Rose Louise Odier (in a large container) – Strongly developed plant in a 6 L pot

The Bourbon Roses get there name from the French island of Ile De Bourbon (Now Reunion) where the original Bourbon Rose first occured as a spontanious hybrid between Old Blush and Quatre Saisons. They are repeat flowering roses which either descend from the original or from similar crosses between China roses and Damasks.

Bourbons represent the link between Old and Modern Roses.Today, they are grown mostly by old and antique rose growers. They are a tougher plant for a newbie to work with. They can be very susceptible to blackspot and diseases.

Like their European parents, the Bourbon roses are cold hardy; and like their Asian ancestors, they re-bloom. These roses do not produce flowers as continuously as hybrid teas; instead, they bear the bulk of their flowers in a heavy surge in late spring and early summer, though they do continue to flower sporadically through the summer and into fall.

This makes them an excellent choice for the gardener who wants to combine a longer blooming season with old-fashioned richness and perfume. The Bourbon’s flowers are large, even huge, often making an almost perfect globe of crepe petals. Their perfumes are intense, and the shrubs tend to be vigorous.

It is a particularly vigorous variety that can reach as much as 2.1m (7ft) in a good sunny position, with some tall conspicuous stems which can be pegged down to arch outwards this stimulates even more blooms, as does regular deadheading. The bi-coloured flowers are flamboyant, even as they fade, making this one of the best striped roses.

As a bourbon rose, it is best pruned in late winter or early spring. Prune most stems lightly. To encourage young, vigorous growth, cut back a few of the oldest stems each year.

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