Bible Grove
'Bible Grove' (2008) Mercer seedling: ('Michael Vaden x Fudge Sundae') X (Court Magician x Tuscawilla Blackout')
Tetraploid 37 " tall, 5" flowers, Semi-evergreen, Midseason, 27 buds on 6-way branching. Black purple satin with white picotee and a red ring around a yellow-to-green throat. Small ruffles. Fertile both ways. Named for a town in northeastern Missouri, near the Iowa border. Hardy in zone 5. Tender in zone 4.
In hybridizing it transmits its blackness when used with intense red or dark purple mates. It can transmit its excellent scape even when used as a pollen parent. It will also negotiate its form and size when used as a pollen parent. I got its scape, and larger, wider flowers in a cross to a rose pink seedling from Pink Fanfare x Great White.
Photo below was taken by my friend, Bob Benbow in central Missouri.
