Rosa 'Blanche de Belgique' (A)
rose 'Blanche de Belgique'
Vigorous, bushy old-fashioned rose, rare in cultivation, about 1.5-1.8m tall, with an upright habit and healthy, grey-green foliage. Very fragrant, pure white, semi-double blooms of good shape and size, with a hint of gold towards the centre, once-flowering in midsummer, suited to part shade; introduced in 1817
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Size
Ultimate height
1.5–2.5 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
1–1.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Grey Silver Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | White | Grey Silver Green | ||
| Autumn | Grey Silver Green | |||
| Winter |
Position
- Full sun
- Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H6Botanical details
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Potentially harmful
- Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
- Genus
Rosa can be deciduous or semi-evergreen shrubs or scrambling climbers, with usually thorny stems bearing compound pinnate leaves and solitary or clustered flowers. Flowers may be followed by showy red or purple fruits in some varieties.
- Name status
Accepted
- Horticultural Group
- Alba roses are very hardy large shrubs with sparsely prickly stems, greyish-green leaves and clusters of fragrant, double or semi-double flowers in midsummer.
How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun and tolerant of some shade. Mulch with well-rotted organic matter in late winter or early spring, and for best flowering apply a general rose or shrub fertiliser in early spring and again in early summer. See rose cultivation
Propagation
Propagate by hardwood cuttings in autumn, softwood cuttings (under glass) in spring or summer or by chip budding in summer
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Cut flowers
- Flower borders and beds
- Hedging and screens
Pruning
See pruning group 20 (roses)
Pests
May be susceptible to aphids, rose leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects, caterpillars, large rose sawfly, rose slugworm sawfly and rose leaf-rolling sawfly. Deer and rabbits can cause damage
Diseases
May be susceptible to rose black spot, rose rust, replant disease, rose dieback, and rose powdery mildews and sometimes honey fungus. May also be susceptible to disorders rose blindness and flower balling
Get involved
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