Rose Cardinal de Richelieu

There are not that many outstanding purple roses in the world, but ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’ is a quite unique old rose. It is a hybrid with Gallica and China origins and with flowers of an extraordinary dark lilac violet velvety petals that, with age, become of a darker violet colour with graphite shades. It blooms with small clusters of small, pompon, cup-shaped, fragrant and full flowers. This wonderful rose blooms only once per season, in early summer, but the flowering lasts for 4 - 5 weeks during which you will be enjoing its marvelous flowers and luxurious foliage.

Description.

From the spherical lilac-pink buds gathered in small clusters, appear a very full (41+ petals) medium sized (5–6 cm) slightly globular rosette flowers, which, when fully open, become more flat and have a silver button in the center. Their velvety petals curl and curl outward slightly. The flowers when just opened are velvety dark red, gradually becoming rich purplish, deep violet with a white center and with lighter tones or a pink shade on the reverse of the petals and white streaks near the base. The color generally is dark, velvety purple violet, the darkest violet with graphite shades. The flowers are moderately fragrant, very full and tightly packed with curled petals of different shades which range from delicate raspberry color to violet with grey glints. They have a moderately strong, somewhat rough, fruity fragrance.

‘Cardinal de Richelieu’ is a once-flowering rose. The flowers are solitary or gathered in small clusters, and large sized, globular, red - orange fruits (rose hips) appear in autumn.

The shrub is compact, 90–185 cm tall, 90–120 cm wide, and upright. It is very frost-hardy, down to −31.7 °C. The shoots are strong, slender, curved, with very few bristles and prickles. It can grow on its own roots and produce sucklers.

The foliage is abundant, medium–dark green, 5 - 7-foliolate with rounded, oval leaflets with coarse serrations. Young leaves are light green, folded downward, with the underside and petioles marbled in a dark red hue.

It blooms once. Blooming period: in early summer. Pruning is carried out after the blooming period. The variety loves regular care; for a good bloom the following year, it needs to be thinned and pruned after blooming. The rose can be used as a climber, allowing it to trail along a support. It is excellent in a border with silvery perennials, such as wormwood and salvia. The flowers are suitable for cutting. This rose can be grown in beds, in hedges, in containers.

It requires pruning, thinning, and generous feeding to ensure it reaches its full potential. It is disease–resistant. Very frost–hardy, USDA Zone from 4b to 8b.

A unique variety among Gallica roses with its bright and unusual coloration! Striking, fragrant flowers with velvety lilac or violet petals, gathered in clusters, are very full with a quartered rosette form and a green button eye in the center. The flowers open from lilac - pink buds, becoming lilac, and eventually, over time, they acquire a deep, rich violet colouration. The center is almost white, as the bases of the petals have white streaks, creating a beautiful contrast when the flower is fully open. The petals curl inward, revealing a light underside. The flowers are very full (40–51 petals or more), medium sized, at up to 6 cm in diameter; as they open, they reflexively bend their petals, almost forming a sphere. The fragrance is moderate.

It is one of the most profusely blooming and one of the darkest Gallica roses. A large shrub with abundant dark–green foliage and strong shoots. It blooms once. It is one of the most violet roses. The saturated violet flowers have a paler center and beautiful green buttons. When the flower buds color, it seems as if they will bloom in pink hues, but as soon as the double flowers open, the most beautiful shades appear, ranging from wine–red, dark violet to grey–violet. The flowers have the fragrance of Old roses and pepper. The plant is compact, grows vigorously, and has few thorns. It is very attractive in the background in a border, as a hedge, and as a cut rose.

The rose is named in honor of Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal de Richelieu, 1st Duke of Richelieu, a politician and cardinal of France.

He was born on 9 September 1585 in Paris, France. His father died when he was only five years old, leaving the family in an unstable financial situation from which they eventually recovered, but this affected Armand so much that throughout his life he was obsessed with the fear of poverty. Also known as the Red Eminence (French: l'Éminence Rouge), the cardinal served as minister to Louis XIII from 1624 to 1642. He died in Paris on 4 December 1642.

Cardinal de Richelieu holds a prominent place in Alexandre Dumas’s "The Three Musketeers". This rose has the same character, like Cardinal Richelieu in whose honor it is named, it has a rich, unusual purplish–violet color and symbolizes strength. At the time when this rose was bred, such color was reserved for cardinals and bishops: a purple dye used to color fabrics intended for the most influential people. This color became a symbol of the sovereign's dignity.

Triploid rose hybrid.

Some sources attribute this rose to Van Sian from Holland, who passed it on to Laffay for introduction in France.

However, Francois Joyaux in his book "La Rose de France" claims that the breeder was actually Louis Parmentier from Belgium, and it is a generally accepted version of the origin.

USDA 4 and warmer