I only know of one lavender rose, the grandiflora rose, ‘Karl Lagerfeld’. In my rose hating days it really appealed to me because it was such an anti-rose in it’s dingy elegance. The fragrance too is as far from the classic “rose” scent as the color was from red. I don’t know if I’d like it as much if saw it today. I have moved on from dingy roses to yellow and orange roses. And now I even like red roses.
But there is another “lavender rose”, that is not a rose at all. The fragrance is austere, if non-existent. And it’s thriving in the shade. What I’m talking about is not a rose at all but a hosta : ‘Sum and Substance’. The petal-like bracts enclosing the flowers are a lavender-gray. The apex of the inflorescence appears like a rose bud, more stunning then the pallid lily-like flowers. I like twists and turns in the garden. When roses are lavender, and hostas are roses.
But not as much as I like mid-summer green. Deep, protective green, still sopping up spring. The frothy crest of a wave before it begins to fall into August. And crash in October.