Xela's Garden

About this plant

Genus: Rosa.

Species: Rosa gallica.

Planted '55 - 76 Shenstone
Bought by previous owners

Common Name: (?) Apothecary's rose

Skill Level: Beginner

Exposure: Full sun

Hardiness: Hardy

Soil type: Well-drained/light, Clay/heavy, Moist

Habit: shrub

Height: 80cm
Spread: 100cm

Also known as R. gallica maxima, the Old Red Damask and the Red Rose of Lancaster, this is the parent of many floribundas and hybrid teas grown today. It is a showy shrub of ancient pedigree, before 1300, still grown for its historical associations as well as its own intrinsic beauty. It is the perfect variety for a herb garden, especially as a low hedge, because it has been used in the past for making rose-water and medicinal preparations. It tolerates some shade and low fertility happily, and responds to routine sprays of fungicide. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).