Henri Martin Moss Rose
When I was developing the gardens around my pond, naturally I planted roses. Some were quickly cut short by the excessive shade, but two Henri Martins by the pond just got on with the business of growing.
A lucky mistake!
Their purchase was a lucky mistake, since the rose nursery had labelled them incorrectly as Henry Hudsons. Back then I was in my rugosa rose phase, and Henry Hudson was an unmemorable white rugosa. What a surprise when my pond-side roes bloomed with strong magenta flowers! The leaves were not at all rugosa-like, and I could tell from their stems buds that they were moss roses. Henri and Henri! Welcome to my garden.
Henri Martin Moss Rose
Henri Martin is once flowering, and I'd rather think of him as once wonderfully-flowering. In my garden his flower colour is best described as magenta, but can appear purple-crimson in some lights, and when fading. The buds are covered lightly in moss (which can look like aphids of the gardener is not wearing her spectacles). The stems can flop over a bit.
This rose was introduced by Laffay in 1863, and named after the French historian Henri Martin, author of a famous history of France.