Until recently, it was difficult to find information about Gallica Roses. That changed with the publication of three books: Suzanne Verrier's Rosa Gallica, Brent Dickerson's The Old Rose Adventurer, and François Joyaux's La Rose de France. Up until a few years ago, most nurseries carried only the most common varieties -- like 'Apothecary's Rose' and 'Rosa Mundi' -- and trying to track down some of the more obscure varieties required a lot of work. That, too, has changed. Now nurseries, like Vintage Gardens in California, are offering an increasingly broad selection of these roses. In addition, hybridizers like David Austin and Peter Beales, are using Gallica varieties in their breeding programs to create new roses. What a marvelous testament to roses that grew in gardens around the world hundreds of years ago.

I've been collecting Gallica Roses for the past eight years and now grow over thirty varieties here in Pennsylvania. Gallicas are some of the oldest roses on the planet descending from the mother of them all, Rosa gallica. They had their heyday in France in the 1800s when it's estimated there were thousands of different varieties. Over time, many of these have been lost and only a small fraction remain.

How can you tell a Gallica when you see one? Well, there are no climbing Gallicas. Some can grow taller than others in a protected spot, but most are in the two-to-four foot range. There are no repeat-blooming Gallicas. And there are no white Gallicas. Most bloom in striking shades of pink and purple, those colors changing from day-to-day.

Rosa gallica

Rosa gallica is not the kind of plant that demands attention when you see it in a nursery. The bush is on the small side, the pink flowers, rather plain -- single-petalled with golden stamens. Based on its appearance alone, you would never think that such a small, rather insignificant looking rose could be so important. But it is. R. gallica is the original Gallica -- the mother of all Gallicas. A very old rose, one of the oldest in fact, it was grown by the ancient Greeks and Romans and prized for its medicinal uses. All Gallica Roses descend from it as do many other roses. A prolific parent, it grows in many parts of the world. It was brought to North America by the colonists and from those plants, new forms developed. 'Randall', in western Canada, for instance, and 'Red Run Around' in California. In France, of course, it is widespread, but interestingly enough since 1982, as more and more of the countryside has given way to urbanization, it has been placed on the endangered list. In 1759, Linneaus christened it R. gallica because a specimen had been sent to him from France.

'Alika' (Rosa gallica 'Grandiflora')

Gallicas are hardy and of all of them, 'Alika' may be the hardiest. Its origins are unknown, it was brought to the United States from Russia by Professor Niels E. Hansen in 1906. Hansen used it extensively in his breeding program to develop hardy roses. Wilhelm Kordes used it to obtain 'Scharlarchglut', from which, Peter Beales obtained 'James Mason' (see below). 'Alika' is large for a Gallica (hence its other name, 'Grandiflora'). The bloom is about four inches across, crimson, single-to-semi-double with a big boss of yellow stamens.

'Aimable Rouge'

There were apparently two roses by this name. One, said to have come from Holland and now extinct, was in Dupont's Paris collection in 1813. The rose we grow today by this name was introduced by Vibert in 1819 and was one of the roses that grew in Joséphine's garden at Malmaison where Pierre-Joseph Redouté painted it. It was a popular rose in France in the 1820s and is still grown today. The flowers are deep pink and fragrant. 'Aimable Rouge' grows in the collection at Le Jardin Botanique de Montreal (The Montreal Botanic Garden), where it was found to be one of the healthiest of their roses.

'Anaïs Ségalas'

'Anaïs Ségalas' is probably a Gallica/Centifolia hybrid. It was obtained by Vibert in 1837 and described in his catalog of 1841. (Joseph Parmentier listed a rose in one of his catalogs with the same name that he claimed as his own but called a Centifolia.) The pink blooms are large for a Gallica and they often sport a button-eye. The plant grows to about three feet and will sucker if grown on its own roots. In New Zealand it is said to grow wild, but those plants tend to be smaller than the ones cultivated in gardens. Anaïs Ségalas (1814-1895) was a wellknown poet who, by the time she was 23 years old, had already published two volumes of poetry.

