Rosa 'Paul's Lemon Pillar' - Climbing Tea Rose

The Climbing Rose 'Paul's Lemon Pillar' is distinguished by its vigour and large, perfectly shaped roses, typical of hybrid tea roses. They bloom abundantly, only once, in summer, in a cloud of fragrance. An ivory colour with hints of lemon around a green-tinted heart accompanies their waxy texture. This old rose is easy to grow in all regions, as it withstands cold, heat, and shade and thrives in poor soils.

The rose 'Paul's Lemon Pillar' was obtained in 1915 by the English rose breeder William Paul, responsible for remarkable climbing varieties that have remained famous, like 'Paul's Himalayan Musk' or 'Mermaid'. Strictly speaking, 'Paul's Lemon Pillar' is not an old rose since its creation after 1867, but it is classified as such. This hybrid is part of the complex family of Rosa x Tea, the roses with large flowers. It can easily and rapidly reach a height of 4.5m (15ft) with a spread of 3m (10ft). Its long, thick, and vigorous stems are covered with thorns and have a broad foliage that is rather dark and matte green. Flowering occurs on new shoots that appear on 1-year-old branches. At blooming, this rose presents petals arranged in a turban shape, perfectly formed. Then the corolla blossoms into a rosette measuring 10cm (4in) in diameter, a stunning colour, a creamy white to ivory, slightly touched with very light lemon yellow and green at heart. The fragrance of the flowers is medium to strong, characteristic of tea roses. Flowering mainly occurs in June-July, sometimes slightly re-blooming on older plants at the end of summer. The flowers maintain their elegant shape and colour, even in rainy weather. The disease resistance of this variety is quite good.

'Paul's Lemon Pillar' is particularly interesting for bringing a touch of lushness and fragrance to shaded areas of the garden. Sturdy, undemanding, and frugal, it will thrive in all areas with some care during planting. Its significant growth allows it to cover an unsightly wall in just a few years. It will also adorn a gate, a fence, a large trellis, or even a pergola. It can be paired with a large-flowered clematis or a perpetual rose like 'Mme Caroline Testout' or 'Gloire de Dijon', which will take over its sumptuous flowering at the end of summer.