Rose 'Ferdinand Pichard' - Shrub Rose
Rose 'Ferdinand Pichard' is a truly spectacular Hybrid Perpetual rose introduced in 1921 that never fails to attract attention and admiration. This extraordinary shrub rose is celebrated for its stunning striped blooms in vivid shades of crimson, pink, and white, making it one of the most eye-catching and distinctive roses you can grow. Combined with excellent repeat-flowering, a delicious fragrance, and a compact, manageable size, 'Ferdinand Pichard' offers everyday gardeners a unique opportunity to grow something genuinely special without requiring expert skills or excessive maintenance. It's a conversation starter that delivers drama and colour from early summer through to autumn.
Flower Characteristics
The blooms of 'Ferdinand Pichard' are absolutely spectacular and utterly unique. Each flower measures 8-10 cm across and displays a cupped, fully double form with 25-30 petals arranged in a quartered pattern typical of old roses. The colour is what makes this rose truly unforgettable—each bloom is boldly striped and splashed with crimson-red, pink, and white in random, painterly patterns. No two flowers are exactly alike, and the markings vary in intensity depending on weather conditions, temperature, and the stage of the season. In cooler weather, the crimson stripes are deeper and more vivid; in hot conditions, the colours may be softer and more blended.
The flowers open from plump, striped buds and are produced both singly and in small clusters of 3-5 blooms. They have a lovely, rich fragrance—sweet and traditionally 'rosy' with damask undertones. The scent is moderate to strong and most noticeable on warm days. These dramatic blooms are excellent for cutting and make spectacular, long-lasting additions to flower arrangements where they invariably become the focal point.
Flowering Period
'Ferdinand Pichard' is classified as a Hybrid Perpetual, which means it offers good repeat-flowering throughout the season—a valuable trait that sets it apart from many other striped roses which flower only once. The first flush appears in June and is usually the most spectacular, producing masses of vividly striped blooms that cover the plant. After a brief rest, the rose continues to produce flowers intermittently throughout summer, with often another generous flush in autumn. The autumn blooms are frequently the most intensely coloured. Regular deadheading of spent flowers significantly encourages continued blooming and helps maintain the plant's appearance.
Growth Habit and Size
'Ferdinand Pichard' forms a compact, upright, bushy shrub that typically reaches 1.2-1.5 metres in height with a spread of approximately 1 metre. The growth is vigorous but well-behaved, with strong, sturdy stems that hold the blooms upright without flopping—an important advantage when dealing with the weight of fully double flowers. The compact size makes this rose particularly suitable for smaller gardens, the front to middle sections of borders, or even large containers.
The foliage is medium to dark green, semi-glossy, and reasonably abundant, providing an attractive backdrop for the dramatic blooms. The leaves are typical of Hybrid Perpetual roses—slightly coarse in texture but healthy and robust.
Hardiness and Climate Suitability
This rose is fully hardy throughout the UK and similar temperate climates, reliably tolerating winter temperatures down to -20°C (USDA Zone 5). 'Ferdinand Pichard' performs well in British conditions, thriving in the cool summers that can challenge some modern roses. The robust Hybrid Perpetual heritage gives it excellent cold tolerance and the ability to flourish in northern gardens and exposed positions. The vivid striping is actually enhanced by cooler growing conditions, so this rose is particularly well-suited to UK gardens.
Ideal Growing Conditions
Sunlight: Plant in full sun for optimal flowering and the most vivid colour striping—at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. 'Ferdinand Pichard' will tolerate partial shade but may produce fewer blooms and less dramatic colouring in shadier positions.
Soil: This rose prefers rich, fertile, moisture-retentive soil with good drainage. Heavy clay soils should be improved with organic matter and grit to enhance drainage, whilst lighter sandy soils benefit from generous additions of compost or well-rotted manure to increase water retention and fertility. Aim for a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0).
Water: Maintain consistent soil moisture, particularly during establishment and dry periods. Water deeply at the base of the plant rather than from overhead to minimise the risk of fungal diseases and to prevent water spots on the flowers.
