Looking for a bright spot of sunshine in the garden? Look no further than the Mellow Yellow Rose!
While this rose requires extra protection in winter, you will be rewarded with lemon-yellow blooms. Mellow Yellow stems from many French roses, including that favorite stand-by, the Peace rose bred by the Meilland rose growers. They also bred other French roses found in Mellow Yellow's lineage, including Marcelle Gret and Baccara. A friend and collaborator of the Meilland family, Charles Mallerin, bred Mandalay rose (also sold as Helvétia), another French rose found in Mellow Yellow's family tree. Mandalay, not to be confused with one called The Mandalay rose, includes French roses within its own lineage such as Soeur Thérèse, General Jacquemont, and Souvenir de Claudius Pernet.
Sometimes, it is hard to see resemblances between new roses and the ones in their family trees. However, the resemblance is clear between Mellow Yellow and Souvenir de Claudius Pernet, even though it is a distant relation. Also a yellow rose, it was named by the rose breeder Joseph Pernet-Ducher in 1920, whose son was killed in World War I. Claudius was born on December 12, 1887 in Lyon, France and died in action on October 24, 1914. Interestingly, this rose contributed to the creation of the famous Peace rose, introduced in the final year of World War II in 1945. Sadly, Joseph Pernet-Ducher had another son who also died in action during World War I. A lovely pink rose was named for him: Souvenir de Georges Pernet. It is said that both sons were to take over the rose breeding business. Nonetheless, their father made sure their names were remembered, thanks to the lovely roses bearing their names. Both roses, along with Mellow Yellow, are still thriving in gardens today.