''Rosa'' 'Albéric Barbier is a popular Hybrid wichurana
rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
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 was bred in 1900 by
Barbier Frères & Compagnie. Its parents were ''
R. wichurana'' and the yellow
hybrid tea 'Shirley Hibberd' (Levet père, 1874), named after the
Victorian gardening writer (1825–1890).
'Albéric Barbier' has apricot-yellow buds that open to medium-sized, cream coloured flowers with a light yellow center, and quickly fade to white with a hint of lemony yellow.
They have an average diameter of 8 cm (3"), 9 to 16 petals, and a strong fruity fragrance. The flowers appear mostly solitary or in small clusters in an opulent single flush in June. The bloom form is globular and quartered, the filling can vary from semi-double to more densely filled, resembling tea roses.
It is a vigorous shrub, growing high and wide, with long arching stems. The small leaves are dark green and very glossy, as is typical of wichuraiana hybrids, and create a nice contrast to the light flowers. The young shoots are red and have almost no prickles. If not trained when still flexible, they crawl along the ground in all directions.
'Albéric Barbier' is a robust plant, useful for covering fences or unsightly walls, even those facing north since it is shade tolerant. It can also grow in full sun but doesn't prosper in hot spots or harsher climates. In mild regions the cultivar is semi-evergreen since the leaves remain long on the plant. It is winter hardy down to −15 °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 ...
7b). It is generally disease resistant but can be susceptible to
mildew
Mildew is a form of fungus. It is distinguished from its closely related counterpart, mould, largely by its colour: moulds appear in shades of black, blue, red, and green, whereas mildew is white. It appears as a thin, superficial growth consi ...
.
This rose gained 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 (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit in 1993.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosa 'Alberic Barbier'
Alberic Barbier