The Regency Rose Garden
I sat three-quarters of an hour in the flower-garden, while Fanny cut the roses; and very
pleasant it was, I assure you.
Mansfield Park
The Rose garden as we know it today is quite different to how a rose garden would have
appeared two hundred years ago. The modern hybrid shrub rose is the result of intensive
interbreeding of roses by Rosarians.
It was the discovery of new 'China' roses in the early nineteenth century that was the
catalyst to breeding our modern rose bush which can be identified by five main features -
its upright spare branches, bright coloured flowers, large blooms, shiny leaves and
perpetual flowering.
The regency era rose bush was indeed more of a bush some of them up to six feet tall and
shrubby in nature. Their flowering season, typical in all old roses, was a short summer
flowering when the entire bush would be covered in hundreds of blooms. In fact there is a
very ancient French suspicion that early flowering of roses denotes bad luck - It was
commonly believed up until 50 years ago. But no doubt along with the decline in popularity
of the old roses there was also a decline in the popularity of this suspicion!
The history of the rose itself is fascinating and if you are interested in pursuing this
further there is a short bibliography at the base of this page. I am going to skip straight
into the seventeenth century where there is a jump in the status of the rose. Around this
time its status switched focus from being a predominantly medicinal plant - listed in most
herbals, to being a predominantly decorative garden plant, and the object of breeding
experiments to find new types.
Sometime around the beginning of the eighteenth century a new type of rose had been found
as 'sport' (a branch or off-shoot of a parent plant) on a cabbage rose. It was called the
moss rose because of the mossy nature of the sepals (covering of the bud) and stalks. It
became so popular that in 1824 a contemporary writer notes that he got most of his Moss
Roses from England.
We know that the eighteenth century was the explosion of rose breeding because in 1724 we
hear that notable gardener, the Duchess of Beaufort, was only able to assemble sixteen
types of roses for her collection, by 1828 there were 2,500 varieties - these were old rose
varieties as this pre-dated the introduction of the China rose. By 1902 the rise in Hybrid
tea-roses had been so complete that a catalogue listing roses had only 36 old roses out of
the approximately 1,900 listed .
The empress Josephine had a great interest in rose growing and breeding and her gardens
were a haven for rosarians from 1803-1814 with many new types being breed there.
One mention should be made here of the British rose enthusiast the Duchess of Portland,
whose name graces a little remembered rose type, the "Portland" rose.
This was one of the first fore-runners of the perpetual flowering rose. It found its way to
Britain in the late eighteenth century, probably from Italy. It was commonly known as Rosa
Paestana. In the early nineteenth century it crossed back to France where leading rosarian
du Pont successfully breed from it to create other roses of its type, and honoured the
duchess by calling the genus 'Portland Roses' in 1816. It was damask rose crossed possibly
with a crimson China.
The following this is a list of the main types of roses available in Britain in the Regency
era. Where possible I have given the date of introduction to Britain and a photo of the
type. For many Roses there is no date of introduction, or no photo. I have, therefore given
a short description of what the particular rose type looks like. I would just like to note
that while the seeds for the Bourbon Rose were discovered on Mauritius in 1817, they were
not available in Britain or Europe for some years, and Noisettes were developed after the
period of this article as well.
As I final note I would just like to add, that this is in no way a comprehensive list. It
is to describe what the types are like and show, where possible some examples. In some
cases I have just named particular roses and their dates of introduction. With over 2,000
old roses at this point I cannot possibly hope to name even 10% of them.
For those in England, or traveling there, there is a wonderful Georgian Garden in Bath - to
be found just off the Gravel Walk leading to Brook Street in Bath. A correspondent has told
me "it is very beautiful but small and may be of interest to fellow "historical gardeners."
Finally - for a good Web site on Garden History try The Garden History Society.
Another for those keen on early roses you could try the French organisation named Rosa Gallica - their aim is to promote
the study and rediscover' the old gallicas.
Alba
It is thought that this white rose was so prevalent in Britain when the Roman's arrived
that it was why they called the country 'Albion' after this white rose. Often it has pale
pink flowers. It has grey-green foliage, a sweet scent, but its bushy foliage make it a
hedge plant. The Jeanne d'arc (1818) is a good medium sized bush of double cream flowers
with good fragrance.
Alba, Semi Plena - known as the 'Rose of the Yorks'. A luxuriant shrub which can be grown
in the shade. It is very fragrant and grows to around 6 feet. It is used for making attar
of roses.
