Rosa Matchball - Hybrid Musk

The Matchball Rose will delight fans of the excellent Ballerina Rose. This creation from Lens Roses possesses the same qualities of robustness and floribundance with an even simpler flowering, a pearly white barely tinged with pink. Its small, wild roses bloom in large pyramidal clusters from early summer to autumn and are followed by small hips. It is naturally disease-resistant and requires no treatment. Its flowering feeds bees and its fruits are sought after by birds. It is a rather ubassuming but charming rose that enhances all the other roses. It is very versatile and not demanding in terms of exposure, valuable for illuminating slightly shaded areas of the garden.

Rosa Matchball is a creation by L. Lens dating back to 1990. It is derived from the musk rose (Rosa x moschata) among others, a spontaneous hybrid probably originating from Asia Minor or the Middle East. Like polyanthas and floribundas, roses in this family produce flowers gathered in clusters, but their colours are more refined and they have a more supple and graceful habit. Matchball has been awarded several times in international competitions. This upright and bushy shrud  bush shows fast and vigorous growth. Ultimately it will reach an average height of 1.15 m (4ft) with a spread of 80 cm (32in). Its flexible and thorny stems bear fairly dark green, disease-resistant, slightly glossy leaves divided into leaflets. The generous flowering begins in June and continues throughout the summer until October, if the soil does not dry out too much. It takes the form of large pyramidal clusters composed of numerous small single, washed-out pale pink flowers measuring 4 cm (2in) in diameter. The centre of the corollas is occupied by golden stamens and open to bees and other pollinators. This Matchball variety produces decorative small hips at the end of the season. The hardiness of this rose is estimated at -15°C (5°F).

This Matchball shrub rose is undemanding, reliable, and easy to grow. It will thrive in any well-prepared soil and needs no pruning except for the removal of dead wood. Unlike many roses, its beauty is not ostentatious. Its lightness and wild rose appearance go well with all the plants in the garden. Plant it in a small flowering hedge or in a bed with other shrub roses, perennials such as peonies, irises, and tall phlox, or other small flowering shrubs with staggered blooming periods: modest-sized lilacs (Syringa microphylla superba), mock oranges, or even Japanese quinces. Also consider planting it with a herbaceous clematis.