Rosa Parfum de Liberté

Rosa Parfum de Liberté is irresistible! It bears large double flowers with multiple undulated and cut petals in a soft orchid-pink that emit a powerful Damask Rose scent. They bloom regularly until October, on a bush with lush olive-toned foliage that is highly resistant to diseases. It is stunning in a flower bed, and is well-suited to small spaces. This variety has a slightly old-fashioned charm. It develops long, thornless stems, making the cut flowers ideal for creating sensational bouquets.

Rosa Parfum de Liberté 'Wekblunez' is a modern shrub rose with large flowers related to hybrid tea roses. It was registered in 2004 by American rose breeder Tom Carruth. This talented breeder is responsible for superb varieties such as Scentimental® and Hot Cocoa®. This excellent variety has won the American national competition (AARS). It is a bushy and upright shrub reaching approximately 90cm (35in) in height and 60cm (24in) in spread at maturity. It has a rapid growth rate when planted in rich and moist soil. It produces long, sturdy, and upright branches with few prickles. It bears particularly dense foliage, composed of large glossy leaflets, which are dark green tinged with olive-green. The foliage is resistant to diseases. This deciduous foliage falls in autumn. Throughout summer, its large beautifully turbinate flowers appear, composed of 50 slightly cut petals, measuring 12 to 14cm (5 to 6in) in diameter. They open majestically, like modern hybrid tea roses. Their colour is a soft and warm pink, paler on the inside of the petals and deeper on the reverse. They are solitary, carried at the end of long shoots from the current year or by those that emerge from 2-year-old stems. Their scent is pronounced, characteristic of Damask roses. The rose will flower continuously if faded blooms are regularly removed. The flowering extends from June until the first frosts.

With its large and charming roses and its wonderful scent, Rosa Parfum de Liberté is a perfect flower for romantic bouquets. In the garden, plant it in a bed of light flowers or in groups of 3 specimens as a focal point, surrounded by lamb's ears, perennial geraniums, and catmints, for example. Medium-sized, vigorous, and upright, it blends well in beds of shrubs with summer or autumn flowering, or mixed with perennials and light annuals such as Crambe cordifolia, paniculate phlox, or tall foxgloves. White roses such as Mémoire or Virgo will provide a dazzling contrast. It looks wonderful with mauve or purple roses: cultivars like Blue Girl or Claude Brasseur will enhance its beautiful flowering without overshadowing it. It can be enhanced by a screen of boxwood or yew, or surrounded by a miniature hedge or a carefully organised maze, as in Italian or French gardens. Above all, it is a sumptuous rose, which can be placed near the house to enjoy its flowers at leisure.

Carruth breeding from 2004.