Rose Président de Sèze

'Président de Sèze' is one of the most characterful surviving Gallica roses of the great French flowering of rose breeding in the early nineteenth century: a compact to medium-sized, once-flowering shrub whose large, very full blossoms combine crimson, magenta, violet, lilac and silvery-pale tones in unusually complex gradations. The flowers are richly fragrant and often show their deepest color toward the center while the outer petals pale toward lilac-white, giving an effect at once sumptuous and slightly smoky. Its comparatively sturdy habit, matte Gallica foliage and concentrated midsummer display make it particularly valuable in old-rose collections, mixed shrub borders, informal hedges and historically informed gardens. It is a rose to grow for the extraordinary transformation of its flowers: few modern cultivars reproduce quite the same interplay of cherry-crimson, purple-violet, mauve and fading silver-lilac.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

'Président de Sèze' belongs to the Gallica group of Old Garden Roses, historically also associated with the French roses de Provins. Modern conservation and historical-rose literature generally connect the cultivar with Mme Hébert and the year 1828, while the RHS and a number of commercial references give approximately 1836 or “before 1836”; this chronological discrepancy is best retained rather than artificially resolved.

Within the Gallicas it is distinguished less by unprecedented flower size than by the quality of its color pattern. The bloom has a comparatively dark centre variously perceived as crimson-purple, cherry-red, magenta or purple-violet, surrounded by progressively paler petals whose margins and reverses may approach lilac-white. As the flowers age they acquire mauve, smoky, grey-lilac or silver-grey tones. Gallica flower color typically varies with weather and growing site, which explain the broad variation of the tonality and the concentration of the cherry, magenta, purple, violet and silver-grey palette changes with exposure, soil and climate. Such environmental responsiveness is part of the cultivar’s ornamental identity.

The rose therefore rewards close viewing as much as distant effect. Just opened flowers may have almost theatrical contrast between the intense center and pale petal margins; several days later, the same bloom may appear quieter and more antique, with violet-grey and lilac tones replacing the first crimson. For collectors this variability is also taxonomically important, because 'Président de Sèze' has long been confused with 'Jenny Duval'; modern curatorial work at Sangerhausen and the RHS treats them as distinguishable roses rather than unquestioned synonyms.

Its continued relevance in modern gardens lies in the combination of historical authenticity and practical landscape value. It forms a self-supporting flowering shrub whose single annual display can be integrated with hardy geraniums, campanulas, nepeta, perennial salvias, peonies and other early-summer plants. This rose is highly recommended for cottage and informal gardens, city or courtyard situations, borders and beds, as well as for cutting. It requires much less formative pruning and, once established, develops the rounded, substantial presence expected of an old Gallica.

FLOWERING

'Président de Sèze' is fundamentally a once flowering rose. Its main display is concentrated in early to midsummer - June into July in much of temperate Europe, with exact timing moving according to local climate. What it lacks in repetition it compensates for in concentration. Mature canes can carry several flowers together, creating a comparatively rich mass of colour, and such clustered floral presentation as one of the characters separating it from 'Jenny Duval', whose flowers are more commonly solitary or in groups of two or three. The flush can be spectacular on an established shrub because numerous very full flowers reach different stages simultaneously: dark-centered new blooms, lilac-pink flowers at maturity and silvered mauve flowers approaching senescence.

Flower bud:

The buds are rather plump and strongly colored, broadly ovoid to somewhat ellipsoid in shape, narrowing toward an acute, pointed apex. Before opening, the exposed corolla is deep carmine-pink to magenta-crimson; in the early stages the petals in the bud are already visible between the separating sepals, showing that the bud has entered the early opening stage.

