Souvenir de Madame Leonie Viennot, Tea Rose
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”
Shakespeare’s Juliet had a point, but then again she never drew her nose to this heady petaled confection. Tea rose Souvenir de Madame Leonie Viennot could smell like fresh laundry and sport six petals, and I fear I would still swoon over the prospect of what a such a name could deliver.
The naming conventions of 1898 are a far cry from their present-day counterparts. Modern roses seem to bear names that possess all the poetry of brand names and talk-show hosts. Inspiration and bucolic conjurings are ill-suited to such names and Electron, Rosie O’Donnell, and Tequila Sunrise . So I leave you with a old garden rose that is delicious on all levels, fragrant, floriferous and unwilling to commit to any one single hue of pink, buff, shell or coral in its multi-layered palette. Madame Leonie Viennot’s husband (a rose breeder) honored his wife and our senses with a perfumed and luscious souvenir.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Renae // May 27, 2008 at 11:31 am
I love those full, lush roses. I don’t know why everyone grows the tight rose buds when the old-fashioned ones are so much more beautiful.
2 Miffy // Jun 1, 2008 at 3:27 am
Rhubarb for Renae…I would cry, gleefully, at the thought of the Souvenir de Madame Leonie Viennot at my door! Even more than most days, I wish I lived closer my dear friend!
xo
3 Gary // Nov 14, 2008 at 5:34 am
We grow Madam Leonie in Queensland Australia. We have lots of teas and other old garden roses and perenial plants.
Have a look at our gallery on
http://picasaweb.google.com/MooloolahRoses/OldGardenRoses#
4 Tom // Nov 15, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Wow, Gary that is one dreamy collection of roses. I’ll be referencing it regularly as I add to my garden. Thanks!
5 Gabi fuller // Dec 6, 2008 at 11:16 am
I have never seen that combination of colours in Leonie. Ae you sure you don’t have a sport
6 Tom // Dec 7, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Hi Gabi, perhaps it is a sport, as it is a more flamboyant in its color range. And of course I can’t remember where I got it. Yesterday, the deer reminded me that its colors are not the only delicious thing about it.
7 Pacific Coast Iris Steal the Show // May 26, 2009 at 4:05 pm
[...] What I was blogging about a year ago: Souvenir de Madame Leonie Viennot A rose by any other name wouldn’t smell as sweet [...]
8 D.J. // Dec 29, 2010 at 4:49 am
I grew Souvenir de Madame Leonie Viennot at my old house and she was gorgeous! Every bloom varied in combinations of pink & yellow. Leonie (as I called her) stood on the coner of a 4′ tall fence and naturally reclined about 10′ south & 10′ west flowering all along her length. My current house does not have as much sun. can she flower on four hours of sun? Can she grow free form or need a pillar,etc?
YOu are right about the modern names. they are not as pretty except Melodie Parfumee. She is a grandiflora of superb frangrance and varies from magenta to mauve. One other problem we have in Atlanta is Japanese beetles. It is tedious to pick them off with a tweezer & drown them in soap water & sprays harm everyone (butterflies) indiscriminately. Any ideas?
9 Tom // Dec 29, 2010 at 8:47 am
Hi D.J.
My Leonie grows without support, but then again it just got a serious pruning from a hungry deer. Because it has so few thorns, I let it grow through shrubs and trees as supports or pillars. It’s a beautiful effect, unlike a thorny rose, I can move the canes around as I wish them to grow and prune accordingly.
In contrast, I have an Albertine rose which is so thorny that after each pruning and weeding, I look as though I was place in a barrel with bobcats. It’s a rose that needs big support.
As for Japanese beetles, I’m lucky to say they would drowned in my neck of the woods. We don’t have them here (thankfully), but I have a blog pal from Birmingham, Alabama who may have some insight. Check out Chris’s site: http://www.redneckrosarian.com/
Also, here’s a great thread on organic methods for JB’s from GardenWeb (a great resource): http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/alabgard/msg061207082291.html
Good Luck D.J., Here’s to smelling the roses in the coming year.
10 Lois // Jan 30, 2011 at 3:43 pm
I have this one in my old home, I now rent. I can’t wait to plant it in my new home. It is just the hardiest rose ever and delivers unbelievably huge, rainbow colored blooms. I love it.
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