La Reine

June 2000

La Reine
(syn. Reine des Francais, Rose de la Reine, The Autumnal Centifolia)

Breeder: Jean Laffay

Parentage: Unknown

Introduced: 1842

Class: Hybrid Perpetual

Color: Rose pink/lilac

Scent: Fragrant

Size: 3 to 5 feet tall x
4 feet wide

Zone: Hardy to
at least -0 F

    La Reine is one of the earliest hybrid perpetuals, and it is also the only rose of Laffay's breeding program still in commerce today. Hybrid perpetuals were the next step after Bourbons and Portlands in the progression of rose hybridizing. Unhappily, hybrid perpetuals all seem to have a tendency to suffer from powdery mildew, but that fault aside, La Reine promises to be an opulent rose for the garden.
      Large, high centered buds open into beautifully cupped blossoms. The roses are tinged with a lovely lilac color. The shrub is bushy, and flowering is reliable throughout the season. At first glance, this rose made me think of the large cabbage-like roses of Brother Cadfael, an Austin English rose.
      Unlike some other hybrid perpetuals, La Reine tends to be on the petite side, and makes a nice size plant.

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