"JULIO IGLESIAS ... meet Julio Iglesias." The iconic Latin crooner Julio Iglesias was formally introduced to his new namesake rose a month or so ago at the Ritz Hotel in Paris while he - the singer, not the rose - was on his world tour. I've been told the meeting was a big hit.
The striking Julio rose is creating its own following here on the West Coast, too; rose testers have found it to do especially well in warm gardens. Look for it in nurseries this spring. Its fragrance is described by master perfumers in Grasse, France, as "orange and grapefruit with a touch of Madagascar verbena," and Meilland Star Roses, the company that's introducing it, touts it as a "bold, spicy floribunda" with a bloom that's "light cream strongly striped with red."
I'd say it smells citrusy and looks more like a man's elegant shirt collar that's been quickly smeared with his paramour's raspberry-colored lipstick glimpsed under the streetlights that pierce the darkness of their fast-moving limousine. OK, maybe that's just the Julio effect. Where was I? Oh, yes. The Julio rose.
I've never been fond of striped roses, even when really wonderful Marin rose growers entered them into the monthly shows at the Marin Rose Society meetings. They looked contrived and gaudy and didn't seem to fit in with the more graceful roses I favored. In fact, they stood out. I just didn't take striped roses seriously at all.
So I wasn't that enthused when Julio the rose arrived in a shipment of other Star roses sent to me this winter for testing. I was looking forward to the Apricot Candy, a tall, elegant rose with a beautiful center and the cheerful Full Moon Rising. Classic Woman also promised to be to a nice choice to watch.
But a striped rose? That just wasn't on my must-have list. This one has changed my mind, though. I love the Julio Iglesias rose for his drama and exuberance. In bloom, he seems to have a joyful and zestful spirit that contrasts, but doesn't argue, with the more serious roses - the old gardens and hybrid teas - that surround him. He's sort of like a boyish charmer who's only playfully messing with their diva-ness.
While the real Iglesias has been performing all over the world, his namesake rose has been faithfully belting out the blooms here in my garden and keeping all the female roses around him very entertained - although they probably would never admit it.
From: Marian Independant Journal
1 comment:
Love the look of this rose, can't wait until spring when I can get one.
Clare
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