Rosa x moschata 'La Feuillerie' (VELgugrat)

The rose 'La Feuillerie' is a generous, low-maintenance bush that combines the charm of old-fashioned roses with the very recurrent flowering of hybrid musk roses. Its double roses, pale yellow turning white, bloom in large fragrant clusters on slightly arched stems. It is a variety that is not very demanding in terms of soil, as decorative in free form as when trained as a small climber. And its flowers are very beautiful in a vase.

The rose La Feuillerie 'VELgugrat' is a creation of Lens Roses dating back to 2011, awarded in Italy. It is derived, among others, from the musk rose (Rosa (x) moschata), a spontaneous hybrid probably originating from Asia Minor or the Middle East. A bit like polyanthas and floribundas, roses from this family produce flowers grouped in clusters, but their colors are more refined and they have a more flexible and graceful habit. 'La Feuillerie' shows rapid growth as well as a bushy and upright habit, with slightly trailing branches Eventually, this bush reaches an average height of 1.35 m (4ft) with a spread of 90 cm (35in). When trained as a climber and espaliered, it can reach up to 2 m (7ft) in height. Its thorny stems bear leaves divided into leaflets of a beautiful dark green, resistant to diseases. Flowering begins in June, and it continues until October if the soil does not dry out too much and if you take care to prune the faded flowers as they appear. The flowers form massive clusters composed of numerous cup-shaped, double flowers, 6 cm (2in) in diameter. Their color, fresh and soft, is a light yellow evolving towards cream white. The deciduous foliage is absent in winter. This variety's hardiness is estimated at around -15 °C (5°F).

This shrub rose 'La Feuillerie' is undemanding and generous. The bush thrives in any well-prepared soil, it does not require pruning apart from removing the oldest branches or dead wood in late winter. Plant it in a small flowering hedge or in a flower bed with other landscape roses, alongside other small flowering shrubs with staggered bloom times: small-sized lilacs (Syringa patula Miss Kim, Syringa meyeri Flowerfesta White), mock oranges, or even deutzias. Also consider pairing it with a clematis with blue flowers such as 'Prince Charles' or 'Saphyra Indigo'.

Awards:

- Monza, 2011, Gold Medal
- Monza, 2011, 1st prize Landscape roses