Gloire de Dijon

Description

This glorious, iconic rose, with hundreds of descendants, is, just possibly, my favorite rose, as it is for many other rose enthusiasts—including Paul Barden. You can read more about Gloire on Paul’s website at rdrop.com/~paul. The class of Tea-Noisette Climbers, a rather small, elite group not recognized yet by the ARS, have some of the best climbers ever developed. The group combines the exquisite variability of color and luscious bloom form of the Teas with the fragrance and copious bloom of the Noisettes. Most rebloom as much or more than the best modern day climbers. Most can also be pruned to grow on a lower structure like a fence, but also have the stretch to go 15 to 25 feet over a tall arbor. Years ago, as roses began to usurp the space in my vegetable garden, I planted a small band of Gloire in among something in the fall and forgot about it until I began weeding that section of garden the next May. I remember screaming with delight when there, buried among the weeds, was the most beautiful large bloom of blended pink and buff I had ever seen on a tiny plant. I was beside myself trying to think who this wonder might be until I discovered the buried label. When it turned out to be the Gloire de Dijon of legend I was hooked. I had been exploring Hybrid Musks, but, under the spell of Gloire de Dijon, it became the Tea-Noisettes, the Teas, the Noisettes. I grow it on our deck where it blooms nearly continuously all summer wafting its fragrance and pastel charm taking us back to the ante bellum South. It does get a touch of blackspot, so spray preventively or expect a bit of defoliation. Bouquet d’Or, a seedling of Gloire, is very similar but in tones of yellow, gold, and buff.

Introduced in 1853.