Large double flowers unfurl in a subtle gradient from white to pink, with all the charm of an heirloom rose, and they keep coming for months on end. One of the most-sold climbing roses on the planet, it needs only four or five hours of sunlight a day to flower well.
| Name | Eden Rose 85 |
|---|---|
| Family | climbing rose tree |
| Type | repeat-blooming rose |
| Height | 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 metres) |
| Breadth | 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 metres) |
| Exposure | full sun, part sun |
| Soil | rich |
| Blooming | mid-spring to late autumn |
Its bushy aspect and energetic vigor make it very resilient… this flower was truly graced with much good! The Ronsard rose tree was bred by Marie-Louise Meilland, the wife of famous rosarian Francis Meilland. This flower has gone through many adventures before reaching the envied status of becoming one of the most sold roses in the world.
You can set up your Pierre de Ronsard rose tree in the sun or in light shade for the hottest hours. But this rose tree needs at least 4 to 5 hours of sunlight a day to bloom well.
Plant this rose tree in a mix of garden earth and soil mix with, ideally, a layer of fertilizer lining the bottom of the hole.
As soon as it is in the ground, provide a lattice for it to climb along, and tie the branches often so that they don’t collapse.
The ideal planting season for the Pierre de Ronsard ® rose tree is fall and winter, provided it doesn’t freeze.
If you purchase your Pierre de Ronsard rose tree with bare roots, it is a good idea to apply root dip before planting.
When purchased in nursery pots, the planting window is extended, and goes from spring to fall. Nonetheless, avoid days of dry spells and drought.
The fragrance is quite light, actually feels insignificant when compared to the impressive blooming.
Note that it is a repeat-blooming rose tree, and so will bear flowers several times a year.
Lean in close to a newly opened bloom if you want to catch its scent at all, since ‘Pierre de Ronsard’ is only faintly fragrant and its perfume is easily missed.
Don’t site this rose beneath a bedroom window expecting perfume.
The Pierre de Ronsard rose tree is vigorous, and actually requires relatively little care when it is properly settled in. A few good practices will help you extend and even enhance blooming of these roses.
Cut out any suckers rising from below the graft union, taking them off at their point of origin.
The very double flowers hold rainwater and sometimes ball into soggy brown buds, so pick these off to stop grey mould spreading.
Water at the foot rather than over the leaves, and leave a hand’s width of bare soil between the mulch and the stems.
If you prune your rose tree on a regular basis (once a year), you’ll be giving it what it needs to have a better growth, a nice stature and better blooming from spring to fall.
Train the main canes of your Pierre de Ronsard as horizontally as possible along the lattice, since flowers form on the side shoots that rise from these bent stems.
Cut just above a bud that faces outwards.
Since this rose repeat-blooms, cut each faded flower back to the first strong leaf to bring on the next flush.
The Pierre de Ronsard climbing rose tree is a hybrid. It is a combination of 3 roses, the ‘Danse des Sylphes’, ‘Haendel’ and ‘Kalinka’.
Marie-Louise “Louisette” Meilland, born in the Paolino family, was also from a renowned lineage of Italian rose breeders, and their love for roses was one of the traits that united them. Manou, as friends and family would call her, continued breeding flowers after her husband’s early death in 1958. The Pierre de Ronsard rose was noticed by a visiting horticulturist, M. Horstmann from Germany, who foresaw the appeal of a modern rose that looked like heirloom roses of old. The Meilland team followed through, for the greatest joy of rose-lovers to this day.
It went on to have particularly noteworthy introduction: though the initial name of the flower was “Ingres”, the final name chosen for the rose was suggested by Christine Jossien, working for the City of Paris Parks and Greens department. Indeed, 1985, the year the rose was scheduled for release, was the 400th anniversary of the famous French poet Pierre de Ronsard.
In 2006, the rose tree earned the prestigious title of “Most beloved Rose in the World”, a title that awards recognition to the most beautiful roses in the world.
To this day, it is one of the most-sold rose trees on the planet.
The Pierre de Ronsard rose tree bears large double flowers that unfurl in a subtle gradient from white to pink. Its flowers mirror the characteristics of ancient heirloom roses.
Although the fragrance is rather discrete, the Pierre de Ronsard rose tree doubles down on an extremely dense and particularly long-lasting blooming since it extends from April to October-November.
Leafage is not also the poor parent, since its stark bright green marks a welcome contrast to its delicate flowers and colors.
Meilland, in breeding the Pierre de Ronsard rose, brought to life a particularly disease-resistant rose tree.
If however you notice spots on its leaves, intriguing yellowing or any other disease on your Pierre de Ronsard, refer to our rose tree diseases page.
Leave a hand’s width between the trellis and the wall so air can move freely through the canes and dry the leaves.
Rake up and bin fallen leaves at the foot instead of composting them.
The very double flowers can ball up and rot in prolonged rain, so snap off the mushy buds to protect those still opening.
Over the winter, neutral pH mulch like flax or hemp is recommended to keep it from freezing.
