angeles. Could that address be added to Gardens for Etoile de Portugal? Their photo is reproduced on http://www.rogersroses.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~3909~gid~35.asp
Unfortunately the Huntington Rose Garden curator now advises that the garden has never possessed Etoile de Portugal, though at one time it mistakenly thought so. The curator also advises that the rose on page 211 of "The Quest for the Rose" is misnamed, actually the Huntington's Souvenir de Mme Léonie Viennot, certainly not a gigantea hybrid. I'm sorry to have raised false hopes.
I have been growing in my garden for years a rose that I was told was mis-labled as Vicomtesse Pierre le Feu that came originally from Beales. I have found out recently that it is Etoile de Portugal.
Pamela, yes, that's the one John Hook argues must be the original Etoile du Portugal. It has obvious gigantea parentage and is once flowering. I've only seen photos but what a lovely rose it is. Its colour, for me, settles disputes about the parentage of Etoile du Portugal: it's the same vivid red as Reine Marie-Henriette.
I'm so pleased about this because it is too beautiful to not have a name. If you see it in person you can really see the Hybrid Gigantea. I just recently saw a photo taken by Etienne Bouret that looks just like my rose.
I got interested in all this because I found a rose vaguely like Souvenir de Madame Léonie Viennot with droopy gigantea leaves and thought it must be Etoile du Portugal. But there's no evidence Etoile du Portugal ever came to Australia. When I was investigating John Hook had not yet made his discovery.
Does your rose have good scent? Rosa gigantea itself has the most delicious, pure, sweet scent.
Are you comparing with photos or a plant, Eric? Some, maybe all, the plants circulating in Aus now as Reine Marie Henriette are likely to be Noella Nabonnand.
Margaret, I'm comparing photos. Cayeux says the crosses he made to Rosa gigantea were Reine Marie-Henriette and Souvenir de Mme Léonie Viennot. The cross for Etoile du P was with Reine Marie-Henriette. But one theory that's been floated is that Cayeux got his parents confused and the parent of Etoile de P was Souvenir de Mme L Viennot. Possible, but why not believe what he said? It was Reine Marie-Henriette. The real one.
