Gallica Roses

Gallicas are my favourite old roses. While they are non-recurrent, their bloom quality, bloom quantity, character and history intrigue me. Gallicas produce good-sized blooms ranging in colour unlike most other once-blooming Old Garden Roses, the Gallica class includes shades of red, maroon and deep purplish crimson. The plants are bushy, well foliated and mostly upright. These roses are derived from the species R. gallica that grows wild throughout Europe. One of the oldest cultivars, R. gallica 'Versicolor' commonly known as Rosa Mundi, was in cultivation as early as 1583. Gallicas are winter hardy in Pickering (Zone 5) without protection.