Old Blush China Rose
Rosa chinensis
'Old Blush', a centuries-old cultivar from China, was first introduced to America in the 1700's. It was one of the first of the re-blooming roses in America, and was consequently very popular in the early nineteenth century.
Margaret Bayard Smith’s account of Jefferson’s presidential apartment stated: “In the window recesses, were stands for the flowers and plants which it was his delight to attend and among his roses and geraniums was suspended the cage of his favorite mocking-bird.” Indoor roses at that time could have been varieties of the species Rosa chinensis, including Parson’s Pink or Old Blush China or Slater’s Crimson China which were in America by 1798. These are ancestors of all repeat-blooming modern garden roses.
In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.
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Heirloom Seeds and Plants from the Monticello collection
Plant history in your gardens with seeds and plants from Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
