Falling From Grace - a photo on Flickriver

Falling From Grace

Rosa 'The Generous Gardener', climbing rose from David Austin, released 2002. (Parentage: 'Constance Spry' x unknown ?)

"Named to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Gardens Scheme, which made it possible for us to see so many beautiful private gardens, thanks to the generosity of their owners."
(DA Catalogue)

Arguably the most feminine of blooms in the DA collection, the softest blush pink, and a touch of apricot in its heart. On opening the lovely kiss of colour fades quickly to white, and then, after a couple of days, one more if you are lucky, the dainty delicacy shatters to the ground. But still the praise for this exasperating rose continues to proclaim TGG as the "finest climber" in the DA range. I love the flower, and the scent is wonderful, but the collapse of the flower when poised at its best, is a chagrin to say the least. See that here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr3qa2lAubs&t=1s

Ah, that scent. "Strong Old Rose, with Musk & Myrrh". OK - a reality check. How many of us have had the privilege of inhaling the scent of "true Myrrh", one of the gifts of the 3 Magi offered at the birth of Christ. Unless you have spent your life's savings in the perfume halls of Harrods or Fortnums in the UK say, or been able to smell the real resin burning in the market souks of Yemen, the Horn of Africa, or Southern Arabia (the Dhofar region of Oman, Salalah specifically,
which I have visited a couple of times during my travel days when I attempted to retrace the romantic Old Frankincense Trail of classical times) >> the scent of smouldering Myrrh extracted from the bush Commiphora Myrrha is bitter, astringent, antiseptic, deep, lingering and quite singular. It has been described as sharp, spicy, fungal, smoky, faintly balsamic with a latex-like quality and elements of black licorice and mushroom. In fact not unlike the walls of a very old church!! Frankincense by comparison, though exuding a similar resin & medicinal profile, emits a sweeter note altogether. The full complex scent profile of true Myrrh in expensive perfumery here:
takeonethingoff.com/blog/2020/11/30/gifts-of-the-three-ma...

When David Austin revealed his beautiful Constance Spry to the World in 1961, the clever marketing team went into overdrive and gave its superb fragrance the "Myrrh" tag - but this turned out to be the aniseed aroma offered by Sweet Cicely, or Myrrhis Odorata, which is grown around hedgerows of northern UK, and I've always felt that there is a rounded vanilla component to Constance, plus a fruity note or two when I draw in deeply the rose every day during her flowering period, sumptuous as she is. In short, David Austin's "Myrrh" is not the romanticised resin of the Biblical 3 Kings, nor of the embalming Egyptians, but of a fragrant herb found around the ditches, edges of fields and byways, in part shade, of our Islands. Nothing wrong with that of course. More on Sweet Cicely ID here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFoPnMOyONQ&t=28s

"Musk", the aromatic perfume of a gland of a certain deer, I'll have nothing to do with (as a veggie for as long as I can remember), and if I want to sample something with a similar profile to the real McCoy, then I can look to Rosa Moschata species and cultivars, and Paul's Himalayan Musk Rambler which romps away through a large cherry tree in my front garden.

Taken on: June 29, 2023

Tags:

MRHayward

DavidAustin

TheGenerousGardener

MyrrhFragrance

SweetCicely

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Camera: Panasonic DMC-LX7, f/2.8, 1/640 sec, 17.7mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-LX7
Aperture:	f/2.8
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length:	17.7mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Ver.1.0
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