Rosa Jardins de Bagatelle

The Jardins de Bagatelle Rose is a creation by Meilland that lives up to the wonderful Parisian park to which it is dedicated. Its large roses are absolutely perfect, both in terms of their shape and their ivory hue, and they are adorned with a superb, rich, and complex fragrance. It is also a vigorous and healthy plant that blooms in successive waves from early summer to autumn. This bush offers dream roses, worthy of being featured in your most beautiful bouquets.

Jardins de Bagatelle® ('Meimafris') is a modern shrub rose related to hybrid tea roses, launched in 1986 by the Meilland house. Its numerous qualities have been recognized in international competitions, particularly its fragrance: Rose d'Or in Geneva in 1984, Perfume Cup in Paris Bagatelle in 1984, Most Fragrant Rose in Madrid in 1985, Rose d'Or and Grand Medal of the SNHF in Poitiers in 1986, and finally Gold Medal in Genoa in 1987. This vigorous bush with a rather upright habit reaches about 1m (3ft) in height and 50-60cm (20-24in) in width when mature, and its growth is rapid. It produces strong, thorny branches that bear abundant, semi-matte, dark green foliage, resistant to the main rose diseases under good growing conditions. This rose blooms in successive waves from June to October, if faded flowers are removed and the soil does not dry out too much in July-August. Its magnificently turbinate flowers, with a diameter of 12cm (5in), are composed of 65 slightly rolled petals. Their colour is a warm ivory white with a creamy centre, with the edges of the petals sometimes showing a pink shadow in cool weather. They exude an exceptional, sweet, and persistent fragrance, composed of floral notes of May Rose, fruity notes of lemon and apricot, nuanced with spices. These roses are solitary, borne at the end of long shoots from the current year or on 2-year-old stems.

This Jardins de Bagatelle rose will be planted for its flowers of rare perfection. It finds its place in a rose bed and is elegant when planted in groups of 3 in a small garden. To accompany it, consider light perennials and annuals such as the Cloud Cabbage, white paniculate phlox, or even tall foxgloves. Its almost white large roses can be paired with many colours in the garden. Pink roses will accompany it, for example 'Line Renaud' or 'Charlotte Rampling'. It also looks lovely with mauve roses ('Blue Girl', 'Charles de Gaulle', 'Claude Brasseur'...). It can be enhanced by a boxwood or yew screen, or, conversely, surrounded by a miniature hedge or a skillfully organized maze, as in Italian or French gardens. It is also, above all, a sumptuous cut flower with a superb fragrance.