A
Walk Through The Garden, 2008A
Walk Through The Garden, 2008previous rose ------- next rose
'Cardinal
de Richelieu'Hybrid China/Gallica, 1847, L.J.G. Parmentier
Ah, le bon Cardinal! You can probably guess from my list of roses that I'm rather a fan of the purples. 'Cardinal de Richelieu' is about as fantastically purple as they come! The white center makes the effect all the more striking. The color you see in the photo is the actual color (on my monitor, at least) of the rose I photographed, a two day old flower.
I mention the flower's age because the Cardinal does not start out this purple. The flowers open more of a magenta or pink, and the purple color is attained with age. The spherical buds open a light pink, and one would never believe that the flower would be this color—or this shape—from watching the buds unfurl.
'Cardinal de Richelieu' was a new, own-root rose in 2006 and last year he bloomed bloomed well and early—he was flowering in late may.
If
there is a problem to report with the good Cardinal, it's that the
flowers seem especially prone to sunburn here at our altitude. The
edges dry and crumble quickly so this summer I might try providing a
little shade at mid-day to keep them happier.