Leonardo da Vinci

Where to plant. Classic romantic flower beds, mixed borders with lavender, central borders, by stone walls; ideal in a group with other Romantica roses (Jean Giono, Alexandrine) — 'an Italian Renaissance' in the garden.

Climate. Down to −20 °C — in Ukraine: south and centre without protection, north with light protection.

Care. A classic shrub — prune in spring by a third of its height; removing spent blooms encourages new flushes; rain-tolerant (a rare advantage) — less prevention needed after rain.

Name. The rose is named after Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo da Vinci, 1452–1519) — the Florentine painter, sculptor, engineer and scientific genius of the Renaissance. Creator of the 'Mona Lisa', 'The Last Supper', flying machines and anatomical drawings. The variety belongs to the Romantica™ Meilland series, whose names refer to the Italian Renaissance — alongside Botticelli, Michelangelo and others.

Breeding. Bred by Alain Meilland at Meilland International (Provence, France), market release 1994. CORRECTION: the correct code is MEIdeauri, NOT MEIzeli (a common error — MEIzeli belongs to another Meilland variety). US Plant Patent PP 9,980 (1997). Parentage: Sommerwind × (Milrose × Rosamunde).

Significance. One of the most commercially successful Meilland Romantica roses, the forerunner of the popularity of the 'old-style' form in modern Meilland breeding. 4 international awards: Gold Medal Monza 1993, Certificate Belfast 1996, Certificate The Hague 1996, Gold Medal The Hague 1997, Top Rosen Netherlands 1997. It has a red sport — Red Leonardo da Vinci (MEIangele, 2003), which received ADR in 2005. Ukrainian portals often mistakenly attribute the ADR to the pink Leonardo — this award belongs to the red sport, not the main variety. Do not confuse with the historic variety ['Leonardo da Vinci' De Tartas, 1855 — a nineteenth-century China rose].