Rosa gallica officinalis Etoile Pourpre - Old Gallic Rose

The 'Etoile Pourpre' Rose is a beautiful creation by Louis Lens, resulting from the cross between the Gallica Officinalis Provin Rose and the 'Holland Star' Rose'. Its large, fully double flowers, fashioned in the old-fashioned way, are highly fragrant, and their colour is a rich purplish red with hints of pink. The plant is a vigorous bush with light green foliage. It is a modern variety with the charm of old roses and their non-repeat character. It will be superb in borders, groups, low hedges, and nostalgic bouquets.

The 'Etoile Pourpre' Rose is an original creation by Louis Lens dating back to 1998. The plant forms a bush with an upright but flexible habit in a few years, with thorny stems reaching a height of between 1.20 m (4ft) and 1.50 m (5ft) with a spread of about 1 m (3ft). Its foliage is divided into wide, finely toothed leaflets, light green, often marginated with purple. This deciduous foliage falls in autumn. The flowering occurs from June to July. The roses, 8 cm (3in) wide, are fully double and grouped in small clusters. Their purplish red colour at the opening fades somewhat as they unfold, displaying more pink tones with a touch of mauve. The fragrance of the flowers is moderate to strong, depending on the temperature and time of day. It evokes that of the Gallica Officinalis Rose.

If you have enough space, old or shrub roses are magnificent when planted in groups of three. They grow together to form a beautiful, abundant mass of flowers. The 'Etoile Pourpre' Rose can also be planted in a low hedge, even in partial shade. The purplish red of its flowers harmonizes perfectly with pink and creates interesting combinations with grey or purple foliage. To accompany it, choose, for example, the 'Gros Provins panache' old roses, 'Baronne Prevost', 'Powis Castle' artemisias, or a 'Black Light' Physocarpus. It creates beautiful borders in shades of pink and mauve, in the company of roses such as 'Jacques Cartier' or 'Salet'. In a vase, the flowers of the 'Etoile Pourpre' Rose are magnificent, with lilacs, peonies, and purple irises.