Old roses have a special charm and a special place in people’s affection. Many country gardens have an old rose bush that has been there for generations, or it might be a cutting of an old bush that grew in a previous garden, one that came from a grandmother’s home place, perhaps. And some are just old roses growing in a ditch somewhere, flowering each summer and disappearing into anonymity again after flowering. Sometimes there is no longer any trace of the old house and garden that stood at that place, and the rose fends for itself.

Old roses

Varieties that are defined as old roses are generally those that were selected more than a century ago; in some cases several centuries. They are mostly native to warm countries including France, Persia, and China, and have been sent back to Europe by plant collectors, some known, others not. Arriving in Europe, these roses were often bred and selected by nurserymen, a process which continues. There are literally hundreds of old rose varieties, some still commonly grown, others now rare and others probably defunct.

One of the best known old roses is the cabbage rose, so-named because it has flat, cabbage-shaped flowers and it is renowned for its scent. It is very similar to the moss rose, which has mossy growths on the sepals behind the flowers and on the stems. Both of these were popular in cottage gardens, easily grown from cuttings and long-lasting in a hedgerow. ‘Old Blush,’ also known as ‘Parson’s Pink China,’ is one of the original china roses, from which many varieties have been bred. It has soft pink flowers, flowers all summer and pops up in gardens still. Rose ‘Mutabilis’ is another China rose and the flowers, single-form, fade from yellow to deep red. The China roses have a tea-like light scent.

Gallica roses

Gallica roses were bred from the species Rosa gallica, which was cultivated in France from the early Middle Ages. Rose gallica ‘Officinalis’ is still grown in gardens here for its rich pink flowers that make a great rush of colour. ‘Charles de Mills’ with dark red-purple flowers, is a very good Gallica type. Rosa ‘Mundi’ is stripped pink with lovely old-rose scent. ‘President de Seze’ is a magnificent loose sprawling bush with masses of pink flowers. ‘Konigin von Danemark’ has a beautiful pale pink quartered flowers. ‘Maiden’s Blush,’ with pale pink flowers, has been grown since the 15th century.

Varieties

Varieties bred with the Damask rose were popular because of their good scent and are thought to have arrived in Europe from Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) at the time of the Crusades. ‘Ispahan’ is one of these: clear pink, early to flower and with excellent scent. The Bourbon roses are a cross with China roses which are naturally repeat-flowering, although they have single flowers. ‘Lousie Odier’ is a fine example and a lovely rich pink rose. ‘Mme Plantier,’ thought to be relaxed, has white double flowers from pink buds and has wonderful perfume. These are just a few kinds that turn up in old gardens but there are lots of others.

Growing from cuttings

If you have some old roses that might be straggly, or you see some growing in a hedge somewhere, most are very easy to grow from cuttings at flowering time. Take a shoot with flowers open or just gone, about 15 to 25cm long. Cut the flowers and top away and trim about 5mm under a leaf at the base. Then trip the leaves off the bottom half of the cutting and insert it in a pot of half-sand and half-peat. Water and cover with a plastic bag and keep it in a bright but not too sunny place until new shoots and roots grow out of the pot base. Then pot on into a new pot and grow the new plant to planting out size in late autumn the following year.

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