Maiden's Blush (Cuisse de Nymph)- fifteenth century - the name of this rose was changed to
'Maiden's Blush' in Victorian times as the 'Thigh of Nymph' was considered a little risque.
Queen of Denmark - first sold 1826, although the first seeds seen in 1816 and developed by
du Pont in France. It is the offspring of Maiden's Blush.
Banksiae
The Banksia roses come in three colours, white, yellow and pink. The white was introduced
to Britain in 1807, the yellow in 1825. They are vigorous climbers with virtually no thorns
and shiny green leaves typical of their Chinese origins. They have virtually no smell,
although some claim a faint scent of violets on them.
China
The last rose in summer, these were the basis for the perpetual hybrid roses of today.
Because of Chinese restrictions quantities of these bushes were very limited at first.
Old Blush - introduced to Britain around 1789. Dusty pink clusters with a silvery reverse
on the petals. It can grow as a bush of about 6 feet, or trained as a vigorous climber. It
has sported the mutabalis.
Mutabalis - early 1800's, this rose was painted by Redoute and has the same growth habits
as its parent 'Old Blush' but is a five petal single with the marvellous characteristic
that the flowers change in colour from yellow to pink over time.
Centofolia
This is also known as the cabbage rose, but is called centofolia for its hundred petals.
Most centofolia's have a loose arching habit. Usually pale pinks with drooping heads.
Provence rose - cultivated before 1600, long arching habit, pink flowers. Petite de
Hollande, is a small tidy bush of pale pink clusters of smallish blooms, 1800.
Centofolia - also known as 'The Old Cabbage Rose', to most herbalists it was 'The queen of
Roses'. It has a heavy fragrance, nodding blooms an arching growth of up to five feet. It
was known prior to 1600.
Damasks
Has some of the largest blooms of old roses, they are bright pink that tend towards mauve
as they age and are best known for the intensity of their fragrance amongst the damasks is
the 'Apothecary's' rose.
Marie Louise (1813)- a lax shrub or about 4 feet high, good to train over a wall.
Gallicas
These are extremely hardy vigorous roses, it is a red rose and can often be distinguished
by its green button eye. One of the most popular and oldest types of gallica is the
beautiful Rosa Mundi - or R. gallica Versicolour
Rosa Mundi - One of the oldest of the Gallica's, this multicolored rose can be found in the
Georgian Garden in Bath.
Charles de Mills - date unknown but a typical pattern of gallicas, the dark scarlet, short
petals green button eye. It has a slight fragrance and grows to around 4 feet but is a
rather sloppy shrub needing some support.
'Old Velvet Rose' is now better known as 'Tuscany' but is mentioned as far back as 1597 in
an apothecaries book (as Velvet Rose). It is 4 foot shrub very similar to the Gallica
Officianalis, or the original Gallica.
Moss Roses
The sport of Centofolia or cabbage roses, they tend to be very short, not growing more than
two feet. The original mutation is a type called 'old pink moss' . These bushes are highly
susceptible to rain damage. Old Pink Moss, circa 1700 is a warm pink rose and very
aromatic.
Shailers White Moss, 1788. I was unable to find a good picture of Old Pink Moss, but this
white moss as a sport from Old Pink Moss, so the form is the same although the colour
differs. It is also known as White Bath and or Clifton Rose. The flowers have a blush at
the centre on opening. It is a fragrant 4 foot shrub.
Portland
As said these lost popularity as the hybrid perpetuals were bred, but the first of the
perpetuals and used to help breed the first of the Hybrid perpetuals. A very exciting
finding by Rosarians of the time. The roses tend to be look like Damasks but have shorter
growth - around 4 foot height in shrubs. The stems of the roses are short so the leaves
form a rosette at the base of each bloom.
Rose du Roi - 1815, big round buds of rich royal crimson and double flowers mottled with
purple and highly scented.
Bibliography
Growing Old-Fashioned Roses in NZ, by Barbara Taylor, 1996
Roses for a French Garden: Roses of Old Akaroa, by Jessie Mould
The Charm of Old Roses, Nancy Steen, 1966
The Complete Rosarian, Norman Young, 1971
Roses, P J Redoute, reproduction, 1986
The Ultimate Rose Book, Peter McHoy, 1997
The Rose, Jack Harkness, 1979
Old Roses and English Roses, David Austin, 1992
The Old Shrub Roses of, Graham Thomas, 1955.
Regency Roses was written by Anne Woodley, hostess of The Regency
Collection. It is reprinted here by kind permission of The Ladies of
Reeneacting. A website providing historical and re-enacting information, along with
recipes, fashion tips and more!
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