Rosa x floribunda Clair Matin - Climbing Rose

The 'Clair Matin' Rose is a beautiful achievement by the rosarian Meilland, an excellent variety with clustered flowers dating back to 1960 that has not lost any charm. A beautiful, exuberant, and flexible bush, it can be guided on support and will cover it in a few years as its growth is rapid. Its beautiful semi-double dog roses, initially a fairly bright salmon pink, quickly fade, losing the orange blush that masks a slightly cooler pale pink background. Their discreet fragrance is compensated by the earliness and generosity of this plant, which always offers a few flowers in summer before delivering superb autumn flowering. 'Clair Matin' should not lack food, water or sunlight to reach its full potential.

The climbing rose 'Clair Matin' or 'Meimont', also known as Climbing Clair Matin, belongs to the floribunda group and flowers in clusters on the current year's shoots. It is a French creation rewarded with the Gold Medal at Bagatelle in 1960, the same year of its introduction, and is still highly appreciated for its floribundance and vigour. It is a sarmentous rose with a flexible habit and strong, very thorny stems, reaching a height of 1.80m (6ft) and a width of 1.20m (4ft), and up to 3m (10ft) in height if trained on a support. The remarkably abundant flowering has two peaks. It starts in May, depending on the climate, and again in October. Some bouquets of flowers are produced more sporadically during the hottest months. Long pointed salmon pink buds, surrounded by green bracts, open into semi-double cups, 5-6 cm (2in) wide, formed by 15 petals arranged informally around a beautiful heart of yellow stamens. The deciduous foliage is tough, dark green glossy, and quite healthy, although it can be susceptible to blackspot when the summer is hot and humid.

'Clair Matin' enters a garden one day, like spring arrives, in an explosion of freshness. Truly charming and generous, it forms a simple and highly ornamental bush at the back of a flowerbed. It is easy to train on a pole, a small arbour, a slightly shaded wall or a column. Like other large roses, such as Iceberg or Palais Royal, with which it blends well, it is incomparable for giving a touch of abandonment planted above overly strict flowerbeds. It is an ideal companion for an old fruit tree, a small pillar, and the cabins to which it gives great charm. Trained on an arch, it will be an interesting structural element in an "English-style" garden. As it is easy to maintain a bushy habit, it can also be planted in a mixed hedge, accompanied by botanical roses (R.complicata, R. Hansa, R. moyesii), viburnums, mock oranges, hibiscus or lilacs.