GALLICA ROSES

La Belle Sultane GALLICAS
(La Belle Sultane shown)

The old French roses or Rose of Provins were at the center of the first great wave of rose breeding in the early 19th century. These initially derived purely from European species and cultivars which were summer-blooming, and many, especially the old red Gallicas like Officinalis, have been in gardens since the Middle Ages. Richly colored in a pink and mauve palette, with intricate flowers packed with petals and perfumed, the Gallicas have no substitutes among modern roses.
Of moderate to low stature, to 3 - 5' tall, suckering densely, the Gallicas are the finest of ground-covering roses, for few plants can thrive beneath them.

Habits
We group them roughly into two habits;
1) (E.g, Sissinghurst Castle) low, suckering and dense, canes arching some with the weight of their blooms, and
2) (E.g, Superb Tuscan) stout caned, moderately suckering, arching with the weight of much larger blooms. This latter group represents the culmination of breeding efforts to produce larger more dramatic flowers.

Growth Habit