PlantFiles: Old Garden Rose
Rosa gallica var. officinalis 'Apothecary's Rose'

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Family: Rosaceae (ro-ZAY-see-ee) (Info)
Genus: Rosa (RO-zuh) (Info)
Species: gallica var. officinalis
Cultivar: Apothecary's Rose
Additional cultivar information: (aka Officinalis, Old Red Damask, Red Provence, Red Rose of Lancaster)
Registered or introduced: before 1240

Synonym:Rosa gallica var. duplex
Synonym:Rosa gallica var. maxima

» View all varieties of Roses

One vendor has this plant for sale.

6 members have or want this plant for trade.

Class:
Gallica

Height:
36-48 in. (90-120 cm)
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)

Spacing:
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)
USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F)
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)

Bloom Color:
Deep pink (dp)

Bloom Shape:
Semi-double
Cupped

Flower Fragrance:
Very Fragrant

Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Mid Summer

Habit:
Bush

Patent Information:
Non-patented

Other Details:
Shade-tolerant

Pruning Instructions:
Blooms on old wood; prune after flowering

Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)

Propagation Methods:
From softwood cuttings
From semi-hardwood cuttings
From hardwood cuttings
By grafting
By budding

Click thumbnail
to view:
By Kathleen

Thumbnail #1 of Rosa gallica var. officinalis by Kathleen

By poppysue

By Cactus_Joe

By chicochi3

By val0822

Profile:

2 positives
1 neutral
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

Rating	Author	Comment
Positive	val0822	On May 16, 2009, val0822 from Media, PA wrote: Have had this growing for several years. I planted it for the historical aspect. Beautiful flowers but the bloom period is kind of short and then it looks a little weedy. Very tough and fairly well behaved.
Positive	sassy55	On Dec 23, 2002, sassy55 wrote: The Apothecary Rose is highly fragrant, and easy to grow. It is a bushy, upright plant, about 4'x3'. It is said to be hardy to Zone 3, but not north of there. The bush is shade tolerant, but watch out for mildew. History tells us that this rose came to Europe in the 1600's. The petals from the Apothecary Rose are used in potpourri.
Neutral	Kathleen	On Feb 21, 2001, Kathleen from Panama, NY (Zone 5a) wrote: This rose was used by apothecaries as an ingredient in medicines and beauty mixtures. It has blunt buds, 3 inch blossoms of a deep rose with 15 petals and bright yellow stamens. It grows upright to 2 feet.