''Rosa'' 'Great Maiden's Blush' is white blend Alba rose

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

that appeared during the 14th century. It was introduced in Australia by Camden Park in 1843 as 'Maiden's Blush'. 'Great Maiden's Blush' has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, and the American Rose Society's Dowager Queen award at the Syracuse Rose Society show.

Description

'Great Maiden's Blush' is a tall, slender Alba rose, in height, with a } spread. It has medium, very full (41+ petals), borne mostly solitary, or in small clusters of up to five, and has a globular, deeply cupped bloom form. Bloom size is . The rose has a strong fragrance. The young buds tend to have a creamy yellow color on the outside. The flower petals are creamy-white or white in the bud, then pale pink, and finally fade again to white. It is not overly pricky, has relatively few thorns. It tolerates shade and it can be grown on or beside north-facing walls (in the northern hemisphere). It has enough strength and vigour that it can be used as a climber. Like other ''Rosa'' × ''alba'' cultivars, it is very winter hardy, a tall shrub with arching branches. It blooms in spring only. This cultivar is known by many other names, including 'Cuisse de Nymphe', 'Incarnata', 'Maiden's Blush' and 'Loyalist'.

History

Garden Historians disagree on the origin of 'Great Maiden's Blush'. It is either 'Cuisse de Nymphe', originating in France in the 14th century or 'Great Maiden's Blush' from

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is one of the earliest Alba roses and considered to be a very beautiful rose.

Awards

'Great Maiden's Blush' has received the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

, and the

American Rose Society The American Rose Center is a rose garden in Shreveport, Louisiana owned and operated by The American Rose Society. There are over 20,000 rose bushes of 100 varieties in 65 separate rose gardens on 118 acres of pine forests and woodlands. Amer ...

's Dowager Queen award at the Syracuse Rose Society show.

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed Great Maiden's Blush