Mystery rose is the star of this patio - 'Bermuda's Kathleen' - Brief Article

Sunset, May, 2000 by Sharon Cohoon

'Bermuda's Kathleen' pairs well with other shrubs and perennials

* "I love growing roses that Charles Darwin could have sniffed, or Teddy Roosevelt might have worn in his lapel," says Sharon Milder. So in some ways, mysterious 'Bermuda's Kathleen', the big, pink shrub rose gracing her backyard patio (pictured above), is a surprisingly undocumented choice. Rosarians know that Bermuda roses were brought to the island by Europeans, but not much more about them has been proved.

Milder knows a few other things about 'Bermuda's Kathleen', though. It's easy to grow--"an ideal coastal rose," she says. "No mildew, no rust--about as carefree as roses get." It's also big. "I keep it at 5 or 6 feet tall with an annual winter pruning, but it would like to be bigger." And its small, plentiful flowers are pure delight. The single blooms open blush pink and gradually deepen to dark pink, creating a charming multicolored effect. This mutable habit, she says, makes the rose an interesting companion for Brunfelsia pauciflora 'Floribunda', a shrub that exhibits purple, lavender, and white flowers simultaneously.

Other good companions for Milder's star rose include (clockwise from bottom left) a pale pink zonal geranium in a pot, deep rose royal trumpet vine (Distictis 'Rivers'), pink ivy geraniums, and pink-flowered true geraniums (G. oxonianum 'Claridge Druce'). Foliage plants in pots--variegated ivy and wall rockcress (Arabis caucasica)--provide a cooling counterpoint beside the table.

'Bermuda's Kathleen' is available from the Antique Rose Emporium. For a free catalog, call (800) 441-0002.