Rosa 'Mme Gregoire Staechelin' - Climbing Rose

The Climbing Rose 'Mme Gregoire Staechelin' is a remarkable Spanish creation dating back to 1927, rewarded in England by the RHS for its numerous qualities. This excellent hybrid tea is distinguished first by its vigour, then by the exuberance of its flowering in delicate, semi-double corollas in various shades of pink and with a light fragrance. Massive in late spring, it blooms several times until early summer. In autumn, the vegetation is adorned with abundant and decorative fruiting. Finally, this variety is one of the few that also blooms in slightly shaded areas of the garden. An easy-to-grow, generous rose that has rightly won the hearts of many gardeners.

The Climbing Rose 'Mme Gregoire Staechelin' is part of the complex family of hybrid teas, also known as large-flowered roses. It is a creation by Spanish rosarian Pedro Dot. It results from a cross between the 'Frau Karl Druschki' and 'Château de Clos-Vougeot' roses. It is a sarmentous rose with exceptional vigour. It develops thorny stems, reaching over 5m (16ft) (sometimes 7m (23ft)) in height and 3 to 6m (10 to 20ft) in width, depending on the growing conditions. Through regular pruning, it can be trained into a large bush of 2.40m (8ft) in height. Its deciduous, light green and shiny foliage is particularly healthy and perfectly enhances the colour of the flowers. Its flowering lasts 4 to 5 weeks in successive waves. It blooms on second-year shoots, first in May-June, abundantly, and then again until late July, no matter what. Its large roses, measuring 9-10cm (4in) wide, are composed of 9 to 16 undulated petals. Their colour is a light pink veined with deep pink, with the same deep pink on the reverse. In the centre, a beautiful bouquet of golden stamens attracts bees. Their fragrance is fresh and light. After pollination, numerous fruits in the shape of small pears, orange in colour, form and remain decorative throughout winter.

The rose 'Mme Gregoire Staechelin' should be included in all gardens of old roses, not only for all the virtues mentioned above but also because it can grow in sometimes challenging conditions and bloom even in the shade, without the support of treatments or fertilisers. Over the years, it will become a faithful and indispensable companion for structuring the landscape. Like other climbers, it is incomparable for adorning walls, fences, and garden sheds alongside vigorous clematis like 'Montana' or 'Prince Charles'. It is an ideal companion for dead trees that it will revive. Finally, it can be perfectly planted in a free hedge or used as a bush with appropriate pruning.