Rosa x damascena - damask rose

The Damask rose, in Latin Rosa x damascena, is a very ancient bush rose, originating from many varieties, and still cultivated for perfumery because of the richness of its essential oil. It is upright but flexible, robust and healthy and adorned with pleasant, light greyish-green foliage. This rose has flowers in summer that exhale a powerful sweet scent in hot weather. Its semi-double flowers are usually light pink and bloom abundantly in summer. In the garden, this vigorous rose will integrate perfectly into an informal hedge.

This Damask rose a botanical species of unknown origin, perhaps brought from the Holy Land in 1254 by Robert de Brie during a crusade. Nowadays, this bush grows naturally in Syria, Morocco, Andalusia, and the Caucasus. Specialists believe that this hybrid has three main ancestors: the Gallic rose (Rosa gallica), Rosa phoenicia, or Rosa moschata, and Rosa fedtschenkoana. Among its descendants are the Bulgarian rose, 'Trigintipetala', Rosa x damascena 'Versicolor' (also known as 'York and Lancaster'), Ispahan (also known as Pompon des Princes), Madame Hardy and 'Celsinia'.

The Damask rose is a beautiful bush with fairly rapid growth and a rather upright habit reaching about 2m (7ft) high and 1.50m (5ft) in spread. Regular pruning will make it more bushy. Its branches bear strong thorns. The grey-green foliage is divided into leaflets and is remarkably healthy. This deciduous foliage falls in autumn. This rose blooms abundantly in June-July, with slightly loose clusters of medium-sized flowers reaching 6-7cm (2-3in) in diameter. Each one is composed of petals of translucent pink petals. At full bloom, the pen flower reveals a beautiful golden yellow stamen centre. The scent of Damask roses has been studied and reveals more than 400 constituents. It is strong and pleasant and persists in dried or faded flowers. The hips are almost oval and red. This vigorous variety needs space to reach its full potential.

Later passed over for perpetual hybrid varieties, botanical roses are still strong plants. It is shrubs like the Damask rose that have made the reputation of these plants. This rose is rarely available in commerce and will fit well in a rose lovers garden, a scented garden, and even in a flowering hedge. It contributes to summer-flowering shrub borders and flowering hedges, mixed with buddleias, white spiraeas, abelias, or lilacs. Its vigorous development needs careful planting, with a distance of 1 metre (3 feet) between each bush. If you have enough space, English, Old, or Shrub Roses are magnificent when planted in groups of three. They will grow together to form a single opulent bush that will bloom even more generously.