''Rosa'' 'Ispahan', also known as 'Rose d'Ispahan' and 'Pompon des Princes', is a clear pink, half-open kind of

Damask rose Damask (; ar, دمشق) is a reversible patterned fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin ...

, a type of garden rose introduced from the Middle East to Europe during the crusading 13th century.

Description

The double flowers are big, reaching a diameter of , and have a strong, sweet fragrance. They appear in great numbers in clusters that can hold up to 15 flowers, and are well suited as cut flowers. Their colour is described as silky medium pink, with a slightly darker middle, and fades only slightly. 'Ispahan' flowers only once, but for a period of six weeks – the longest of all Damask roses. The vigorous shrub grows tall and wide, with an overhanging form, light green foliage, and few big prickles. It is robust, disease resistant, and winter hardy up to -20 °C (

USDA zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

5 to 6). The cultivar tolerates half shade, poor soils and is well suited for harsher climates. It can be grown in containers, solitary, in groups or as hedges.

History

Its origin is unclear – it was introduced in the UK by the garden designer

Norah Lindsay Norah Mary Madeleine Lindsay (née Bourke) (26 April 1873 – 20 June 1948) was a socialite garden designer who between the World wars became a major influence on garden design and planting in the United Kingdom and on the Continent. Biography ...

(1873–1948), but was probably developed in the early 19th century – probably in Persia. The cultivar is named 'Ispahan' after the city

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, renowned for its gardens and roses, where the cultivar was apparently discovered in a garden. The cultivar is still popular. David Austin still recommends it highly as free flowering, among the first

Old Roses ''Old Roses'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Bernard Mainwaring and starring Horace Hodges, Nancy Burne and Bruce Lester. The screenplay concerns an elderly man who assists the police in solving a murder, but accidentally reveals hi ...

to start blooming and the last to continue, and for its fine Damask fragrance.

Peter Beales Peter Beales MBE, (22 July 1936 – 26 January 2013) was a British rosarian, author and lecturer. Beales was considered one of the leading experts on roses, especially species and classic roses, preserving many old varieties and introducing 70 ...

counts it as one of his favourite Damask roses, Christine Meile calls the flowering 'Ispahan' the most attractive rose bush and an ideal solitaire plant, if one has enough space. In 1993, and was granted the

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 ...

of 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 ...

References

External links

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Peaceful Habitations Rose Gardens
{{Rose, state=collapsed

Ispahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...