In 2020 we have decided to try our hand at a selection of old garden roses. Old garden roses are generally held to be roses that existed before Guillot created La France hybrid Tea Rose in 1867. (For more information on the somewhat messy classification of roses see What is an old garden rose?)
Our friend and organically certified former Michelin starred chef Elizabeth Garrgue moved back to her native Vinnassan a few years back, taking over the family Domaine she created a beautiful rose garden. Yann from Les Roses Anciennes du Jardin de Talos, a specialist organic old garden rose producer, planted up her garden with 200 roses, they have thrived in the unique micro climate of La Clape.
This Winter we took a whole bunch of cuttings and have planted them up in Orgasyl, and fingers crossed will have over 500 hundred budding rose cuttings this Spring.
Although the original plants come from and organically certified supplier, and we have reproduce them using an organic medium, they are not at the moment certified organic because while Elizabeth is, as I said, organically certified and does not use chemicals in her garden, it is her kitchen that is certified, not her garden. So it is gong to take three years of growing at Montrouch before we can say that they are truly organic.
We will have, hopefully thirteen different varieties of old garden roses.
In no particular order.
La belle Portugaise
5-15 metres- a climbing rose
Resembles Lijiang Rose in it’s strength and durability. Likes heat and dry soils, so perfect for our climate. It has a huge covering of large light pink flowers. It flowers once a year, the flowers have a strong tea like perfume.
Crystal Fairy
80 – 150 cms high
Packed display of small double headed condinual white flowers all Summer. Lightly perfumed. Highly resistance to disease. A ground cover rose ideal for gardens and terraces.
Bloomfield Abundance
60-200cms
A small climbing rose. Highly resistant to disease. It sends out long intense bouquets of small light pink flowers. It flowers all season. Will grow as a stand alone plants or up a structure.
Casimir Mouile
2-4 metres
A large climbing rose, easily guided over a structure or along a wall. It has large bunches of small rose / raspberry coloured flowers once a year. Unlike other old garden roses it has no discernible perfume.
Crimson Showers
3-5 metres
A ‘crying’ rose who’s flowers hang down. It is a variety developed from the famous Excelsa rose. It’s flowers are a strong crimson with a hint of raspberry in their too. Heavily scented. It flowers once a year at the end of the season.
Eleonor Berkeley
100-200cms
A small climbing rose. Very generous pink flowers. It is a delicate rose with thin stems that needs protecting from the wind. Flowers once a year with a light perfume.
Castor
80cm-2 metres
A climber or stand alone rose. Very resistant to disease. It has a semi permanent flowering with white heart andpink tipped flowers, with bright yellow stamens. very perfumed.
Crystal Fairy
80-150 cms
Variety of the famous The Fairy Rose. A small ground cover rose that grows equally well in a pot on the terrace. Needs little attention and disease free. It has small white flowers all Summer, sometimes with a touch of pink in there somewhere.
Baronne Prevost
90-150 cms
A long living rose, and when I say long I mean long, over 100 years in some cases. Deep pink large flowers, very perfumed, flowers all Summer.
Fee des Neiges
60=150 cms
Better known as Iceberg, this variety prefers semi shade. An all season covering of pure white flowers.
Darlow Enigma
150- 300cms
A stand alone or climbing rose. Beautiful delicate white flowers with pronounced yellow stamen. It has a light perfume. Flowers all season.
We also have a couple of ground cover roses, one white and the other pink flowers similar in form to the Darlow Enigma rose above, just haven’t a clue what they are called.
If you are a rose fan and need a more extensive choice then I highly recommend Yann from the Les Roses Anciennes du Jardin de Talos who has a huge selection of organically certified roses.;