I think it is, at any rate.

This is Fantan, which I bought from Vintage Gardens after waiting for years on the waiting list. It has been very slow to grow. In fact, this is the first bloom and I've had it for 3 years. About a year after I bought it, I received a letter from a rosarian requesting a cutting for a memorial garden. She said that everyone else's Fantan had died, even the mother plant at Vintage Gardens. Mine wasn't big enough (and still isn't) to produce viable cuttings, so I had to refuse her request, but it's still alive and has finally bloomed. Hooray!

It's a beauty! Kind of a dusky peachy pink tan, nice!

wow, that's totally awesome! And a gorgeous rose, to boot! Congrats on the blossom!

Neat! That bloom is a beauty, like delicately shaded porcelain.

It is like porcelain, Jill. You're right. Very delicate-looking, but it's not a fragile bloom at all. For one thing, it's not upside-down from the rain, like so many of the other roses in my garden are today. Barring any unfortunate developments, it should be fully open tomorrow or the next day. It has 55 petals, so that should be exciting.

Fantan, fantastic.

I agree, it does look like Porcelain ... absolutely gorgeous bloom! Wow, 55 petals?? I hope you'll post another photo here when it's fully open, my goodness I bet it's going to be even more beautiful!

The petals don't look fragile; they look like they have good substance... that's one of the reasons I thought "porcelain" rather than "tissue paper" LOL. One of my favorite roses in my MIL's garden was always 'Sweet Surrender', but its petals really are fairly delicate...

I hope you'll share another photo when more of those 55 petals are showing!

I'm hoping to take another photo tomorrow, but it's raining again. If it continues, the rose might refuse to open all the way or get waterlogged and shatter. Then I'll have to wait for the next flush. I hope it won't take three years again.

The color is absolutely gorgeous! I hope that this first bloom is typical of all those to follow.

I posted the photo of Fantan on HMF and earned this comment from Kim Rupert:

"You have done the impossible...you have kept Fantan alive and actually coaxed a near perfect flower from it. I imported this from LeGrice in the early 80s and spread it around to preserve it. This is actually a worse plant than Grey Pearl, more difficult to make happy or even keep alive. Congratulations! This is a magnificient flower of this variety. Thank you!"

After I thanked him for his comment, he added this:

"It CAN be encouraged to be almost an acceptable plant, but it takes "green witchery" to do it. You've succeeded. Congratulations!"

I guess I'd better put a cage on top of it tomorrow, because if the cats sit on it, all of my "green witchery" will have been wasted.

Congratulations! Roses know who loves them.

Nice!! :) Too bad that rose requires green witchery.. definitely outta my league!!