Book  (1940)  Page(s) 136.  Includes photo(s).
 
AN OLD ROSE.
On Staplefield, Sussex, Church, there is a plant of that very old Rose, Homere, that certainly must be the largest and oldest known plant of that variety in England. The Church was built in 1858, and Homere, a Tea Rose, was sent out by Robert in 1859.
On talking with one of the old inhabitants who was 70 years of age, he told me that the Rose was there before he could remember, so one can assume that it would have been planted about 1862 and would therefore be about 78 years old. As will be seen in the picture it covers half of a side wall. At one time it reached right up to the guttering, but owing to lack of proper attention it has somewhat fallen into decay, but one hopes, with the help of the kindly Vicar, it may be resuscitated. Before the photograph of the main stem of the Rose could be taken, it was necessary to cut away the coarse twitch grass and ground elder. The circumference is now 17-in. and at the junction of the Rose with the stock it is 26-in. It was budded on a short standard canina stock.
It. will be noticed that young growths are thrown up from the hard moss-covered wood, but they die down after blooming. It may be a surprise to our present day exhibitors when I tell them that at the time the pictures were taken one could have cut a couple of dozen top hole blooms, that would have held their own against some of our present day Roses.
When a branch that had died was sawn off it was seen to be hollow, and on testing the main stem with a thin hazel switch it was found possible to pass it down to well below the ground level, thus proving the old stager had become hollow with age. The hole was plugged so to prevent water finding its way down.
Staplefield Church is situated just off the Handcross-Cuckfield Road, and to any one interested it is well worth a visit. In the Vicarage adjoining there is a very fine specimen of R. Banksia lutea, evidently planted about the same time.

The photographs accompanying this text can be seen in the photo gallery, uploaded by Patricia Routley in July 2011.
 

Website/Catalog  (1938)  Page(s) 21.  
 
Tea. Homer (Robert 58), medium size, vivid pink, center flesh-coloured with salmon.

Book  (1936)  Page(s) 350.  
 
Homère (tea) Rob. & Mor. 1858; descends from Goubault or Dav. Pradel?; bright pink, center salmon, occasionally stained purple, white and yellow, medium to large, double, globular to flat cup form, solitary, fragrance 5/10, floriferous, upright stems, growth 7/10, bushy, dense. Sangerhausen

Website/Catalog  (1925)  Page(s) 82.  
 
Tea Roses...Homére.  Medium sized bloom, flesh-white, pink edges...Low-grafted garden plants 1 piece G.-M. [Gold-Mark] 1.-

[no longer listed in the 1929 catalogue]

Website/Catalog  (1924)  Page(s) 16.  
 
Homère.- Fl. rose centre carné.
[no longer listed in the 1926 catalogue]

Website/Catalog  (1914)  Page(s) 14.  
 
Tea Roses. Homer. Medium-size, vivid pink and flesh-white with salmon-yellow, floriferous, vigorous.

Magazine  (Aug 1912)  Page(s) 314.  
 
Visite des cultures de ...M. Laurent Boucharlat, horticulteur au dit lieu....M. Boucharlat possède encore deux pépinières établies dans des parcelles de prés défoncées et exclusivement complantées de Rosiers. Nous retrouvons partout la même culture, les mêmes soins, la quantité et la beauté des sujets. Nous notons au hasard : Belle Siebrecht, Camoëns, Caroline Testout, Etoile de France, Perle de feu, Marquise de Salisbury, Reine Emma des Pays-Bas, Maman Cochet, Marie Van Houtte, Madame Mascuraud, Homère, Liberty, Corallina, Souvenir de Catherine Guillot, Comtesse de Frigneuse, Sunset, G. Schwartz, Madame Lombard, Anna Olivier, Rayon d’Or, Laurent Carle, Safrano, Madame Ab. Chatenay, Reine mère d’Italie, Lady Robert, Madame Jules Grolez, et quantités d’autres variétés en thés et hybrides de thés.

Website/Catalog  (1912)  Page(s) 76.  
 
Ever-Blooming Roses.
Homer rose, centre salmon, full, good form, valuable for cutting, vigorous. 

Magazine  (17 Jun 1911)  Page(s) 290.  
 
The Parentage of Roses.
The following list of the world's Roses and their parentage has been compiled by Mr. Robert Daniel, 38 Russell Road. Fishponds, Bristol, and by his kind permission we are enabled to publish it...
Homère... Tea, Rob. et Mor., 1858, Seedling Goubault or David Pradel

Website/Catalog  (1911)  Page(s) 15.  
 
Tea-Scented Roses. Homere Pale rose, bordered with pink, full; blooms in clusters. Vig.