Rosa x wichuraiana Albéric Barbier - Climbing Rose

The 'Albéric Barbier' Rose is a climber as charming as it is robust, comfortable everywhere. This vigorous old rose produces flexible stems with beautiful dark green and shiny foliage, almost evergreen, where creamy-coloured roses ounge: very double, with a pleasant fragrance. Grouped in small clusters, its pretty yellow buds bloom for almost 5 weeks in late spring or early summer. Like most climbing roses, it ionly occasionally reflowers in autumn depending on the soil and climate, but this sturdy variety has the advantage of thriving even in poor, semi-shaded, or even shady soils in warm climates.

The 'Albéric Barbier' Rose, obtained in 1900 by René Barbier, is the result of a cross between the Wichura Rose (synonym Rosa luciae), a botanical species native to East Asia, and the hybrid tea rose 'Shirley Hibberd'. Awarded the Award of Garden Merit in England, it once made the fortune of its creator, who went as far as Ohio to find the strains of their vigorous Asian ancestor.

'Alberic Barbier' easily reaches a height of 5 to 6m (16 to 20ft) with a spread of about 3m (10ft). Its long, flexible stems are very thorny and covered with small dark green, shiny foliage, particularly ornamental, which remains on the plant quite late in the season. The flowers of this climber, mainly flowering in summer, form in May-June, more or less early depending on the region. They emerge on short shoots from the 2nd year, as Naples yellow buds. They open into very double, somewhat disordered roses, 6 to 7cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, gathered in small bouquets along the stems. Yellow buds and more or less pale yellow to ivory white ruffled flowers coexist on the plant. They are surrounded by a pleasant fragrance of medium intensity. Sometimes there is a slight reflowering in late summer, in cool soil. This very vigorous and drought-resistant rose can, however, be, depending on the growing conditions, susceptible to powdery mildew.

With 'Albéric Barbier', we enter the select circle of climbing roses that nothing discourages. Like 'Albertine', 'New Dawn', 'Felicia', 'American Pillar', or even 'May Queen', it is particularly interesting for bringing lushness and colour to difficult or somewhat shaded areas of the garden. Strong, undemanding, and frugal, it will be happy in the north as well as the south of our region, with some care at planting. Like other large climbers, it can easily hide an ugly construction or climb a sturdy tree. The Trio 'Alberic Barbier', 'Albertine', and 'Alchemist', intertwined with each other in a harmony of colours and fragrances, is a pure wonder in June.