Rosa moyesii Marguerite Hilling

The  Marguerite Hilling bush rose, just like the famous 'Nevada' from which it descends, has the charm of wild roses, as well as the floribundity of modern roses. The petals are fresh pink, slightly more mauve on the outside of the flower, and open to a beautiful heart bristling with golden stamens, somewhat like Japanese anemones. The flowering is continuous, but it is at the beginning and end of summer that it is truly generous; the bush, densely packed, gracefully bends under the weight of these pretty little roses gathered in dense clusters.

The Marguerite Hilling Rose, obtained by Hilling and commercialised since 1959, is a sport of pink flowers from the Nevada Rose. These two hybrids are officially presented as descendants of the hybridisation of a cultivated rose with Rosa moyesii. The latter is a botanical species native to the mountains of western China, discovered in 1890 by a British missionary, Father J. Moyes, and was introduced to Europe in 1894.

Marguerite Hilling's habit, a little less vigorous than that of 'Nevada', is naturally harmonious, dense, and well-proportioned. At maturity, it will reach about 1.25m (4 ft 1 in) in height and 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) in width. Its growth consists of long, slightly thorny, reddish branches that bend slightly under the weight of the flowers. To maintain this graceful habit for as long as possible, it is necessary to regularly remove dead wood. The deciduous foliage is composed of small, medium green leaflets, somewhat reminiscent of burnet roses. The flowering is very abundant in June (sometimes as early as May), in the form of clusters. Individual flowers continue to appear throughout the summer, followed by a beautiful second bloom in September. Each flower, almost single, with a flat cup shape, 5 to 8cm (2 to 3.1 in) wide, is composed of 7 to 9 petals of a fairly bright pink washed with mauve reflections, surrounding a lighter centre with golden stamens. They are slightly fragrant and do not produce hips.

Marguerite Hilling is a particularly endearing and wonderfully romantic rose. Just like Nevada, Astronomia, Canicule and many others, it has that rustic look and accommodating character that we love to find in botanical species. Elegant and natural at the same time, it deserves to be placed in isolation to be able to spread its branches laden with such light flowers comfortably and express its uniqueness. In flower beds, each gardener will give free rein by pairing it with beautiful perennial bushes such as gauras, lavenders, artemisias, or baptisia, or in front of large shrubs or botanical roses.