Rosa 'Charles de Gaulle' - Shrub Rose

The 'Charles de Gaulle' Rose is an unusual modern hybrid tea rose in its mauve-pink colour and rather extraordinary fragrance. This upright bush produces large, campanulate flowers with a colour that falls between pink and lilac mauve. With their vintage tone, these flowers are enveloped in an intense, penetrating, addictive scent of 'blue' rose, with original notes of lemon verbena. Adorned with ample, vibrant green foliage, this robust bush provides sublime flowers for bouquets. Despite its susceptibility to black spot, a charming and long-lasting rose should be planted solely for its fragrance and colour.

'Charles de Gaulle' or 'Meilanein' is a modern bush rose with large flowers, bred by Marie-Louise Meilland in 1974. This variety is derived from the 'Sissi' rose and gave rise to the Claude Brasseur rose. A magnificent fragrance runs through this lineage of gorgeous blue roses.

The 'Charles de Gaulle' rose forms a bushy and erect shrub, somewhat rigid, and reaches approximately 85 cm (34in) in height with a spread of 70 cm (28in) at maturity, with rapid growth. It produces strong, spiny, and well-branched branches that bear ample, vibrant green foliage. Throughout the summer, if one removes faded flowers, the plant continuously produces beautiful 10 cm (4in) diameter flowers with a deep turbinated cup shape that opens into a tightly packed centre. This is typical of hybrid tea roses. The flowers, composed of 35 to 40 petals, start pink and become more lilac to almost mauve at full bloom. They are solitary and borne at the end of long shoots from the current year or emerging from 2-year-old stems. The flowering, which repeats, is distinguished by a penetrating rose fragrance that is floral-sweet, herbaceous, and rustic.

This 'Charles de Gaulle' rose is perfect for any flower enthusiast's garden, whether they are a beginner or an experienced gardener. With its retro charm and beautiful fragrance, it deserves an equally graceful setting and a place not far from the house. Some light-flowering perennial plants (Autumn Asters, Foxgloves, Penstemons), grasses, lavenders, and nepetas are ideal for enhancing its beauty and accompanying it late in the season. For example, pair it with a red or garnet rose (Charles de Mills, Papa Meilland, Roseraie de l'Haÿ, Hansa); their colours and fragrances create a beautiful symphony. With a little daring, one can combine mauve with soft orange or yellow with a rose like Danaë. Simple and easy-to-grow perennials such as Geranium Rozanne, Geranium Pink Cloud, Nepeta Walker's Low, and campanulas will accompany it for most of the summer. It will also make a fine display when planted alone, for example, in groups of 3 and in a large pot on your terrace or balcony. Its flowers make gorgeous romantic bouquets in the company of pink peonies and white lilacs.