'Apothecary's Rose'

The oldest cultivated form of R. gallica, by the 13th Century, the 'Apothecary's Rose' was widely grown in Provins, France -- hence another name for it, 'Provins Rose'. It is one of the roses written about in the old herbals as an ancient medicinal plant. Although its medicinal qualities can be debated, one thing is for certain -- its petals retain their fragrance after they are dried. Supposedly, the 'Apothecary's Rose' grew in Charlemagne's garden and Joséphine's at Malmaison as well. The Lancastrians have used it as their heraldic device since the time of Henry IV. Several plants grouped together make an attractive hedge -- all you have to do is prune heavily after blooming to encourage new growth from the base. The fragrant deep pink blooms are a little more than single and rather large with a center of yellow stamens.

'Belle de Crécy'

The origins of this rose are a little obscure, but most sources attribute it to Roeser. Some credit Hardy as the raiser, but Hardy himself wrote, in the catalog of the Luxembourg Gardens, that Roeser obtained this rose. Some say this rose is named for Mme. de Pompadour, mistress of the King, who grew it in her garden at the Château de Crécy. Others point out that Roeser's nursery was located in Crécy. Whatever its origins, 'Belle de Crécy' is beautiful and, in fact, Graham Stuart Thomas' favorite Gallica -- both for its parma-violet coloring and its powerful fragrance. Brent Dickerson says it is not a Gallica at all, but rather a Hybrid China, and cites earlier literary sources that classed it as such.

The bush covers itself with hundreds of blossoms in varying almost-psychedelic combinations of pink, crimson, and purple -- it's wild colors like this that gave these roses the name "Mad Gallicas". It will send out suckers of itself and over time create quite an attractive mass of color. The canes sometimes flop over from the weight of the blooms, but this can be compensated for by cutting the plant back after it blooms and some discreet staking in the spring.

'Belle Isis'

'Belle Isis' has unusual coloring for a Gallica rose -- light pink -- some say R. centifolia figures in its background. David Austin, who used 'Belle Isis' in his breeding program to create repeat-blooming old-fashioned-looking roses, which he calls English Roses, says its myrrh fragrance indicates there must be some Ayrshire in its background as well. Louis Parmentier, brother of the horticulturalist Joseph Parmentier, caretaker of the Arenberg estate in Enghien, Belgium, obtained this rose. There was an earlier Gallica called 'Isis' that Parmentier also raised and the existence of the two roses may explain why you'll find some disparities in older descriptions.

In France, at the start of the 19th century, the public's passion for Antiquity was at full pitch. Roses were often given classical names. François Joyaux tells us that Descemet, in particular, was very taken with this style. The names of his roses constitute a veritable encyclopedia of Greek and Roman mythology: 'Biblis' (for Biblys, a twin who fell in love with her brother and turned into a fountain when he refused her), 'Chloris' (for the goddess of places shaded by trees, shrubs, and vines; according to some, the Greek equivalent for Flora), 'Flore' (for Flora, the goddess of flowers), 'Galathée', (for Galatea, a statue brought to life by Aphrodite), 'Hélène' (for Helen of Troy, daughter of Zeus and Leda -- her abduction caused the Trojan War), 'Euphrosine', (for Euphrosyne, one of the Graces), 'Minerve', (for Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, invention, the arts and martial prowess), 'Philomène', (for Philemon, the devoted spouse of Baucis -- the couple offered food and shelter to Jupiter and Mercury. In return, Jupiter granted them one wish. Their wish was to die together when their time came. Jupiter granted their wish and turned each one into a tree), and many others. Brent Dickerson says Jean-Pierre Vibert was also inspired by the Ancients and named a number of his roses from classicial mythology. Isis is the Egyptian goddess of fertility, love, wisdom, and beauty.

'Camaïeu'

Many sources attribute this rose to Vibert, however it was actually raised by an amateur by the name of Gendron in Anjou, France, and first bloomed in 1826. There are a number of variations in the spelling of its name. Brent Dickerson says it was originally introduced by Vibert as 'Camayeux' and that's the name he lists it under in The Old Rose Adventurer.

