Rosa Puccini - Hybrid Musk Rose

Rosa Puccini will delight plant enthusiasts and rose lovers. This modern hybrid of the musk rose is a small, low bush with a very natural appearance which blooms continuously throughout the summer. Its foliage is covered in large clusters of tiny single flowers, fresh pink with a light centre, which fade to a soft green and remain beautiful on the plant for a long time. Each flower is followed by a small hip. This pretty and healthy rose will accompany all the plants in the garden, in a country or romantic style. The flowers and fruits are perfect for bouquets.

While modern roses are often criticized for their stiffness and weak disease resistance, Louis Lens's creations take a different approach, promoting simplicity, generosity, and robustness. This variety, Puccini, created by L. Lens in 1984, is a hybrid of the musk rose (Rosa x moschata), a bush probably originating from Asia Minor or the Middle East. Similar to polyanthas and floribundas, roses in this family produce flowers gathered in clusters, but their colours are more refined and they have a more flexible and graceful habit. 'Puccini' forms a low, bushy, slightly spreading shrub with flexible branches. It will reach a height of about 80 cm (32in) and a width at least the same. Its very dense foliage is composed of fairly light green, slightly glossy leaflets. This is deciduous foliage that falls in autumn. From June to October, large rounded clusters of flowers open in successive waves. Each small bud opens into a 2 cm (1in) diameter single, light pink flower, more or less white in the centre. The heart of the flower is widely open to bees and other pollinating insects. It has no fragrance. If the flowers are left on the plant from August onwards, many small hips will form and turn red in autumn. The hardiness of this rose is estimated at -15°C (5°F).

Charming and easy-to -grow Puccini, will fit well in many gardens. It is perfect in perennial borders and superb in a group of small bushes. This shrub combines well with pretty and easy-to-grow plants like perennial geraniums (Geranium Blue Cloud, Anne Folkard, Nimbus, Orion), bellflowers (lactiflora, rapunculoides), catmints, ground cover roses in harmonious colours... Left to grow freely, it will form a soft, flowery dome that will perfectly highlight the opulent flowering of old roses such as Charles de Mills, Jenny Duval, or William Lobb.

Awards: Gold Rose in Courtrai in 1985 - Grand Rose of the Century in Lyon in 1985 as well.