Spacing: Allow 90-120 cm between plants to ensure adequate air circulation and room for the mature spread.
Planting and Care
Planting: The optimal planting time for bare-root roses is during the dormant season from late autumn through early spring (November-March), though container-grown plants can be planted at any time if kept well watered. Dig a hole approximately 45 cm wide and deep, incorporate plenty of well-rotted organic matter, and position the graft union just below the soil surface.
Feeding: Apply a balanced rose fertiliser in early spring as new growth emerges, then feed again after the first flush of flowers to support repeat blooming throughout summer and autumn. A spring mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost provides slow-release nutrients whilst improving soil structure and moisture retention.
Pruning: Prune in late winter or early spring (February-March) whilst the plant is dormant. Remove any dead, diseased, damaged, or crossing stems, then reduce the remaining healthy growth by approximately one-third to one-half, cutting just above outward-facing buds. This encourages an open, vase-shaped structure with good air circulation and promotes vigorous new flowering growth. Regular deadheading throughout the growing season—removing spent blooms and their stems back to the first set of healthy leaves—encourages continuous flowering and keeps the plant looking tidy.
Mulching: Apply a 5-7 cm layer of organic mulch each spring, keeping it clear of the base of the stems to prevent collar rot. Mulch helps conserve moisture, suppresses weeds, moderates soil temperature, and gradually improves soil fertility.
Disease Resistance
'Ferdinand Pichard' has moderate disease resistance typical of Hybrid Perpetual roses. It can be susceptible to blackspot, particularly in humid conditions, wet seasons, or if planted in areas with poor air circulation. Powdery mildew may occasionally appear during dry spells with cool nights. Preventative measures make a significant difference: ensure adequate spacing between plants, remove and dispose of fallen leaves (particularly in autumn), avoid overhead watering, and ensure good air flow around the plant. In areas prone to disease or during particularly wet seasons, preventative spraying with an organic or conventional fungicide may be beneficial. Despite these considerations, many gardeners find that good cultural practices are sufficient to keep the plant healthy and that any minor disease issues are a small price to pay for the spectacular flowers.
Garden Uses
This dramatic rose excels in various garden situations:
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Mixed borders: The striking striped blooms create a focal point and work beautifully with both bold and subtle planting schemes
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Cottage gardens: The old-fashioned flower form and exuberant colouring suit informal, romantic settings perfectly
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Formal gardens: The compact, upright habit and regular flowering work well in structured designs
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Rose borders: Makes an excellent companion to solid-coloured roses, providing exciting contrast
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Small gardens: The modest size makes it ideal where space is limited
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Containers: Grows successfully in large pots (minimum 45-50 cm diameter) on patios or terraces
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Cutting gardens: The dramatic blooms are exceptional for flower arrangements and always steal the show
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Specimen planting: Deserves a prominent position where the unique flowers can be fully appreciated
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Front to middle border positions: The height is perfect for layered planting schemes
Companion Planting
'Ferdinand Pichard' pairs beautifully with:
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White flowers such as white roses, white Japanese anemones, or white phlox to calm the bold striping and provide contrast
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Silver foliage plants like artemisia, santolina, or lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) to soften and complement the dramatic colours
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Deep purple flowers such as salvias, catmint (Nepeta), or hardy geraniums to harmonise with the crimson tones
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Soft pink flowers like Geranium 'Rozanne' or pink lavender to echo the pink striping
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Grey-green foliage plants to provide a neutral backdrop
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Simple, single-flowered plants to avoid competing with the complex striped blooms
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Alliums with spherical purple flowers for structural contrast
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White delphiniums for vertical interest
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Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) to soften the base
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Deep crimson roses to complement the red striping
Why Choose 'Ferdinand Pichard'?