The sepals are conspicuous and comparatively long, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, gradually tapered into slender, sharply acuminate tips. They initially converge around the bud but begin to spread apart as the corolla enlarges. Their outer surfaces and especially their margins appear densely pubescent, with numerous fine hairs and bristle-like or glandular hairs giving the calyx a distinctly rough, softly fringed appearance. At least 3 of 2 sepals possess narrow lateral foliaceous extensions or irregularly divided margins, producing the somewhat feathered or pinnate appearance characteristic of the elaborate calyx found in many old Gallica roses. The sepals extend approximately to, or slightly beyond, the tip of the unopened corolla.

The receptacle beneath the sepals is green, moderately swollen and ovoid to short pear-shaped, broadest immediately below the calyx and tapering gradually into the flower stalk. Its surface is finely pubescent to glandular-pubescent, with short erect hairs continuing onto the base of the sepals. No conspicuous ribs or angular projections are visible on this rose.

The peduncle is long, slender, erect and medium green, considerably longer than the bud itself and only slightly widening toward the receptacle. Its surface is densely furnished with fine short hairs and scattered longer bristle-like hairs or glandular trichomes, giving it a visibly pubescent rather than glabrous appearance. It holds the bud well above the surrounding foliage and is sufficiently slender to suggest that the mature, very full flower may become somewhat nodding or more loosely carried as it expands. The narrow leafy bracts at the lower part of the peduncle may appear.

During opening, the first impression is usually of concentrated crimson-magenta or cherry-purple; as the petals spread and reflex, the pale reverses and margins become increasingly important to the flower’s bicolored effect.

Bloom:

A fully open bloom of the rose 'Président de Sèze' is medium to large sized, generally about 8 - 9 cm (3.1 - 3.5 in) in diameter under normal growing conditions. They are very full, typically having over 100 petals, but exact petal count has not been confirmed. The flowers have cupped shape upon opening, opening in the centre a quartered rosette, with inward-folding petals and slightly recurved at their margins. A flower that may begin comparatively cupped, broaden into a shallow dome or flat old-rose rosette, and develop some quartering or inward-folded centre, becoming more globular with age and remaining rigidly symmetrical.

Upon opening, the center can be intense crimson-purple, cherry-red or magenta, passing outward through rose-violet and lilac-pink to distinctly pale lilac or nearly whitish edges and reverses. While the flowers transition from cherry-red, purple-violet with an almost white reverse, becoming mauve as it fades; the intense crimson-purple center displayed against lilac-white petal edges, even the faded flower retains a darker center. The result can resemble watered silk: dark pigment remains concentrated inward while the outer flower cools and pales.

The blossoms may be borne singly, but most often in small clusters, of 3 to 7 together. Because the color is highly responsive to the environment, two plants, or even two successive seasons on one plant, need not look identical. Cooler or cloudier conditions may preserve violet and smoky tones longer; stronger sun generally accelerates paling. Numerous sources record changes of colour with exposure, soil and climate, so this variability should not automatically be interpreted as mislabeling, although historic Gallicas do present genuine identification problems.

Petals:

The petals are numerous, broad enough to create a richly furnished bloom and arranged with sufficient density to merit descriptions such as fully double or very full. Toward the center the petals may fold inward and form a compressed rosette or partial quartering; toward the outside they broaden and eventually reflex. Upon flower fading petals of 'Président de Sèze' turn outward, a useful contrast with the more inward-curling petals associated there with 'Jenny Duval'.

Petal edges may appear softly rolled, and the surfaces display the color changes particularly well because the reverse can be much paler than the upper surface. The outer petals lose saturation first, moving through lilac and pale pink toward lilac-white or greyed cream, while the central petals retain deeper magenta-purple for longer. Durability naturally depends on weather: as with other very full old roses, prolonged rain can impair opening, and the flower balling may be an issue for plants grown in climates with very wet seasons.

Fragrance:

Fragrance is a genuine strength of the cultivar. Rose 'Président de Sèze' has a rich, very powerful Old Rose fragrance, with intensity varying according to temperature, flower age and individual perception. It is a traditionally perfumed Gallica where the combination of fragrance and relatively substantial flowers explains its historic and continuing value as a cut flower, although its once-only season necessarily limits availability.

