Sweet sonata, Meilland 1994
Back in the nineties, when the old fashioned bloom shape wasn't yet really popular as today, the House of Meilland was already producing very good, healthy roses with old fashioned blooms and often a nice smell. This was even long before David Austin roses got popular. Pierre de Ronsard (Eden), Bonica (Meidomonac), Leonardo Da Vinci, Paul Ricard and Frederic Mistral are just a few power roses which Meilland gave us in the eighties and nineties.
Today Leonardo da Vinci and Bonica are a bit less popular due to lack of fragrance but we must never forget that they produce an abundance of good, weatherproof roses. I often criticized Leonardo da Vinci as being too artificial but the times I visited my aunty I always was jealous of her Leonardo da Vinci tree roses. Never ever without blooms and rain or heat, they looked pristine. I Ow an apology to Leonardo da Vinci, maybe not the most elegant rose but my God she's certainly one of the toughest ones.
Johan Strauss has different blooms, they are a blend of light pink and very double resulting in an old fashioned bloom shape. They are born in clusters of four or five. They have a pleasant citrus Tea fragrance. Foliage is incorruptible and glossy green. Height up to 150 cm 5 feet but in my experience the rose stays way smaller up to 100 cm or 3 feet. Perpetual blooming throughout summer and autumn. Rain tolerant although less than Leonardo da Vinci. An extremely pretty rose in the border with perennials. Zone 5b to 9b
It's a pity this rose is somewhat forgotten and she deserves a comeback. We need healthy roses which can cope with heat, drought and rain without using chemicals. Johan Strauss fits that Bill perfectly! Highly recommended
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