Gallica Roses

Countless hybrids arose from Rosa gallica, which is native to central and southern Europe. After 1800 there are said to have been over 1000 different Gallica roses. The original form, Rosa gallica pumila - popularly also called the 'Vinegar Rose' - passed on its wonderful fragrance to most of its descendants. This Gallica rose is therefore often described as the ancestor of the modern garden roses. 

Probably the best-known of the Gallica roses is R. gallica ´Officinalis´, the Apothecary's Rose. In the Middle Ages the coveted rose oil was obtained from it. Equally well known is the two-coloured Rosa gallica ´Versicolor´, also called ´Rosa Mundi´, named after the mistress of Henry II, Fair Rosamund.

The bushes of this rose class grow up to 200 cm tall, and the colour range extends from pink to carmine and purple. Many varieties are striped, speckled or spotted. Besides their beautiful, fragrant flowers, Gallica roses are distinguished by their beautiful autumn foliage and decorative rose hips.