Rosa Queen Elizabeth - Hybrid Tea Rose

Rose 'Queen Elizabeth' is a timeless classic. It owes its popularity to the elegance of its large roses, with a perfect shape and a very pure light pink colour. It has been planted in gardens since its creation in 1954, not only because of its willingness to grow anywhere, but also because it blooms continuously from June to October. Despite criticism for its stiff habit, this vigorous bush offers long, sturdy stems that bear large and particularly long-lasting flowers, making it the quintessential rose!

Rose 'Queen Elizabeth', introduced in 1954 by Dr. Walter E. Lammerts (USA), belongs to the modern hybrid tea roses of the 'Grandiflora' group. Obtained by cross-breeding hybrid teas and floribundas, they are as floriferous as the latter and have the perfect beauty of the former. This variety was awarded an AARS in 1955 in the USA, the most prestigious award guaranteeing the quality of a rose after 2 years of testing in all climates.  More recently, in 2015, it received an Award of Excellence for Best Established Rose in the USA.

With vigorous growth, Queen Elizabeth has an upright habit, somewhat stiff, and sometimes irregular. Its sturdy branches bear large thorns and glossy medium green foliage, which can sometimes be susceptible to diseases.  At maturity, it reaches a height of 1m (3ft) to 1.2m (4ft) with a spread of 50cm (20in) to 60cm (24in). It is not uncommon for some of its stems to reach a height of 1.80m (6ft). This highly recurrent rose blooms from June to October. It continuously produces solitary or clustered roses of 3 or 4 at the end of long, straight stems. They are 10cm (4in) to 12cm (5in) wide, and composed of 26 to 40 well-organised petals. Their colour is a medium-intensity pure pink, which is very fresh. These flowers are unscented.

While it can sometimes be a bit difficult to integrate into a flower bed due to its unnatural habit, the Queen Elizabeth rose has the advantage of adapting to all regions and tolerating poor soil and difficult conditions. Throughout the entire growing season, it offers abundant blooms that can be used to create beautiful bouquets. In a classic and tasteful bouquet, their perfect shape can be lightened with forget-me-nots, catmints, foxgloves, bellflowers, and clouds of pink or white gypsophila.