'Ferdinand Pichard' is unlike any other rose in the garden—its bold, striped blooms are genuinely unique and never fail to impress visitors. For everyday gardeners who want something truly special and distinctive without growing difficult or temperamental plants, this rose is an excellent choice. The dramatic visual impact is combined with practical virtues: good repeat-flowering means months of colour rather than a brief display, the compact size suits modern gardens, and the strong stems hold the flowers upright without staking.
The striped flowers are endlessly fascinating because they vary so much—different weather conditions, temperatures, and stages of the season all influence the intensity and distribution of the colours. Some blooms may be heavily striped with deep crimson, others may show softer pink splashes, and occasionally you'll find flowers that are almost entirely crimson or pink with just traces of striping. This variability means the rose never becomes boring or predictable.
The compact, manageable size is particularly appealing for smaller gardens or for planting in containers on patios where the spectacular blooms can be enjoyed up close. Unlike some large, sprawling roses that can overwhelm small spaces, 'Ferdinand Pichard' stays neat and proportionate whilst still delivering abundant flowers.
The old rose form—fully double, cupped, and quartered—combined with the lovely fragrance, gives this rose genuine romantic appeal despite its bold colouring. It bridges the gap between traditional old roses and more modern, eye-catching varieties, offering the best of both worlds.
Whether you're creating a cottage garden and want something dramatic amongst softer colours, planning a rose collection and need a unique specimen, seeking an attention-grabbing focal point for a mixed border, wanting a special rose for containers near seating areas, or simply desiring something genuinely different that will make people stop and stare, 'Ferdinand Pichard' is an outstanding choice. It's a rose that proves you don't need acres of space or expert knowledge to grow something truly spectacular. With straightforward care and regular deadheading, this remarkable striped rose will reward you with months of breathtaking blooms and endless admiration from everyone who sees it.
Reasons to Buy Roses from Jacksons Nurseries
(1) ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot
Buy with confidence from the only online rose grower rated ‘Excellent’ 4.9* on Trustpilot. We have been a trusted supplier of roses for 3 generations. We take pride in growing our own roses in the field before potting them up, allowing for meticulous quality control to sale.
(2) Best Prices Guaranteed – Direct from the Grower
Save £££s by buying direct from a grower you can trust. We’ve already price checked all of our roses against competitors so you don’t have to. We are so confident we offer the best value, if you find a rose of the same type and grade elsewhere, we’ll beat it by 10%.
(3) 12 Month Plants Guarantee
We offer a 12 month guarantee on every plant that you buy from us that we have classified as Fully Hardy. If a plant you've bought from us fails in the first year, we will either replace it or refund you. See our satisfaction guarantee page for more details and conditions.
(4) Third generation family-owned nursery specialising in roses
Jackson’s Nurseries is a 3rd generation family owned business which has been growing roses for over 60 years. Roses have always been our specialty, as you can see from the colourful array of blooms in the background to the old family photo below. Today, we offer over 200 different varieties of floribundas, hybrid teas, patio, shrub and David Austin roses. Our roses are initially grown in the field before being potted up for website dispatch.
(5) Grown at altitude to produce strong, healthy plants
Our North Staffordshire nursery is situated at 250 metres above sea level, producing strong, hardy plants that will thrive in your garden. Our nursery sits on clay, so you can be sure our roses can handle heavy soil too.
(6) Help & Advice and Aftercare
We are help to help you with any help and advice you need in choosing, planting and growing your roses before, during and after your purchase from us. The help and advice section of our website has extensive information, see below some examples of articles you may find useful:
- Different types of roses and what they each mean
- Guide to climbing roses
- Guide to floribunda roses
- Guide to hybrid tea roses
- How to plant a climbing rose
- How to grow hybrid tea roses
How our roses are supplied through the seasons
All our roses are cultivated in an open field and are carefully dug up when the weather is optimal, typically in October or November. While other nurseries supply roses bare root, once our field-grown roses have been potted up we supply them freshly potted. This better protects the roots and helps keep them moist in transit, ensuring your roses arrive as healthy as when they left our nursery. So don’t be alarmed if the compost comes away from the roots when you remove them from the pot.
