One of the roses that came with the house. It's in the back yard, the centermost of the three roses along the deck rail. It's taken on a very odd configuration... at some point it spread sideways and the middle section died out, so it stretches quite a distance along the rail but isn't full at any point. Some of the base canes look dead, but then there's a live branch taking off in another odd direction. The bush itself it very odd and not very pretty, but the roses it blooms are GORGEOUS. This was the first rose to flower after I moved in, in March 2008.
In addition to looking beautiful, French Perfume is very aptly named. Its fragrance is exceptionally strong and sweet... it's one of the powerhouse roses along with Neptune, Double Delight, and Mr. Lincoln.
It also has the ability to drastically change color. When a bud opens while it's not too hot, it will be lemony yellow and white with just the faintest tinge of pink at the edges. As it gets warmer, the pink darkens and spreads and sometimes takes over all but the very faintest bit of the center. This color change can happen over the course of one day. It'll also lighten up again if it turns cooler (though not to the palest shade for a second time), so I truly never know what one of its flowers will look like when I go outside. Because of its unusual coloring and intense fragrance, I was able to narrow down my rose search and identify it. It's similar to Double Delight, but the lemony-yellow makes it a definite French Perfume.
Return to the rose index.