Felicia

Where to plant. Wide shrub plantings, along low fences, as a single shrub in a lawn; it looks lovely in partial shade (an unusual quality for roses), so it suits yards between tall trees; works well as a 'soft wall' 2×3 m.

Climate. To −23 °C — in Ukraine with winter protection in central and northern regions; in the south no cover is needed.

Care. It needs almost nothing — Hybrid Musks Pemberton have grown in gardens for 100 years with little intervention. Sanitary pruning and light shaping in spring are enough; do not prune hard (it will lose its 'bouquet' shape).

Name. 'Felicia' — from Latin felix ('happy, lucky'); an allusion to the Roman goddess Felicitas (goddess of happiness and good luck). NOT a Greek heroine — this is a common mistake. The Reverend Pemberton named his Hybrid Musks after heroines of literature and classical mythology — a family of 'maiden' names: Felicia, Cornelia, Penelope, Daphne, Pax, Vanity, Thisbe.

Breeding. Bred by the Reverend Joseph Hardwick Pemberton in Havering-atte-Bower (UK) before 1926; commercial introduction 1928. Parentage: 'Trier' (Hybrid Multiflora, Lambert 1904) × 'Ophelia' (Hybrid Tea, Paul 1912). Triploid (3n).

Significance. Pemberton was an amateur clergyman who created the new class of 'Hybrid Musks' in the early XX century: flexible, fragrant, repeat-flowering and tolerant of partial shade. Felicia is one of the 4 classic Hybrid Musks Pemberton still in commerce after 100+ years (alongside Cornelia, Penelope and 'Buff Beauty'). RHS Award of Garden Merit (1993) — confirmation of outstanding garden quality. After Pemberton's death (1926) his pupil Ann Bentall carried on the work; she had a hand in 'Ballerina' (1937) and 'Buff Beauty' (1939), which were the last representatives of the classic Hybrid Musks.