About the name
Name. The variety is named after a woman called Irène Watts, but no specific biographical record is documented in open sources (RHS, HMF, Trevor White and Peter Beales give no information). A possible link with the Watts suffragist family of the late nineteenth century, but unconfirmed. This is typical of many varieties of the period: breeders named roses after wives, daughters and friends without public record.
Breeding. Bred by Pierre Guillot (son of the famous Jean-Baptiste Guillot) in Lyon, France, 1896. One of the last varieties of Pierre Guillot before his death in 1897. Parentage: seedling of 'Madame Laurette Messimy' (China rose, Guillot 1887, pink). No official breeder code. The Guillot house is one of the most famous in France; it was later revived as Roses Guillot with Dominique Massad and the SIRPHE® team (already in our catalogue: Émilien Guillot, Chantal Mérieux, Grand-Duc Jean, wait, that is Lens!).
Significance. A collectors' rarity with a historical mystery. Irène Watts provokes disputes among old-rose collectors, since the 'true' Guillot 1896 may be lost, and in modern commerce 'Pink Gruss an Aachen' (Spek 1929) or 'Odee Pink' (of unknown origin) is often sold under this name. HMF lists the variety as 'Irène Watts — in commerce as', meaning there are doubts about the authenticity of commercial material. This is a typical problem for old varieties of the nineteenth century: more than 100 years in circulation means accumulated varietal confusion. In our catalogue it is an example of the 'China branch' of old roses, alongside Hansa (Rugosa 1905) and Felicia (Hybrid Musk 1928).