The patent description of English Perfume states that the rose grows to 5.5 feet tall and 3.5 feet wide at maturity and that it produces large 5-inch blooms on long stems of 18-22 inches. I suppose this must be true of the grafted variety, but the rose has been available only on its own roots for many years now. I have two own-root English Perfume bushes and they're more like mini-flora roses: 2.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide, with blooms of 2-3 inches on short stems. I'd trade them for the grafted variety in a New York minute, but in the absence of that possibility, I'll never give them up. The elegant ruffled blooms override any drawback. The colors are exquisite -- a mauve center and outer petals of a pale silvery-lavender with mauve edges. The scent is also outstanding -- the damask fragrance of antique roses.

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