''Rosa'' 'Old Blush', also known as 'Parsons' Pink China', 'Old Blush China', 'Old China Monthly', is a China rose (known in Chinese as ''yue yue fen'' "monthly pink") and has been cultivated in China for over a thousand years. It derives from ''

Rosa chinensis ''Rosa chinensis'' (), known commonly as the China rose, Chinese rose, or Bengal rose, is a member of the genus ''Rosa'' native to Southwest China in Guizhou, Hubei, and Sichuan Provinces. The first publication of ''Rosa chinensis'' was in 1768 b ...

'', and is generally accepted as the first East Asian rose

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

to reach Europe. It is recorded in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in 1752 and in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

before 1759, but was probably cultivated in China for several centuries. It is believed to be the rose which inspired the song ''

The Last Rose of Summer "The Last Rose of Summer" is a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. He wrote it in 1805, while staying at Jenkinstown Castle in County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he was said to have been inspired by a specimen of Rosa 'Old Blush'. The poem is s ...

'' by the Irish composer and poet

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

. It is also known as Parsons' Pink China, named after Mr Parson who introduced it commercially to the UK in 1793.

Description

'Old Blush' has light silvery pink semi-double flowers of medium size that darken as they age. They bloom in fives and have a light to strong tea fragrance, a cupped to flat bloom form, and an average diameter of . The red buds appear in clusters almost continuously from early June to the first

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

- in warmer regions even throughout the year, and can develop to small, red rose hips. The shrub has an arching form, few prickles and mid-green leaves that have a crimson colour when young. It grows tall and about wide, tolerates half shade, poor soils, and is winter hardy down to -18 °C ( USDA zone 6 to 7). The cultivar can be trained as a small climber, reaching up to height which has larger flowers.

Awards

The cultivar was one of the four cultivars inducted into the Old Rose Hall of Fame by the World Federation of Rose Societies at its creation in 1988.

Offspring

'Old Blush', together with 'Slater's Crimson China' and the

tea rose Garden roses are predominantly hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. An enormous number ...

s 'Hume's Blush Tea-scented China' and 'Parks' Yellow Tea-scented China', introduced to European gardens roses which would bloom repeatedly from spring to fall, whereas the Old European roses tend to bloom only once, on the previous year's wood. The chinas and teas became the foundation of numerous new classes of roses, including the

bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish ...

, noisettes, hybrid perpetuals, and thence the modern garden roses. 'Old Blush' itself was parent to two of these classes: a natural cross of 'Old Blush' with 'Autumn Damask' on the

Ile de Bourbon Ile de Bourbon (1975–1997) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from 1977 until October 1979 he ran twelve times and won five races. His most important success came in July 1978 wh ...

gave rise to 'Rose Edouard', the first bourbon rose; and John Champneys' hybrid of 'Old Blush' with the

musk rose ''Rosa moschata'', the musk rose, is a species of rose which has been long in cultivation. Its wild origins are uncertain but are suspected to lie in the western Himalayas. Description ''Rosa moschata'' is a shrub (to 3m) with single white 5&nb ...

was 'Champneys' Pink Cluster', the first noisette and parent of the better known 'Blush Noisette'. Two well-known

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

of 'Old Blush' are 'Climbing Old Blush' (known since about 1750), one of the best climbers with slightly larger flowers than its parent, and 'Viridiflora', a green cultivar, that was introduced by Bambridge & Harrison in 1845.

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...