The roses can remain in their pots over the winter, as long as they are properly watered and fed, but it's best to plant them out as soon as possible. If you do plant them straight away make sure the planting mix is prepared first, hold the root close to the top of the hole as you tip the pot upside down and try to keep as much compost as possible from falling away. They will already be pruned, so no additional pruning is needed except for trimming any dead tips. Regular pruning can start in late winter, the year after planting.
Rose Types
Hybrid Tea Roses (HT)
Hybrid Tea roses are probably the most popular group of roses, available in both bush and standard form they have long flower stems and shapely blooms. Blooms are typically medium to large in size, with many petals which form a distinct central cone.
Floribunda Roses (FL)
Floribunda roses bears its flowers in clusters or trusses, with several blooms open at time in each truss. A popular choice the Floribunda rose group is unrivalled for colour, reliability and longevity as a bedding display however the flower form in generally inferior to the Hybrid Tea.
Patio Roses (PATIO)
Patio roses were introduced in the 1980’s and the group now contains several popular varieties. Generally low-growing roses that were once grouped with the Floribuna group but have now been put in their own group of compact versions. Usually growing about 50cm high they make excellent plants for patio containers or at the front of borders.
Climbing Roses (CLM)
Climbing roses as the name suggests are the perfect choice for covering a wall or screen. Often grouped together with Ramblers, Climbers tend to have stiffer stems, larger flowers but smaller trusses than Ramblers.
Rambling Roses (RAM)
Rambling roses are often grouped with Climbing Roses but the ramblers tend to have a more pliable stems that can be used to run along the soil to use as groundcover or can be used to make weeping standards.
Miniature Roses (MINI)
Miniature roses have increased in popularity in recent years due to their versatility, even grown indoors as temporary pot plants that grow to a maximum height of 40cm. An ideal choice for planting in tubs, edging beds and rockeries.
English Roses (ENG)
Often referred to as Austin or David Austin Roses, English roses are hybrids of old English roses and more modern varieties bread by David Austin to provide the best of both, mixing old rose shapes and scents with more modern colour range, compact habits and repeat flowering.
Planting Advice
Roses like a generous root space, so dig a deep hole approximately twice as wide as the current root system, preferably adding composted organic matter to the soil. Never plant into frozen soil – in winter, await a frost-free period. Carefully remove the pot and gently tease the roots apart to spread them around the hole. Position the plant so that the ‘bud point’ (the place where the shoots emerge from, where the cultivated rose was grafted onto the rootstock) is at soil level. Replace the soil, firming it down gently, then water copiously. Ideally, a general purpose fertiliser should be applied to the surrounding soil as a top dressing. We also highly recommend the use of Rose Rootgrow, which provides a friendly fungus that prevents ‘rose replant syndrome’.
Buying our Roses
Pot Size
Most of our roses are supplied in a 4 litre pot although this may vary slightly depending on rose variety. If the size of pot differes significatly from 4 litres then we will make this clear somewhere on the product page.
Seasonality
Our roses are grown outdoors and as such are subject to seasonal changes. As we sell potted stock throughout the year your rose may not arrive and look like you expect it to. If you are uncertain how your rose will arrive (especially if buying for a gift) then we suggest you contact us prior to making a purchase.
Freshly Potted
Each year a new batch of roses is potted up ready for the following season. Once potted (usually November/December time) they go on sale as 'Freshly Potted'. If you purchase a freshly potted rose and plant it soon after you will find that when removing the rose from the pot there will be a lot of loose soil as the roots will not have had time to grow and bind the compost.
Pruned/Cut Back
In autumn the majority of our roses have finished flowering and begin to look untidy, at this point we prune them quite hard in preparation for the following season. We continue to sell roses throughout the year, when a rose has been pruned in such a way we will identify it has being so. If you are not sure what to expect then please ask prior to making a purchase. Some garden centres/supermarkets sell stock that has been grown abroad or in poly-tunnels so they look 'picture perfect' out of season, while this is ideal for a gift they are short lived once planted.
Aftercare
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