Rosa 'Chartreuse de Parme' - Hybrid Tea Rose

The Rosa 'Chartreuse de Parme' (Delviola) is a modern hybrid tea rose that has received numerous awards for the beauty of its large flowers and its truly remarkable fragrance. On a vigorous bush, large flowers of a pinkish-purple hue bloom, arranged in quarters like old-fashioned roses, flowers that emit a fragrance as powerful as it is captivating, revealing notes of citrus and mandarin. In the garden, it is a generous, romantic, and modern shrub to be planted solely for its fragrance!

'Chartreuse de Parme' or 'Delviola'  holds an impressive record that many envy: 10 medals, including 4 gold medals for its fragrance at Bagatelle, Madrid, Baden-Baden, and Geneva.

It is a modern bush rose with large clustered flowers created in 1996 by Delbard, belonging to the series of roses 'Souvenirs of Scented Love'. A bushy and upright shrub, it reaches about 90 cm (35in) in height and 70 cm (28in) in width at maturity, with rapid growth. It produces strong, thorny branches with dense foliage and large, thick, and toothed dark green leaflets. Throughout the summer and until October, if faded flowers are removed, the plant continuously produces medium-sized flowers, 10-12 cm (4-5in) in diameter, whose shape evolves as they bloom: initially turban-shaped and typical of hybrid tea roses, the flowers open in tight quarters surrounded by wider and fringed petals. Very double, they are composed of over 40 satin petals in shades ranging from deep pink-red in the centre to lilac-pink on the edges. A gently violet hue that does not fade in the sun. The flowers are clustered at the ends of long shoots from the current year or emerging from 2-year-old stems. The foliage of this variety, generally quite healthy, does show some sensitivity to black spot disease in humid climates.

As explained by Rosarian Delbard, the 'Souvenirs of Scented Love' roses are "Voluptuous, romantic, and fragrant, these roses have the unique charm of old-fashioned roses, memories of childhood and moments of rediscovered happiness!"

'Chartreuse de Parme' deserves to be planted more than any other in a small garden where space is limited, solely for its fragrance. Ideal for planting in borders or in groups of 3 plants, it will also stand out in a large pot on the terrace or balcony. It blends well with light perennials and annuals such as panicled baby's breath, bellflowers, panicled phlox, or tall foxgloves. It can be beautifully showcased in front of a boxwood or yew hedge, or, conversely, surrounded by a miniature hedge or a carefully arranged maze, as in Italian or French gardens. It is also, and above all, a nostalgic and enchanting rose with a rich, faded silk color, just like the Charles de Gaulle variety, a rose that is neither violet nor pink. For example, it can be paired with purple or pink flowers (Aster novi-belgii Winston S. Churchill, Hemerocallis Grappe velvet, Rosa The Prince, or Nuit de Chine). It can be placed near the house to also enjoy its superb fragrance, alone or combined with a touch of audacity with the Charles Darwin rose, which constantly oscillates between orange, yellow, and cream. Finally, its roses are stunning in bouquets, combined with lilies in summer or asters in autumn.