Lady Alistair Stella Gray was Re: One (Minor) Autumn Musing

Tim, 

Lady Alistair Stella Gray is a noisette raised by Alexander Gray
during the latter part of the last century.  As to the reasons for him
naming it in this way, I cannot elucidate, but your explanation sounds
odd enough to be true!  The Victorians had some very quaint ideas back
then.  It was first introduced by William Paul & Sons in the mid
1890's and was always more successful in the US and mediterranean
countries than here.  There's a lot of china rose in its blood - much
of it from the long extinct Park's Yellow and as such, needs a warm,
sunny spot to do really well.  In this country its best performance
has always been late after a warm (or even not so warm) summer since
the wood needs a bit of baking to flower well.  In view of where you
live, I would not be at all surprised to learn this rose is a late
performer.  It is still a lovely thing 100 years on and worth growing
in a sunny sheltered spot.  

I had it on a south wall at Bromsgrove where during and after the
blistering summer of '76, it flowered from mid June until late
January.  I remember counting over 100 nearly perfect blooms open on
Christmas day that year and cut an immense bouquet for mother to
decorate the dinner table.  To this day I can still remember the
fragrance as we sat down to dinner.

Others in this group that have not weathered the test of time quite so
well are Gloire de Dijon and Marechal Niel - both stunning in their
day, but now sadly barely a shadow of their former splendour.
Occasionally you can come across a very old 'original' plant still
showing some of the old vigour, but repeated propagation over the
years has markedly reduced their substance.  The only climbing
noisette ever to be really successful here in the UK was Mme. Alfred
Carriere and it is still an excellent plant for most locations.  

Incidentally our friends in the US would know Lady Alistair Stella
Gray as 'Golden Rambler'

Dave Poole
TORQUAY  UK
http://www.ilsham.demon.co.uk/gardenviews.html
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