Rosa De Resht - Damask Rose

Rosa 'De Resht'  used to be found in many flower gardens, growing on its own without any maintenance in a somewhat neglected area of the garden where one would go to pick its budding branches to compose generous bouquets. It is an old abundant, fearless, and charming rose that forms a wide and bushy bush with dark foliage where small bouquets of small, tightly packed roses nestle, ranging from a light red colour to fuchsia pink, and then turning magenta pink. This fragrant flowering is abundant in spring, and again at the end of summer if the plant is well nourished and watered. It is truly easy to care for, hardy, disease-free, and even easy to fit into a small garden. A variety accessible to all gardeners, even beginners.

Rosa 'De Resht' is a very old hybrid variety, whose origin is lost in ancient Persia, from where it was brought back to England in 1840 by Miss Nancy Lindsay. It belongs to the complex family of Damask roses. Rosa 'De Resht' forms a robust bush with a slightly spreading compact habit and luxuriant foliage, which will not exceed 1 to 1.2 metres (3 feet 4 inches to 3 feet 11 inches) in height and 1.2 metres (3 feet 11 inches) in width. Its deciduous foliage, with a leathery appearance, is carried by strong stems, armed with robust curved prickles accompanied by stiff hairs. The leaves are divided into 5 leaflets (rarely 7), dark green in colour, with an excellent disease resistance. It blooms abundantly in mid-June, and again in September-October, if faded flowers are removed. It produces small clusters of tightly packed rose pompoms, 5 to 6cm (2 to 2.4in) wide, with very short peduncles, so that they just emerge from the foliage. The scent of these roses is powerful, wonderful, enchanting, typical of the Damask rose from which a highly prized essential oil is extracted. Note that Rosa 'De Resht' is particularly hardy.

With Rosa 'De Resht', which is quite easy to propagate, you can create a nearly maintenance-free rose hedge at a low cost, yet very beautiful. With its moderate growth and easy cultivation, it is easy to establish in all gardens, even smaller ones. If you have limited space and little experience in the matter, opt for this generous and undemanding rose. In flower beds, its roses go well with all kinds of perennials and bushes without any fuss, such as catmints, cotton lavenders, Stachys byzantina, white foxgloves, or paniculate baby's breath. It will also thrive when planted alone, along a path or not far from the terrace, to enjoy its fragrance until late in the season if autumn is mild.

If you have enough space, English, Old, or Shrub Roses are beautiful planted in groups of three. They will grow together to form a lovely mass that will flower even more generously.