Reproductive parts:

The dense corolla does not invariably conceal the sexual organs, though the stamens are often visible in 'Président de Sèze', particularly as the flower opens and reflexes.

PLANT

'Président de Sèze' is a deciduous Gallica rose, sometimes referred to as Provins-type Old Garden rose. It forms a bushy, sturdy shrub, generally about 120 - 150 cm (4 - 5 ft) high in favorable conditions with a spread of approximately 90 - 120 cm (3 - 4 ft). The plant is best allowed to acquire its natural Gallica form instead of being clipped into the compact outline of a modern shrub roses. Mature plants form long canes which may gracefully bend slightly in summer under the weight of the numerous flowers.

A position in full sun gives the most dependable flowering, in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. It shows adaptability to chalk, clay, loam and sand and to acid, neutral or alkaline reaction, provided drainage is satisfactory. Organic mulch in late winter or early spring and a balanced rose or shrub fertilizer in early spring, with another application in early summer, are appropriate and will improve the next season’s flowering.

For a once-flowering old rose, pruning time is important. The flowers appear abundantly on established older wood, so heavy dormant-season shortening can sacrifice the coming display. Major shaping is better undertaken after flowering, in late summer, by removing dead, damaged, diseased, crossing and very weak growth and, on an aging specimen, taking one or two old unproductive canes near the base to stimulate renewal. The goal is a balanced succession of old flowering wood and vigorous replacement shoots, not annual hard reduction.

Its strongest landscape roles are in an old-rose collection, a mixed shrub or herbaceous border, a cottage garden and an informal flowering hedge. This rose is specifically not recommended for growing in pots or containers, and in the ground the plant has considerably more freedom to develop the broad root system and basal renewal typical of old shrubs.

Foliage:

The foliage of 'Président de Sèze' provides an appropriately muted background for the unusually sophisticated flowers. The foliage is matte grey-green, medium to large in size, and may appear a bit lighter green than that of many other Gallicas. The foliage is fairly substantial, deciduous in grey-green tones, and densely covers the plant. Its ornamental value lies more in texture and proportion than in brilliance: the matte surface and slightly subdued coloring reinforce the old-rose appearance, while the relatively bold leaf mass prevents the shrub from seeming twiggy after flowering.

Leaflets:

The leaves are compound and pinnate, the normal leaves in the middle of the stems of 'Président de Sèze' typically have 7 leaflets, with occasional variations from 3 to 5 leaflets closer to the flowers, including the terminal leaflet. The young leaflets are lighter, brighter medium green to dark green with darker venations and reddish edges, the edges of the leaflets are serrated, the type of serration is single and large. Later the leaflets mature to darker green, with a grayish tint so common among Gallicas. The leaflets have a broadly ovate shape with rounded base and acute tip, with the old Gallica deeplyveined texture.

Wood:

The plants of 'Président de Sèze' for a sturdy, moderately upright to open, slightly arching shape, with clearly recognizable Gallica influence. Mature canes branch sufficiently to carry a substantial midsummer flower display, and heavy flowers may soften the outline without converting the plant into a lax rambler. The young canes of this rose have medium green colour with smooth bark, and they later mature to dark browning green and bark becomes rough.

Prickles:

There is a normal to large quantity of the prickles on the main canes from the base as well as on the laterals from the main canes of this rose, as typical of Gallicas. The major prickles are medium sized, have hooked downward shape and are rather thin. They have purple red colour when young and mature to brown tan. 'Président de Sèze' should therefore be handled as an armed shrub rather than assumed to be nearly thornless. Gloves are sensible during pruning and cane renewal. The armature of this rose has little effect on ornamental value when the plant is given suitable space, but it argues against placing the shrub immediately beside a narrow path, children’s play space or frequently used gate. In a mixed border or informal hedge the same character is much less troublesome.

Small prickles:

The main canes and the laterals from the main canes of the rose variety 'Président de Sèze' have large quantities of small prickles and bristles. They typically have similar to large prickles purple red colour when young and straight shape, and later maturing to brown gray colour.

