Rosa Guirlande Fleurie® ‘Robguir’ - Climbing Rose

The Rosier Guirlande Fleurie® is a repeat-flowering rambling rose of impressive size, sought after for its abundant and prolonged bright red flowering, a quality uncommon among large roses of this type. In just a few years, its flexible branches adorn a pergola, a large trellis, a fence, or the framework of an old tree. It brings height, breadth and much brilliance to the garden for many months. It is an interesting variety for covering a large support with the grace typical of rambling roses.

This cultivar belongs to the Rosaceae family. Its botanical name is Rosa ‘Guirlande Fleurie’, and its code name ‘Robguir’. It is a French creation bred by Marcel Robichon and released since the late 1960s. It is classified among rambling roses or large repeat-flowering sarmentous roses. It combines the vigour of a large rose with the ability to rebloom well after the first flush in May-June. Its branches are formed of long, flexible, thorny stems, which need to be tied to their support. At maturity, around 10 years old, it reaches 5 to 8 m in height and 2 to 3 m in width, sometimes more in good soil and a mild climate. Its growth is rapid.
The flowers appear in fairly dense clusters on the lateral branches. They measure 7 to 9 cm in diameter. Their corolla is semi-double to double, their colour bright red to scarlet, standing out well against the foliage. They open from well-formed buds. First turbinate, they then become wider, quite full, of a very bright luminous red. This flowering begins in late spring or early summer depending on the climate, then repeats until October, even until the first frosts. The foliage is deciduous. The leaves are formed of dentate leaflets, bright green to dark green, glossy, somewhat leathery, and not very susceptible to diseases. The sarmentous stems, long and flexible, give the plant that garland-like appearance that inspired its name. As with many grafted roses, the root system establishes deep when the soil has been well loosened initially. This helps the plant better withstand dry periods, which will however affect flower production.

In the garden, this rose is used to cover a large vegetative or built structure. It is trained over a generously sized arch, a pergola, a large trellis, a sturdy wire mesh, or into the already formed branches of a small tree. Against a wall, spread the long shoots in a fan shape to encourage flowering across the whole height. Its colour, a very bright red, should be combined with dark or pastel tones. With the Clematis viticella ‘Etoile Violette’, the combination is rich and velvety. The Clematis ‘Purpurea Plena Elegans’ will also be a lovely companion, in the spirit of old-fashioned gardens. At their feet, you can plant Astrantia ‘Moulin Rouge’ and Nepeta ‘Cat’s Pajamas’.

Creation by Marcel Robichon, around 1960.

Marcel Robichon is a French rose grower based in Orléans then Pithiviers, in the Loiret. Active in the 20th century, he created around forty roses, including several varieties still grown today, such as ‘Mamita’, ‘Guirlande Fleurie’, ‘Intervilles’, ‘Étendard’, ‘Voie Lactée’, ‘Orientale’ and ‘Odette Joyeux’. He passed on his nursery and his taste for rose creation to André Ève, who succeeded him. A conservatory rose garden in the Loiret, at Yèvre-le-Châtel, today preserves the memory of his work.