The Charlatan was painted by the Venetian artist, Pietro Longhi, in 1757. The suspicious tones of the painting call forth the image of an old-time medicine show purveyor who has long since left town by the time the people who bought his "snake oil” realize that it does not perform as advertised. The same may be said of this deceptive rose, but in a good way. Here is a plant-phony whose medicine-wagon-pitch we are delighted to believe.

 

Breeder, Jacques Mouchotte from the house of Meilland in France long dreamt of creating the perfect single, five-petalled rose. As with Higo camellias, as much of the simple beauty of this flower comes from the stamens as from the petals. With a display of bright golden stamens on red filaments, against a backdrop of the softest pink, ‘The Charlatan’ is a declaration of floral splendor.

 

Because of its novelty and sturdy performance, the rose has won numerous awards across Europe. However, there is a bit of chicanery in its nature that needs to be pointed out. In most of the country, ‘The Charlatan’ is a fairly compact landscape shrub, but in warmer climates it becomes a very nice small climber. Either way, it’s truly a unique rose and will reward its grower with continuous blooms throughout the season. 'The Charlatan' is available in the US as starter plants from EuroDesert Roses. Use this discount code at checkout on their site to receive a 15% discount when ordering from EuroDesert Roses: GLEUROSES