Rosa damascena Mme Hardy - Damask Rose

The 'Mme Hardy' Old Rose releases a magnificent fragrance of Damask rose with lemony notes. Its flowers are small, irregular in size, pure white, but with an exquisite shape, giving the overall appearance a pleasantly disordered charm that also adds to the charm of this variety. They are produced abundantly in early summer on a vigorous bush with lush, light green foliage. Its flowering is enchanting, both in terms of fragrance and visual appeal, in a white garden. It requires deep and fertile soil to bring out its best.

The 'Mme Hardy' Rose, sometimes called Rosa centifolia 'Alba', is an old horticultural variety, obtained in 1832 by the rose grower Julien-Alexandre Hardy (1787-1876). It is derived, among others, from Rosa x damascena, the Damask Rose, which itself is believed to be a hybrid of Rosa gallica and R. phoenicia or R. moshata, with the contribution of Rosa fedtschenkoana Regel. Hybrid Damask roses are distinguished by the sweet fragrance of their flowers, their prickly stems, and their adaptation to warm climates.

'Mme Hardy' forms a robust bush with an upright habit and very dense foliage, reaching at least 1.50m in height and 1.20m (3 to 4ft) in width. Its beautiful deciduous foliage, with 5 leaflets, is carried on sturdy, moderately spiny stems. Its colour is a bright and vivid green, and it has good disease resistance. It can sometimes become brown when exposed to intense sunlight after being wet by rain, without any consequences for its health. It flowers in June-July, for 5 to 6 weeks under the right conditions. White buds open into large, flat flowers measuring 5 to 10cm (3.9in), with less than 40 petals. They open in the shape of cups, then the outer petals curl while the centre petals remain incurved. After flowering, a small green centre can be seen at the heart of the pure white corolla. They are solitary or grouped in small bouquets and their fragrance is both sweet, with hints of honey, and strongly imbued with rustic notes.

The 'Mme Hardy' Rose is one of the most beautiful white roses of early summer, essential in a white garden and in a bridal bouquet. This sturdy, romantic, and fragrant bush will find its place in a country hedge or a white garden, alongside other fragrant shrubs such as mock oranges or white lilacs, in a harmonious colour scheme. In a flowerbed, its roses blend well with all kinds of perennials and shrubs in an informal manner, such as Abelias, dogwoods, barberries, catmints, cotton lavenders, Stachys lanata, white foxgloves, or paniculate Gypsophila. It will also thrive in the company of old perpetual roses ('Jacques Cartier', 'Félicité Parmentier', 'Deuil de Paul Fontaine') or as a solitary specimen, planted along a pathway or not far from the terrace, to enjoy its fragrance.

If you have enough space, English, Old or Shrub Roses are magnificent when planted in groups of three. They will grow together to form 'one' opulent bush that will flower even more generously.