Rosa moyesii Geranium

Rosa moyesii 'Geranium' is perhaps the best form of the moyesii roses, a somewhat ungainly Chinese botanical species that is often preferred due to its more compact habit and its beautiful autumn fruiting, with bright orange bottle-shaped fruits, larger than those of the species. In early summer, it produces pretty single roses of a very particular cherry red, illuminated by a few pale yellow stamens. This beautiful bush with light foliage in a bright green is easy to grow, original, undemanding and very hardy. It blends well in a rural hedge and can be trained as a small climber.

Rosa moyesii is a wild rose native to the mountains of western China, discovered in 1890 by a British missionary, Father J. Moyes, and introduced to Europe in 1894. The cultivar 'Geranium', on the other hand, appeared in the Wisley Botanical Garden in Great Britain in 1938. It is a large fast-growing bush with an upright but flexible habit, reaching a height of 2m (6ft 7in) to 2.50m (8ft 2in), slightly less in width. Its trunk, sometimes multiple, and its branches are thick, maturing to an ochre colour, armed with numerous straight prickles. The foliage, rarely diseased, is light and divided into 7 to 11 ovate leaflets, in a very bright green that enhances its red flowers. The flowering generally begins in June, lasts about 3 weeks and is not recurrent. The plant produces a multitude of single cup-shaped flowers, solitary or grouped in threes, measuring 5 to 6cm (2.4in) in width. Their colour is a very bright 'geranium' red, rarely seen in roses. They give way to curious fruits (called hips), shaped like small red-orange amphorae, 6cm (2.4in) long, much appreciated by birds and usually sterile.

If the passion for botanical roses is not widespread, it is fully justified, especially in poor soils or difficult climates: these roses are not only the ancestors of our modern roses, but also generally more robust and very reliable. Rosa moyesii 'Geranium' is a simple and charming rose, shiny but light, that catches the eye at least twice a year. It will find its place in a hedgerow or defensive hedge, as it forms a thorny mass that is difficult to cross. It is also beautiful when planted alone, freely in a wild garden. It can be paired with Cotinus for autumn colours, lilacs for their spring fragrance, mock oranges for the same reason, with buddleias taking over in summer, but also with viburnums that show a similarly accommodating character. Finally, it is a very hardy shrub, low-maintenance, frugal, and drought-resistant once well-established, making it a unique addition to a rose garden.