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Walk Through The Garden, 2007A
Walk Through The Garden, 2007previous rose ------- next rose
"Featherball"
(originally Papyrus) (2005-5)Moss, 2005, F. Shimbo
"Featherball" is one of two of the 2005 seedlings that I began referring to as "paper-leafs." The other is "Tessellations." Both of these plants had, when I had them growing in the house, extremely thin, delicate leaves of a pale, glaucous aquamarine green, with prominent veining and a papery feel, very interesting just to look at.
"Featherball" differs from "Tessellations" in several ways apart from its flowers, most notably in the size of the leaves (on the whole, Featherball's leaves are smaller) and in Featherball more ragged, "torn tissue" looking leaf margins.
These
flowers open from the oddest buds. Usually, a rose beds out its
sepals and the flower unfurls. Not this one, nor "Tessellations"
or this year's "The
Pimpernel." These start out as buds with extremely
infolded sepals, which are burst open by an extremely infolded little
flower (I'm sure there's an actual botanical term for this; if you
know it, please tell me) which takes well over a week to finally
open. Not great for those of us with no patience!
"Featherball"
makes flowers which are at first extremely regular, so "neat"
they look fake, and even "neater" than the flower shown
above right. As the flower matures, however, the petals begin to
curve and swirl and altogether make a delightful flower. There are
only a very few spots (or were in that first year—spots seem to
increase as the plants mature). There is also a slight fragrance of
citrus.
One thing "Featherball" does very well is sucker. That first year she made two hearty suckers which I've since potted up. They do extremely well in pots and really need new homes...
I have to admit, "Featherball" is, and has always been, my favorite of all the 2005 seedlings. Even without flowers, she makes a lovely, ornamental little bush, and is worth her space in the garden if only for that.
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