Rosa Reine Victoria - Bourbon Rose

The 'Reine Victoria' Rose, more simply named 'Queen Victoria', as a reminiscence of the Victorian era, will delight lovers of "shabby chic" decor and owners of small gardens who adore old roses. With a graceful and upright habit, it easily fits next to a terrace where one can admire its bouquets of adorable pearly roses in the shape of cabbages, all round when they first appear, capturing petals in a shade of old rose lined with rose-silver. The flowers, with an exceptional rose fragrance, bloom throughout the entire season.

Rosa 'Reine Victoria' is an old shrub variety with an unknown lineage, introduced to the market in 1872 by French rose breeder Joseph Scwartz. It is derived from the 'Bourbon' rose, a hybrid discovered on the island of the same name, now called Reunion Island. With a graceful stature, it forms an upright bush with an open habit without being stiff, reaching over 1m (3ft 4in) in height and 1m (3ft 4in) in width. Its deciduous foliage is light green and moderately disease-resistant, especially in humid climates where it is prone to black spot disease. It generally flowers abundantly in June, then again in successive waves until the first frost. The autumn rebloom often produces even better-formed flowers, but in smaller quantities. It produces very double roses, in very round cups, about 6cm (2.4in) wide, formed by more than 40 wide and rounded petals, which open in a hemisphere shape. They are grouped in small bouquets of 3 to 6, on 1-year-old or older branches. Their exquisite rose fragrance varies in intensity depending on the ambient temperature.

A sunny and well-ventilated location in a not too humid climate and good garden soil will allow the beautiful pointed leaves of this rose to remain healthy. The use of the 'Reine Victoria' rose is versatile, from romantic bouquets to landscaped hedges, cultivation in a large container, to being a standalone specimen on a lawn. Its pearly roses pair well with the silvery foliage of Santolinias, Stachys lanata, white foxgloves, and paniculate baby's breath. It will also thrive in a tall flowerbed, alongside variegated dogwoods, serviceberries, snowball viburnums, or sweetspires, which will highlight its flowering. It also deserves, for its wonderful fragrance, to be planted in scented gardens.

If you have enough space, English, old, or shrub roses are magnificent when planted in groups of three. They will grow together to form a single opulent bush that will flower even more generously.