Rosa x Hulthemia persica Orienta Laila

The 'Orienta Laila' Rose is a surprising modern hybrid that descends from the Persian rose, named Hulthemia persica. It has inherited from its ancestor lost in the deserts of Central Asia a very contrasting heart that still fascinates rose breeders. 'Laila' produces single roses, light in appearance, light pink with a dark pink throat, tightly packed in clusters. Delicately scented wild rose flowers that bloom profusely on a robust bush, highly disease-resistant. This pretty plant, with a long flowering period, intensively visited by pollinators, always has a great impact in the garden, but also in pots. 

The Rosa x persica 'Orienta Laila', introduced by German rose breeder Tantau in 2020, won the Gold Medal in Baden-Baden in 2022. It descends from a wild rose discovered in 1784 by botanist André Michaux in the Zagros Mountains, spanning Iran and Iraq. The unique bicolour flowers it offers have since prompted breeders to attempt hybridisation with other species and cosmopolitan varieties better suited to our climates. After years of research and selection, highly promising new hybrid cultivars were developed, first in England and then in Germany.

'Orienta Laila', classified in the floribunda rose category, is a spiny bush with an upright and bushy habit that reaches about 1.20 m (4ft) in height and 60 cm (24in) in width. It has a long and abundant flowering period, from June to October. Its branches bear beautiful foliage in dark green, slightly glossy, dentate, remarkably healthy.  The single flowers, formed by 5 petals arranged in cups, measure 5 cm (2in) in diameter. They have a deep pink heart on a background of varying shades of pink depending on the stage of flowering. Their fragrance is pleasant, light, and delicate. 

Wild and precious, the 'Orienta Laila' Rose is a special rose that will blend well in a natural-style flowerbed, planted in groups of 3 to 5 plants, or alongside other roses with a natural appearance (Astronomia, Bee's Paradise Pink, Rosanatura Rosea). This unusual variety deserves a prime location. It can also be grown in a large pot on the terrace. It is also hardy enough to withstand our normal winters, making it suitable for adoption everywhere. With its moderate growth, it will adapt to smaller spaces in city gardens. Along the edge of a flowerbed, for example, it can be paired with pink foxgloves or white ones, lavender, or pretty grasses like Muhlenbergia capillaris. This rose is also beautiful in front of a mass of tall asters (Aster laevis, Aster turbinellus), or surrounded by pink yarrows and basket of gold.