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'Blackboy' rose Reviews & Comments
Discussion id : 154-222
most recent 5 DEC SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 30 NOV by HubertG
I recently saw 'Black Boy' from Swane's Nursery at a local Bunnings store in Sydney and the blooms at the time did look like the early catalogue photos, so I thought it might be the correct variety. I would have considered buying one to try out but unfortunately all the specimens of it were very obviously affected by mosaic virus, which was a pity.
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Reply #1 of 4 posted 30 NOV by Margaret Furness
Since you saw it, may I suggest that you notify Swane's about the mosaic? Presumably they did the propagating. However, I have seen mosaic on a Bunning's rose, which I guess was from a backyard propagator - it was on R Indica major, which most nurseries in Australia haven't used for decades.
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Reply #2 of 4 posted 1 DEC by HubertG
Margaret, I never thought to do that; it's a good idea. I will let them know and keep you updated.

Edit: I just sent them an email. The automatic reply was that they'll respond to me soon.
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Reply #3 of 4 posted 4 DEC by Kathy Strong
Just fyi, there are quite a few older varieties in the US available only infected. This happened decades ago when one of the larger California vendors had infected Dr Huey rootstock and then widely distributed these plants on an effectively exclusive basis. All currently known specimens of many roses introduced after this pre 1980 bugaboo trace back to these plants. So now all of these varieties are infected in all known sources. Shit happens. This is why the University of California at Davis keeps a library of older variety plants for virus free budwood that can be accessed by rose vendors to get clean stock, both as to varietal cultivars and rootstock varieties.
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Reply #4 of 4 posted 5 DEC by HubertG
I received a reply yesterday from Swane's wholesale thanking me for my feedback and saying they'll inspect the stock.
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Discussion id : 153-602
most recent 23 OCT HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 22 OCT by Orianne Courmes
Available from - Vivaio S’orrosa
https://www.saorrosa.it/grandi-ibridatori/le-rose-di-alister-clark/black-boy/
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Reply #1 of 3 posted 22 OCT by Margaret Furness
It would be interesting to see photos of the rose sold by this nursery, to see if it is a correct Blackboy.
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Reply #2 of 3 posted 23 OCT by Johno
Probably more likely to be the 1958 Kordes' Black Boy which is still sold in Europe. A photo of a bud would be useful as the Kordes rose would show moss.
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Reply #3 of 3 posted 23 OCT by jedmar
It is on an Alister Clark listing, but not on sale
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Discussion id : 138-998
most recent 20 FEB 23 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 20 FEB 23 by Margaret Furness
I'm told that, according to Alister Clark's notes, it was named after a horse - probably a racehorse, given Clark's interest in that area.
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Discussion id : 58-064
most recent 29 SEP 19 SHOW ALL
 
Initial post 21 OCT 11 by Patricia Routley
It seems that many beautiful dark red climbing roses inherited from nanna or Auntie whatsis came with the passed down name of 'Black Boy'. 'Black Boy' was an easy name to remember and now it is difficult to know what the true 'Black Boy' was like. The three bushes that I have all open in the morning to a deep cupped bloom that the petals fold over and cover its private parts later in the day, or with rain - not quite sure which just yet.

I am struck by the glandular pedicel which rather abruptly becomes smooth one inch from the top, leading up to a very smooth receptacle. Do others see this trait in their 'Black Boy's?
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Reply #1 of 5 posted 11 MAY 15 by Give me caffeine
I know this is an old comment, but I think this habit of Auntie Whatsis and Co. calling every dark red climber 'Black Boy" in the '30's is relevant to my family history.

My mum, who is 80 and in firm possession of her marbles, has sometimes reminisced about the magnificent "Black Boy" that grew at her parents' house when she was a kid. After looking into Clark roses a bit I got curious, so asked her some questions about it.

Turns out that this "Black Boy" they loved so much never snagged her when she frequently brushed past it to get into the shed (so probably thornless, or almost) and had flowers that, while she wouldn't call them perfect exhibition form by today's standards, were still very nicely shaped rather than informal. They were fully double, never semi-double, and didn't go blue with age. She also remembered that it was never a profuse bloomer, but always had some. She couldn't remember what the foliage was like, since it was around 70 years ago and a young girl naturally focused on the flowers more.

Anyway, the characteristics she described don't fit 'Black Boy' but are a perfect match for another Clark classic: 'Countess of Stradbroke'. This would also fit with the construction date for the house, which was built within a couple of years of CoS being released. It was a very nice house (I remember it well, since my grandparents still owned it when I was young) and it would be natural for a moderately well off and houseproud owner to want Clark's latest and greatest when establishing a garden.

My grandparents bought the place in the late '30's, by which time the climber was well established. I had a strong suspicion that when they moved in they either assumed the rose was 'Black Boy', or were told so by a friend or neighbour who had heard of the ubiquitous BB but wasn't up to speed with some of Clark's other roses.

I emailed Mum links to the HMF pages for both roses, and her comment was that based on the information and pictures supplied she would say it was CoS. So, it looks like HMF has managed to fix a case of mistaken identity that has stood for 70 years. :)
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Reply #2 of 5 posted 12 MAY 15 by Jane Z
A 1937 plebiscite conducted by The Argus newspaper in Melbourne had Black Boy as a clear winner of the best climbing rose category with just over 850 votes. In 14th place was Countess of Stradbroke with a comparatively modest 75 votes. (I'm sure your hypothesis as to 'naming assumptions' is on the money)

(The best garden rose in the plebiscite was Lorraine Lee with 1819 votes)
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Reply #3 of 5 posted 12 MAY 15 by Give me caffeine
I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of those votes for Black Boy were actually made for a different rose the voter thought was Black Boy, and of course the vote could also be skewed simply because many more people would have heard of BB.

Apparently Clark himself thought his later 'Lady Mann' was superior to 'Lorraine Lee'.
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Reply #4 of 5 posted 12 MAY 15 by Jane Z
perhaps - however BB had been around nearly a decade longer and the basic sales figures for both roses meant that BB was by far the most planted - keep in mind though too, there were a great many newspaper gardening/rose columns & articles etc in that era, and many people would have known & followed names of favourites, new releases etc
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Reply #5 of 5 posted 29 SEP 19 by Patricia Routley
A visitor suggested to me that ‘Guinee’ is being grown in some gardens as ‘Black Boy’. I do recall one garden in Bridgetown, W.A. where this was more than likely the identity of one rose mistakenly labelled ‘Black Boy’.
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