Rosa Sandrine Quétier

Rosa Sandrine Quétier pays a beautiful tribute to the sparkling television presenter. Its large double flowers with undulating petals in a pastel pink colour are not only charming, but also have a strong scent of roses and fruit. They bloom regularly until October on an easy-to-care-for bush with foliage that is resistant to diseases. Stunning in a flower bed and well-suited for small spaces, this variety with a slightly old-fashioned charm is also sensational as a cut flower.

Rosa Sandrine Quétier 'Tranablue' is a modern shrub rose with large flowers related to hybrid tea roses. It was registered in France in 2018 by the rose breeder Christophe Travers. It is a bushy and upright shrub reaching approximately 90cm (35in) in height and 60cm (24in) in spread at maturity. It has a rapid growth rate when planted in rich and moist soil. It produces long, sturdy, and upright branches with few prickles, which bear healthy foliage composed of large shiny leaflets in dark green. This deciduous foliage falls in autumn. Throughout summer, it bears large, beautifully turbinate flowers with slightly serrated petals, measuring 12cm (5in) in diameter. They are similar in appearance to modern hybrid tea roses. Their colour is a tender pink, paler on the periphery of the flower and deeper at the centre. They are solitary, borne at the end of long shoots from the current year or by those that emerge from 2-year-old stems. Their rose scent is pronounced, enriched with fruity notes. The repeat-flowering lasts from June until the first frost. The rose will flower continuously if faded blooms are regularly removed.

With its charming large flowers and wonderful fragrance, Rosa Sandrine Quétier is a perfect flower for romantic bouquets. In the garden, plant it in a bed of light flowers or in groups of 3 as a focal point, surrounded by silver basket, perennial geraniums, and catmints, for example. It blends well in flower beds with summer or autumn flowering shrubs, or mixed with light perennials and annuals such as Crambe cordifolia, paniculate phlox, or tall foxgloves. It can be accompanied by white roses, such as Mémoire or Virgo. Its looks wonderful with mauve or purple roses: cultivars like Blue Girl or Claude Brasseur will enhance its beautiful flowering without overshadowing it. It can be enhanced by a screen of boxwood or yew, or surrounded by a miniature hedge or a carefully organised maze, as in Italian or French gardens. Above all, it is a sumptuous rose that can be placed near the house to enjoy its flowers at leisure.

Obtained by Christophe Travers in 2018.