‘Desdemona’

 

The flowers of ‘Desdemona’ have become more globular with the cooler weather. The plant is slowing down also, preparing for the winter, so this may be the last of these until May. I’ve had mixed feelings about Des. The biggest problem for me is that the flowers are sometimes pink and sometimes white, at the same time,  and I don’t like the combination. Also, the flowers are small. Most roses produce smaller flowers in this climate than in a milder climate, but these are smaller than I like. ‘Desdemona’ also has the quality of a more or less continuous succession of blooms, but never a lot at the same time. I’ve seen photos from people in other climates where their ‘Desdemona’ is covered with flowers, but not mine, and I have four plants in different growing conditions. But ‘Desdemona’ grows well in my garden, doesn’t get thrips damage, has good bush appearance (so far), and a great fragrance (like a gin and tonic). There is no perfect rose.