Blanc Double de Corbert is large Rugosa rose that has been around since 1892. This rose has pure white large double flowers with a very lovely fragrance. And, this year I had the pleasure of watching these blooms stand firm even in torrential downpours! The picture below was taken after one of the many “downpours”!
Like all rugosas, this rose is tough, hardy, fragrant and naturally disease resistant. And, a good repeat bloomer for me.
Roseraie de l’Hay is a rugosa rose introduced in 1901 and was named for the French rose garden of the same name.
Technically rugosa roses are species roses native to eastern Asia, but to me they are a bit of heaven on earth.
I have several of these beauties in my Zone 5b garden. When these roses are blooming our entire garden is filled with their beautiful fragrance. If someone new visits our garden during this time, the first question is always, What is that?
In addition to beauty and fragrance, the upside to rugosa roses–they are tough, trouble free and need very little maintenance. But, you need some room because these beauties grow to be around 6′ X 5′ in my garden. An extra bonus … rugosas produce large red-orange rose hips that are very high in Vitamin C and I am told make great jelly. We just let the birds enjoy them.
Roseraie de l’Hay is a good repeat bloomer for me, but nothing compares to that first bloom of early summer.
I wanted to share with you my morning in the garden photographing Roseraie. So far I have taken about 30 stills and 3 videos (see one below). I love this rose!
As you go through the garden gate the large magenta rose you see is Roseraie De L’ Hay. This beautiful Rugosa rose is so fragrant it will perfume our entire garden. This year it was damaged by the 2 or 3 nights of 24 degrees and I have literally picked 60 – 70 dead buds. Can you imagine how many blooms we would have w/o that nasty frost. Oh well, today I am celebrating all the blooms that were spared. Luckily this is a Rugosa that repeats fairly well and in the fall produces the most amazing rose hips, so I have an entire season to enjoy. This is truly one of my all thyme favorite roses.
If you are interested in purchasing a Rugosa you might check out Heirloom Roses or Roses of Yesterday. They are tall bushes that like to spread out, so give them lots of room!
Many years ago I fell completely in love with the charm, fragrance and rich history of old roses. Even though I grow many modern roses, my heart strings are attached to the ones that have been around for a very long time and that give us an explosion of bloom in the late spring, filling our gardens with the wonderful fragrance by which all other roses are compared.
Four of my favorites… (pictures are below)
Madam Isaac Pereire is a lovely Bourbon rose. Bourbons were the roses of Victoria England. The blooms are exquisite with a wonderful old rose fragrance. And, on occasion, you are rewarded with a few repeat blooms.
Madam Hardy is a Damask rose dating back to 1832 and has a beautiful white bloom with a green dot in the center. Damask roses are known for their rich perfume. Madam Hardy is named for the wife of the head gardener in Empress Josephine’s (first wife of Napoleon) Malmaison garden. Empress Josephine was a zealous rose collector. (She had to keep busy while the hubs was out fighting the wars.)
Rosa Mundi is a Gallica rose–the oldest of the garden roses having been grown by the Greeks and Romans. Not only is Rosa Mundi unique in that she is the first striped rose, she has a past. Legends tell us that she was named for Henry II’s mistress, Fair Rosamund, and was placed on her grave after his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had her poisoned. Tsk Tsk. Regardless, she is a very unusual rose and very charming.
Bourbon Queen is a Bourbon rose from France that dates back to 1834 and has been charming me since I bought her in 1990 at the Newburgh General Store in Newburgh, Indiana. She is highly scented and stunning to see.
On a practical note, these historical beauties are hardy even in poor conditions and they require very little care. If you would like to try an old rose in your garden, they are easy to find online…
