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Walk Through The Garden, 2007A
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"Starry Day" (2005-4)Shrub, 2005, Shimbo
"Starry Day" is an open-pollinated seedling of "Fa's Marbled Moss." Like "Andromeda," she was named for her mottled leaves. I was hoping that mottled leaves would portend mottled flowers; alas, so far, this has not been the case.
When "Starry Day's" first buds appeared it was immediately apparent that she didn't inherit her mother's moss. Good, though, since I now know that "Fa's Marbled Moss" is heterozygous for moss (which is thought to be a simple dominant).
On 15 May, "Starry Day" day began to develop "stars" on her leaves again. By 23 May, her half-open buds were the most colored of all the seedlings'. Alas I had to leave Colorado for a while just as the first flower was opening, but a few days later, Bob brought it to me. It survived a long car ride, airport security, being wrapped in wet paper towel for hours and stuffed in a suitcase, and all the other indignities of modern transport with aplomb (there is a photo below). Needless to say, I am extremely pleased. I had no idea I was going to get a button eye from a flower from a parent with such an informal form.
When I returned home on 9 June, "Starry Day" was in full cry, blooming happily even after a very severe wind storm. The flowers looked just like the one Bob had brought. They open pale rose pink from quartered buds (there are actually seven visible "sections," not four) into a flower that is initially flat across the top. The petals then reflex to form a pompom about three inches wide. The outer petals become lighter and more mauve as they unfurl; there are about 150 petals in all. No stamens are visible. There are no spots.
" Day remained a very short plant throughout the summer, a lovely compact bush whose leaves turned a lovely burgundy in the fall. The only other rose which does this is "Fa's Found Alba" and a rose which I think might have been "Felicite Parmentier," so this rose probably has Alba in its background. She did not spread or produce suckers, and while she made a profusion of new canes none of them reached more than about half a meter in height. No hips were set.