An elegant, legendary hundred-petalled rose, named after the painter Henri Fantin-Latour; flowers once, but very profusely from spring to early summer; strong fruity fragrance of an old garden; RHS AGM.
'found rose' (a rose rediscovered in old gardens)
Once-flowering — profuse bloom in spring and early summer, with no repeat flush. Months are approximate, for the climate of Ukraine.
Award of Garden Merit
USDA zone 4b. H6; ≈ −20 °C; Ukraine: no or light winter protection.
Compare reference temperatures
Strong and fruity — one of the most vivid fragrances among centifolias.
Full sun; at least 5–6 hours of direct light a day.
Few thorns — a pleasant trait for a variety with such a lush bloom.
Smooth — an unusual trait for a centifolia; this is why a China rose is suspected in its ancestry.
Pale pink, almost white at the edges, with a warmer pink tone at the centre of the flower.
Heritageshell pink
Queen of Swedencool pink
Olivia Rose Austinsoft pink
Munstead Wooddark raspberry · contrastDelicate pink roses — one colour family:
Blue, lilac and silver neighbours bring out the tender pink:
Key traits that set this old variety apart:
Where to plant. Old-fashioned and romantic gardens, mixed borders in the English style; the tall, arching shrub holds the back of a border well or stands alone as a specimen. It needs no support, though the flexible canes can be tied in.
Climate. USDA 4b–9b, RHS H6 (≈ −20 °C); in Ukraine it overwinters without cover or with light winter protection.
Care. Relatively undemanding, but watch for powdery mildew, especially in humid weather with poor air circulation. As it flowers only once a season, prune straight after flowering.
Name. After the French painter Henri Fantin-Latour. The variety was renamed by Graham Stuart Thomas; before that it was sold as 'Best Garden Rose'.
Breeding. The breeder is unknown — it is a 'found rose'; introduced by the British nursery T. Hilling & Co. in 1945; belongs to the Centifolia class.
Significance. An elegant old-fashioned centifolia with a lovely fragrance.
The cultivar’s reference temperature is −20 °C (USDA zone 4b). Overwintering depends on the conditions. H6; ≈ −20 °C; Ukraine: no or light winter protection.
Once-flowering — profuse bloom in spring and early summer, with no repeat flush.
100–180 cm tall, 120–180 cm wide.
Full sun; at least 5–6 hours of direct light a day.
Strong and fruity — one of the most vivid fragrances among centifolias.
