Nicole looks very similar to that. The pink spreads out somewhat as the fowers get older. It is a prolific bloomer and I like it very much. Right now it is covered in blooms, even in this heatwave we are having (three weeks in the upper 90S) This was taken in my garden this year. Here is a link that might be useful: Nicole

Hi Sue I'm trying to think of a pink that doesn't fade in Melbourne, but there are few. Probably Flamingo and Queen Elizabeth are closest, but both grow very tall in my garden. The Childrens Rose is a pale pink to begin with, but doesn't fade. Gertrude Jeckyll doesn't fade and has a great perfume, but she''s not to everyone's taste. Gold Bunny and Friesia are very popular yellows here, but I can't vouch for their colourfastness. All those are readily available in Eastern Australia. Isn't our limited range of roses a pain? Sue

Yeah, I don't have Folklore ...yet. ;-) Let's get the top-level eliminations done first of all. Your photos and description show me your mystery-rose is definitely *not* Seashell Today Coral Sea Montezuma. Folklore's fragrance is rated as Intense ...and its leaves are rated as Glossy. I'm also leaning away from your orange mystery-rose being Arizona ...whose petals tend to quill noticeably more than yours appear to. But as we've all seen, Arizona blooms look so different in so many locations, I can't quite count it out entirely. Your photos and your description of the blooms' form and color, and the bush's growth-habit (very tall & "narrow"), immediately reminded me of a rose in my yard that I forgot to include on my "Long-Lasting Blooms" list. It is Sundowner - which is a grandiflora, thus matching your rose's bloom-habit. Take a look at the photos at HelpMeFind. Also "matching" is the fact that my two Sundowner bushes were purchased as bodybags at WalMart, like yours. But mine were correctly labeled ...I think. ;-) As I said, your desription of your rose's blooms and their "behavior" matches my Sundowner perfectly. But... mine has at least medium-strength fragrance. Also, its older leaves have leathery texture ...but not what I'd call "very" leathery. To my eyes, they are medium-green, and at least somewhat semi-glossy. You said your rose has "50+ petals." I've gotta ask, is that an estimation, or the result of doing an average-petals-per-bloom count with several blooms? Also, was that a Spring Flush count, or from a later flush? The reason I'm asking is, Sundowner is rated at only 35 petals. Note: I did a 3-bloom petal-count a few minutes ago. My most-mature Sundowner bush produces blooms which average about 40 petals. (Your rosebush appears to be *quite* mature, and thus might be producing higher petal-numbers.) When I was outside counting, I took a "sideview" photo of a just-opening bloom, to show the orange petals with yelow base ...and also made a "whole bush" shot. I'll post them for you over in the Rose Gallery ...or, email them to you. Whatever method you prefer. Sundowner might be incorrect. The fragrance-level and leaf-leatheriness factors don't seem to match. But Sundowner sure does match your grandiflora mystery-rose's described bloom-color, "ageing-appearance," and bloom-form. Regards, JohnReb

From your description I thought at first Folklore but after seeing the pictures I think it's too deep an orange for that one. Lovely rose though. Bigger pictures would be a help.