Rosa x moschata 'Rosalita' - Shrub Rose

The 'Rosalita' rose is a radiant, remarkably floriferous shrub that combines the robustness of wild roses with the very recurrent and scented flowering of hybrid moschata roses. Its small white flowers with yellow hearts have a unique charm and appear in large clusters, gracefully bending the branches. The plant is beautiful even without flowers, with its flexible habit and abundant glossy dark green foliage. A nearly maintenance-free variety, rewarding and easy to grow in any soil, even in partial shade.

The Rosalita 'LENtrihel' rose is a creation of L. Lens dating back to 1997. It is derived, among other things, from the musk rose (Rosa x moschata), a spontaneous hybrid probably originating from Asia Minor or the Middle East. Like polyanthas and floribundas, roses in this family produce flowers gathered in clusters, but their colours are more refined and have a more flexible and graceful habit. 'Rosalita' shows rapid growth and a bushy, spreading, fan-shaped habit. Ultimately, this shrub reaches about 1.50 m (5ft) in height with a spread of 1 m (3ft). Its flexible and thorny stems bear leaves divided into large rounded leaflets of a beautiful glossy dark green, sometimes tinged with brown. The young shoots are brown. The flowering begins in May until October if the soil does not dry out too much and the faded flowers are removed regularly. It forms large clusters with numerous pointed flower buds of a soft yellow. Each bud opens into a 5 cm (2in) diameter corolla. Their colour changes from light yellow to cream white and chamois around a yellow centre occupied by a large bouquet of stamens. They exhale a sweet, musky fragrance and are visited by bees and other pollinators. The hardiness of this variety is estimated at -15 °C (5°F). Its deciduous foliage is absent in winter.

The 'Rosalita' shrub rose is a beautiful, undemanding and generous shrub. It thrives in well-prepared soil and does not require pruning apart from removing the oldest branches or dead wood in late winter. Its joyful flowering and wild rose-like appearance suit English or natural-style gardens. Plant it in a small flowering hedge or a bed with other landscape roses, with perennials such as thistles, blue perennial geraniums, and baptisias. You can also associate it with other small flowering shrubs with staggered bloom times: modest-sized lilacs (Syringa meyeri Flowerfesta White), mock oranges, or Japanese quinces. Also, consider pairing it with a viticella clematis in blue, mauve, or white.