What distinguishes 'Camaïeu' is its stripes -- varying shades of pink on a white ground. It's not a terribly vigorous rose -- some people say it will grow to three feet high and wide, but other people say their plants never get even that big -- and requires a more fertile soil than other gallicas.

'Cardinal de Richelieu'

Although frequently listed with the Gallicas, this rose is believed to be a hybrid, possibly with a China Rose. There are certain similarities -- its rich color and lack of thorns. The blossoms are a deep purple -- among the darkest. Most sources credit Laffay with its introduction, maintaining that it originated in Holland with a breeder named Van Sian. In fact, one of the names it is known by is 'Rose Van Sian'. However, François Joyaux says the breeder was actually Louis Parmentier, in Belgium, and cites Van Houtte's catalog of 1851 as the source of this information. 'Cardinal de Richelieu' responds well to extra attention in the form of fertilizer and pruning after the bloom is finished.

The namesake of this rose, Armand Jean de Plessis, Duc -- and Cardinal -- de Richelieu was born 9 September 1585 in Richelieu, Poitou, France. His father died when he was only five, leaving the family in a precarious position financially from which they eventually recovered, but which affected Armand so that he was obsessed throughout his life with the fear of poverty. Known also as The Red Eminence (L'Éminence Rouge), the Cardinal served as minister to Louis XIII From 1624 to 1642. He died in Paris 4 December 1642. Cardinal de Richelieu figures prominently in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

'Complicata'

Some sources say this rose is a hybrid of R. macrantha or R. canina. Joyaux writes that recent tests conducted in Lyon, France, by Professor Jay, show that 'Complicata' is a hybrid of R. canina. In spite of its name, the flower is actually single -- a seven-petalled bright pink flower with a white center and golden stamens. The name "complicata" refers to the fold (pli) in the petals. Like many single roses, the blossoms close up at night and open up again in the morning.

'Conditorum'

An ancient variety, in the past this rose was used in Hungary to make rose attar and confectionaries -- hence it's name which means "of the confectioners". According to La Roche, this is the rose Joachim Camerarius called 'Zuckerrosen' in his Hortus medicus et philosophicus of 1588 (in German, the word zucker means "sugar"). In appearance, 'Conditorum' is described as being somewhere in between 'Apothecary's Rose' and 'Tuscany'. The petals retain their color and scent when dried.

'Cosimo Ridolfi'

The breeder of this rose, Vibert, listed it in his catalog of 1845 and dedicated it to a Florentine marquis named Cosimo Ridolfi (1794-1865) who was, at the time, well-known in Europe for his interest in agricultural science. He founded the first agricultural school in Italy. Around 1840, the gardener at Ridolfi's estate in Bibbiani (Florence), Luigi Montagni, obtained a camellia which he named 'Marchesa Teresa d'Ambra'.

The plant doesn't grow very tall, but it is more vigorous than, say, 'Camaïeux', and like so many Gallicas will send out suckers of itself so that eventually you'll have quite a nice mass of full, fragrant, pink-shaded-violet, blooms with button-eyes.

'Cramoisi Picoté'

'Cramoisi Picoté' is an unusual rose with small, pompon-like blossoms that have a button-eye and a crimson edge. The plant itself remains on the low side. Vibert introduced it in 1834 and it was growing in the collection at L'Haÿ in 1902. It is still available commercially. Here in the States, I got my plant from Vintage Gardens. It is available in the UK from Peter Beales Roses and in New Zealand from Tasman Bay Roses.

In their catalog of 1959, Hilling & Co. wrote that this rose was previously distributed as 'Rénoncule Ponctuée'. However, just about every source I've found says these are two distinct varieties. The story behind this is interesting and worth noting. Apparently, there were at one time two roses called 'Rénoncule Ponctuée'. One of them is now extinct. The second rose, also from Vibert and put on the market at about the same time as 'Cramoisi Picoté', though no longer in commerce, can be found in some private collections as well as the public collection at Sangerhausen.