Disease resistance and stress tolerance:

The rose variety 'Président de Sèze' has adequate resistance, especially for an Old Gallica rose. It may be susceptible to black spot, rust, powdery mildew, rose dieback and replant disease, with occasional honey fungus and flower balling. Those cautions mean it should not be treated as disease-proof. In gardens with humid summers and strong black-spot pressure, generous air circulation, prompt removal of heavily infected fallen leaves, avoidance of repeated overhead wetting late in the day and maintenance of steady plant vigor remain sensible measures.

Its soil tolerance is broader than that of many demanding modern roses: the plants grow well in chalk, clay, loam and sand across a wide pH range, and have tolerance of relatively poor soils. That does not mean flowering is indifferent to fertility. A deep, humus-enriched, well-drained soil with moisture available during active spring growth will produce a stronger shrub and a brighter annual display than exhausted, compacted ground.

The cold hardness is good. The current RHS rating is H6, corresponding to approximately −20 to −15 °C (−4 to 5 °F) under UK assessment. While a long-running University of Maine woody-plant trial at an exposed site on the boundary of USDA Zones 4 and 5 recorded Rosa gallica 'Président de Sèze' as surviving but gave it hardiness rating 4, the trial’s category for severe winter injury with dieback close to ground level. Similarly reports from gardeners in colder climates confirm the rose ability to survive the winters in climates similar to USDA 4 to 6. Thus ‘Président de Sèze can survive considerable cold, but survival in a zone 4 - 5 test does not mean that its canes and consequently its old-wood flower buds will remain undamaged every winter.

The name 'Président de Sèze' commemorates Raymond de Sèze (1748 - 1828), the distinguished French lawyer who was one of the defenders of Louis XVI. After the Bourbon Restoration he became first president of the Cour de cassation in 1815, was made a peer of France in 1816 and was elected to the Académie française the same year. The title “Président” in the rose name is therefore entirely consistent with de Sèze’s public office. He died on 2 May 1828.

The coincidence between his death in 1828 and the 1828 date assigned to the rose by Mme Hébert in several conservation and historical records makes a commemorative naming particularly plausible. Nevertheless, no original statement by Mme Hébert establishing the precise occasion for the naming was confirmed, so it is more accurate to say that the cultivar was evidently named for Raymond de Sèze than to invent a specific memorial commission or dedication ceremony.

The historically supported synonym is ‘Mme Hébert’. The spelling “Herbert,” without the accent, appears in some commercial material and is best treated as a typographical or anglicized rendering rather than evidence of a different breeder. The RHS also records Rosa gallica 'Président de Sèze' as a synonymic form and records 'Jenny Duval' only as a name that has been misapplied to this rose. Thus 'Jenny Duval' should not be treated casually as a true synonym where authenticated material of the two cultivars is being discussed.

The principal formal award for 'Président de Sèze' is the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (AGM), awarded in 1993. The current RHS AGM list records 'Président de Sèze' under the Gallica classification with the notation "93 H6" indicating the 1993 AGM and its present H6 hardiness designation. The cultivar therefore has a significant modern garden-performance distinction despite its nineteenth-century origin.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

The precise seed parent and pollen parent of 'Président de Sèze' are not documented. The strongest historical and conservation evidence attributes the cultivar to Mme Hébert in France and dates it to 1828. The 2005 molecular study of a large conserved Gallica collection lists “Président de Sèze - Mme Hébert - 1828” ^[1] . In the absence of an original breeder’s dated introduction notice that resolves the matter beyond doubt, 1828 is best regarded as the strongly supported traditional origin date. Precise surviving biographical documentation for Mme Hébert is much thinner than for major professional breeders such as Vibert, so elaborate accounts of her breeding activities should be treated cautiously.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

