Swany

Where to plant. As a white carpet along paths; on slopes to hold the soil; as the front of a mixed border; in 'white' or moon gardens; under windows as a low edging; under trees and shrubs — it tolerates partial shade well.

Climate. Central and southern Ukraine without winter protection (USDA 6b); in the north, light winter protection is advisable; tolerates summer heat well.

Care. Minimal — full sun or light shade; prune once every 2–3 years with secateurs; feed 1–2× per season; rarely needs treatment.

Name. 'Swany' — from the English 'swan'. For the purity of its white colour and the graceful form of the groundcover — the bush seems to 'float' over the ground like a swan on water. A poetic, image-based name, typical of Meilland.

Breeding. Bred by Marie-Louise (Louisette) Meilland-Paolino at Meilland (Antibes, France). Code MEIburenac. Introduced 1977. Parentage: Rosa sempervirens L. × 'Mademoiselle Marthe Carron'. R. sempervirens — the evergreen Mediterranean rose — gave Swany its groundcover form, dense foliage and good hardiness.

Significance. One of the first true groundcover roses of its era — it opened a whole 'landscape' genre for Meilland. A forerunner of the Meidiland series: Swany's success inspired Marie-Louise Meilland to create Bonica (1981, WFRS HoF 2003), Scarlet Meidiland (1985), White Meidiland and the whole Meidiland series — the standard of landscape roses of the XX-XXI centuries. Very full flowers on a groundcover are a rare combination (groundcovers usually have single or semi-double flowers). It tolerates partial shade — a rare quality for roses. Swany is also one of the few white roses suited to the classic moon gardens of Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst.