Celebrating Sally Holmes What makes the rose Sally Holmes special?
Regina's thoughts on this topic, illustrated with many exceptional pictures.
Sally Holmes. Class: Hybrid Musk Holmes 1976.
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Sally Holmes File#P7030109
Sally Holmes is a marvel, and a mystery. What is so special about
Sally?
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While the single blooms are not especially spectacular by
themselves, many things about this rose do rate as spectacular - it is a
versatile, adaptable, generally continuous blooming temptress which
seems to do well in a great variety of conditions.
Bred from the large Hybrid Musk Ballerina, and the quite small and not
particularly easy to grow Ivory Fashion, Sally Holmes forms a large,
sometimes huge plant. The first part of the magic of Sally Holmes is that it
takes the larger, more attractive bloom of Ivory Fashion and the
eagerness to grow of Ballerina and combines them into a vigorous,
healthy, adaptable plant.
Sally Holmes #1773
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Sally Holmes #8298
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One of the things, then that is so special about Sally Holmes, is how absolutely
lovely the profusion of blooms are close up, whether in their more
flattened, mostly white form, or in their apricot phase or in their cooler
nights of fall, pink phase - the blooms so often draw the viewer in to
appreciate them at close range.
Sally Holmes #2132
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Sally Holmes in fall#D9342
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The respite offered by cooler weather and by a bit of shade retains more
of the lovely apricot one sees in the buds. In late fall, the rose has
strong touches of pink.
from the Sacramento cemetery
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File#3322
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At the same time, the plant has tremendous landscape appeal and versatility. The photo above left, taken in the Sacramento Historic Cemetery, is a stunning example of what creative gardeners can do with this rose. In the photo on the right, Sally Holmes shows its wonderful ability to complement a landscape, and to hold its own whether viewed up close or at a distance.
As disease is not an issue for me, I can't speak to that directly, but I have seen few complaints about Sally's disease susceptibility, so this also seems to be a plant which does well in a great many different locations. Accounts from Southern California tell of a plant which not only winds up among trees, but, if allowed, is practically a tree on its own.
Sally Holmes l#8713
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Sally Holmes#0126
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For a photographer, Sally Holmes is a compelling subject. The subtle pastel tones attract the eye, and the lens, and when the light is really right, closeup photos of the blooms are simply ethereal. The two photos above illustrate the effect of good light versus great. In the image on the right, the blooms have plenty of color and the composition is fine, but in the image on the left, the petals have texture and depth and the whole composition glows. It is the photographer's task to always be watching for those ephemeral moments of great light, and to race for the camera when they happen. And when the light comes right, there are few roses which play for the camera as Sally Holmes does. Sally is a dancer, a queen, a star.
Sally Holmes #1967
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Somehow Sally Holmes seems to have inherited the best of both of its parents,
and has combined them in some nearly magical way into a plant which
sets the bar high indeed. One wishes these wonderful qualities could be
passed on to subsequent generations, but an almost complete lack of
offspring suggest that it is not eager to put its energy into
reproduction. Ah well. We will just have to be satisfied with the real
thing.
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