Gallicas, Centifolias and Damasks have overlapping ancestry, and the molecular study found that precise boundaries among those European horticultural groups are difficult to define. “Gallica” in the case of 'Président de Sèze' is therefore best understood as its accepted horticultural class and historical breeding tradition, not as a claim that it represents an unhybridized clone of the wild species Rosa gallica. Gallicas in the past were placed within the old French Roses of Provins tradition and emphasizes their moderate stature, summer flowering, dense growth, perfume and distinctive pink-to-mauve palette. Many of the finest nineteenth-century selections became extremely full and richly pigmented. 'Président de Sèze' falls squarely within that culmination: more sophisticated in form than the old semi-double medicinal Gallicas, yet retaining the once-flowering rhythm and restrained shrub form that distinguish the class from later recurrent Hybrid Perpetuals and modern roses.

Its continuing identity problem with 'Jenny Duval' is also characteristic of historic roses. Plants passed from nursery to nursery for generations, labels were lost or reassigned, and color itself changes materially with growing conditions. The latest records and research gives explicit floral character differences by which those varieties can be separated. For serious collections, provenance remains almost as important as the name printed on the nursery label.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

'Président de Sèze' is an exceptional historic Gallica for gardeners who value concentrated seasonal beauty over continuous flowering. It forms a sturdy, moderately sized deciduous shrub clothed in matte light- to grey-green foliage and produces one rich midsummer display of large, fragrant, fully double flowers. The extraordinary color progression - from crimson, cherry and magenta through purple-violet and lilac to smoky mauve and pale silvered edges - is its principal distinction as this rose variety incorporated the following unique combination of characteristics:

  large, very full flowers with a richly furnished old-Gallica rosette form;

  a highly distinctive progression from crimson-magenta and purple-violet at the center to lilac, smoky mauve and near-lilac-white toward the flower margins;

  rich, usually strong Old Rose fragrance accompanying a concentrated once-only summer flowering season;

  a sturdy, bushy Gallica shrub suitable for historic gardens, borders and informal flowering hedges.

  considerable temperate-climate hardiness that can withstand severe winter.

The propagation methods suitable for the rose cultivar 'Président de Sèze' include propagating by softwood cuttings in early to mid-spring, hardwood cuttings from late summer into autumn, or chip budding in summer. Vegetative propagation is essential when preservation of the named cultivar is the objective; this rose tends to send suckers which also can be successfully used to get a new plants which will be true to type.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

Precise seed and pollen parent documentation for 'Président de Sèze' was not documented, therefore, a formal parent-by-parent comparison cannot be made.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

Among old Gallicas still represented in specialist cultivation, 'Jenny Duval' remains the nearest practical comparator because of its similar color transformation and long history of confusion with 'Président de Sèze'. 'Jenny Duval' is generally smaller-flowered, medium sized rose with flowers commonly about 6 cm (2.4 in) and tends toward a somewhat looser, less densely packed flower, whereas 'Président de Sèze' commonly reaches 8 - 9 cm and presents a fuller, more substantial rosette. Both move through pink, cherry, mauve, purple and grey-lilac ranges and both flower once, so color alone is an unreliable identifying character.

The flowers of 'Jenny Duval' are more typically solitary or grouped in twos or threes, with a slight quartering and inward-curling petals; those of 'Président de Sèze' are more richly grouped and its fading petals reflex outward. 'Jenny Duval' forms more flexible, bushy shrub around 120 cm tall and approximately 100 cm in width, while 'Président de Sèze' is often sturdier, with bold foliage and a potentially somewhat taller 120 - 150 cm. In a garden composition, 'Jenny Duval' consequently reads as a somewhat lighter, more informal mound, while 'Président de Sèze' offers larger individual floral masses and a stronger dark-center/pale-edge contrast.

For collectors, the two are worth growing side by side rather than treating one as redundant. Environmental color change can obscure their differences in photographs, whereas flowering architecture, degree of doubleness, petal behavior and authenticated provenance allow a more reliable judgment in the garden.

USDA 4

USDA Zone 4 - hardiness guide