Rosa Sissi

Rosa Sissi, named after Empress Elisabeth of Austria, is a romantic and bohemian rose. It is a vigorous plant with large roses that waver between mauve, pale-pink, and silver-lilac. The petals capture a beautiful exotic fragrance, with notes of lily of the valley and lily. Carried by slender but long stems, they are sublime in bouquets. Despite a certain susceptibility to diseases, its foliage is superb. It is a highly desirable variety!

Rosa Sissi is a wonderful German creation by Mathias Tantau, introduced in 1964. In the same year, it won 3 major awards: the German ADR label (a guarantee of disease resistance), the Bagatelle certificate of merit, and the gold medal in Rome. This modern rose belongs to the Tea hybrids, and was one of the first in this category of mauve colours. The plant quickly forms a vigorous and upright bush, measuring about 90cm (35in) to 1m (3ft) in height with a spread of 70cm (28in). From May to June and late into the season,  waves of purple buds appear, blooming into fully open roses measuring 10 to 12cm (4 to 5in) in diameter. They are turbinate in shape, with 35 beautifully imbricated petals. They are carried in small clusters at the end of long shoots from the current year or by those that emerge from 2-year-old stems. The repeat-flowering is characterised by a pronounced and unusual fragrance. Its dense foliage is composed of large dark green leaflets with a glossy finish. Although quite susceptible to black spot diseases, this variety is capable of faithfully blooming for many years. 

Every gardener, whether novice or expert, will love Rosa Sissi. With its rare colour and fragrance, it deserves an equally graceful setting close to the house. Light-flowering perennial plants (autumn asters, foxgloves, penstemons), grasses, lavenders, and nepetas, are all ideal for enhancing its beauty and accompanying it late in the season. For example, pair it with a red or garnet rose (Charles de Mills, Papa Meilland, Roseraie de l'Haÿ, Hansa): their colours will enhance Sissi's pale flowers. You can also try the combination of mauve with soft orange or yellow, with a rose like Danaë, for example. It will also look good as a standalone plant, for example in groups of 3, as well as in a large pot on a patio or balcony. Its flowers make very beautiful romantic bouquets, accompanied by pink peonies and white lilacs.

Obtained by Tantau in 1964.