Rose Victor Verdier

The historic rose ‘Victor Verdier’, introduced in 1859 by François Lacharme, has remained one of the most valuable and influential hybrids for over 160 years. It is an ideal rose for collectors and admirers of old-fashioned charm - a plant of character, resilience, and refined beauty. Its large, brilliantly colored blooms in vivid carmine-pink to deep rose-red tones with a purple tint lend drama and elegance to the garden, while its repeat flowering ensures sustained decorative effect throughout the season.

The flowers are large, measuring to 7 - 9 cm and up to 10 - 11 cm (2.8 – 3.5 to 3.9 – 4.3 in) in diameter. They are double, with 17–25 up to 50 petals, ranging in shape from cup-shaped to spherical with a high center, and are borne at the tips of straight shoots. The buds are pointed and open into slightly loose cups. The coloration is dark pink to pink-carmine with purplish tones, lighter on the reverse of the petals. The fragrance is generally light, sometimes delicate and Tea-like, and occasionally faint. The flowers are most striking in the initial stage of bloom, though their individual longevity is relatively short.

Flowering occurs in flushes from late May or early June until late autumn. The first blooming is generous, followed by significant summer rebloom and another in autumn if spent flowers are deadheaded. The variety responds well to selfpegging of the canes, though its stems are thick and stiff, making bending difficult. In prolonged rainy weather, buds may fail to open and can be affected by balling.

The rose variety ‘Victor Verdier’ has a strong, compact, and narrow growth habit, reaching about 100 - 150 cm (3.3 - 4.9 ft) in height and about 80 - 100 cm (2.6 - 3.3 ft) in width. It is heavily armed with prickles and benefits from light winter pruning to maintain its natural shape. The foliage is large, glossy, and green.

Disease resistance is generally good. It is not highly susceptible to black spot, powdery mildew, or rust, thanks to its natural vigor, although it may suffer from botrytis in cold, prolonged rain. In warm, dry climates - or with timely preventive treatments in humid regions - it performs very reliably. It prefers sunny locations, fertile soil, and warm, dry weather. Winter hardiness corresponds to USDA Zone 6b and warmer, and in colder regions winter protection is recommended. The variety is frost-resistant down to −23°C (−9.4°F).

‘Victor Verdier’ is suitable for both group and solitary plantings and can also be grown in pots. When grown on its own roots from cuttings, it adapts well to various soil types - from alkaline loams and clays to lighter, more acidic northern soils - and does not produce undesirable suckers like grafted plants.

Introduced in 1859, ‘Victor Verdier’ is sometimes referred to as one of the earliest precursors to the Hybrid Tea class. Together with ‘La France’ (1867), it influenced a group of transitional roses that shaped the development of modern garden roses. It was among the first hybrids in which a Tea rose ‘Safrano’ was used as the pollen parent - an important departure from earlier breeding practices where Tea roses typically served as seed parents. Its lineage played a crucial role in the emergence of modern Hybrid Tea roses.

The rose was named in honor of Philippe-Victor Verdier, a distinguished French gardener and rosarian from Ivry (Seine). Born on August 5, 1803, in Yerres (Seine-et-Oise), Verdier assembled one of the most comprehensive collections of repeat flowering roses in the early 19th century.

As repeat flowering roses gained prominence after 1838, he restructured his collection accordingly. He died in 1878 at the age of 75.

'Jules Margottin' (Hybrid Perpetual, Margottin, 1852) × 'Safrano' (Tea rose, Beauregard, 1837)

USDA 7