The Norval rose was found in the garden of the former United Church Manse in Norval. Although obviously an old rose, identification was difficult taking several years. The Norval Rose flowers profusely once a year. The deep rose pink flowers are quite doble and inensely fragrant and each rose has a little green ‘eye’ in the centre. In about one sixth of the roses, the ‘eye’ in the centre develops into a cluster of perfect little rosebuds.
Eventually the rose was identified as Prolifera de Redoute, a rare rose of great age, sometimes referred to as the Steeple Rose. From its French name it is almost certain that the rose was once grown in the famous rose garden created by Napoleon’s wife, the Empress Josephine. Josephine collected all the then-known roses in the world at her country house “Malmaison” and commissioned the artist Pierre-Joseph Redoute in 1804 to paint portraits of her roses (and other flowers,) a task that continued until her death in 1814.
