We have the family growing together - siblings Mr Lincoln, Oklahoma and Papa Meilland and the parents Charles Mallerin and Chryster Imperial.
They are all incredibly beautifully scented and it's so nice to be able to pick fragrant red roses for the times when only fragrant red roses will do.
In our conditions, with benign neglect and on fortuneana rootstock, all are very tall, except for Chrysler Imperial which has a more compact habit.
Each has a slightly different 'usual' bloom colour and shape.
Of the siblings, Oklahoma is the darkest and the bloom form is slightly globular.
Mr Lincoln is the lightest deep red of the three and the classic buds open to a cup shaped bloom. It makes the tallest and most robust bush in our conditions.
Papa Meilland is a very dark red, often with the blackish velvet sheen. The bloom form is the most classic - high-centred, opening in spiral form. It produces blooms on very long stems and the bush gets very tall by the end of the season if you don't keep bringing it down. The plant is strong but tends to be a bit sparse.
Of the parents, Charles Mallerin has ridiculously long stems. The plant looks thin and stretched and there's not much to ours. Mr Lincoln is very tall, but tends to make quite a lot of growth, so it is a much more robust and substantial-looking bush by comparison. Charles Mallerin is a very dark red but lacks some of the life and lustre of its beautiful children. It also doesn't repeat as often as all the others.
Chrysler Imperial is a really lovely rose - a slightly lighter red, but more petals, so the most voluptuous of the five - it has a bloom of exquisite shape and fragrance and the bush is more compact. It is Noelene Drage's favourite red florists' rose.
I love them all in the garden and if you could bottle the pleasure they have given to ourselves and others over the years....but Papa Meilland is my favourite as a cut flower and Chrysler Imperial is in a class of its own too.