'Purezza'

Hello from Rome to Robin and Joe and you all,

'Purezza' is a favoutite subject of mine.

This rose is a hybrid of R. banksia and - supposedly - 'Tom Thumb'.  It
was bred by the Italian hybridizer Q. Mansuino and won a Gold Medal in Rome's
Municipal Rose Garden's 1906 edition of 'PREMIO ROMA', International Rose
Trials for New Varieties.

It can be seen in the collection there in the lower garden grown as a pillar.

In my garden in the residential area of Rome, Casal Palocco, it has been
trained up into a sort of a cage and then is allowed to spill over in a
huge cascade.

'Purezza' is identical to R. banksiae, except for the fact that it reblooms.
 From my personal experience, our 'Purezza', grown from a cutting, rarely
is without a few blooms at the worst and it provided blooms for my daughter's
veil when she married in mid-January several years ago.  It is never without
leaves so in a mild climate is a 'good buy'!

'Purezza', in my opinion, is at it's best allowed to grow up into a tree
or a cypress and allowed to spill out as it pleases.  Being without prickles
it is easy to handle and the long vigorous canes are flexible.

>From the rose in our garden, 'Puressa' rooted cuttings have traveled here
and there...and if I meet any of you in person I will elaborate on that
tale.  However, the 'Puressa' roses available in England all come from the
one I sent to Charles Quest-Ritson about 12 years ago.  He is the author
of 'Climbing Roses of the World', recently released and a book to have on
your shelves.

I have sent pollen to Chris Warner (famous for his Miniature Climbing Roses)
in England, as the climate where he breeds is too cold to grow it well.
 He has not had any luck so far with his 'Purezza' crosses.

The rose was introduced into the market in 1961.  Mansuino died years ago
and his son is still in San Remo, on the Italian Riviera near the French
border, but he grows flowers for comercial trade and does not hybridize.

'Purezza' can also be seen in Cavriglia, the Tuscan rose garden made by
Professor Fineschi.  There it shares the collection of all the variations
of the bankaiae-theme on an arbour.  A spectacular way of growing it can
be seen at Rome's Botanical Gardens where, high up on the Gianicolo hill
it has been allowed to simply grow with no structure to make it grow up.
 In early late April and  May when it is at its peak bloom it makes a huge
long bush-hedge of frothy white and is absolutely STUNNING.

E N O U G H!    HAS ANYONE READ THIS FAR????  I am afraid, as I said at
the beginning, 'Purezza' is a very special rose in my bouquet of favourites.

And here we can be all glad that we garden in a MEDITERRANEAN climate, as
'Purezza' loves this weather.

Best greetings to you all,
Helene Pizzi
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