Rose 'Reine des Violettes' - Hybrid Perpetual Rose
A spectacular heritage hybrid perpetual rose producing masses of extraordinary, fully double blooms in rich deep violet-purple tones with exceptional strong fragrance, complemented by glossy grey-green foliage, vigorous upright growth, and remarkable thornless stems, making it perfect for heritage gardens, fragrance displays, pillars, and anywhere historic purple beauty with outstanding aromatic excellence is desired.
Headlines
- Plant Type: Hardy deciduous hybrid perpetual rose
- Eventual Height: 1.5m
- Eventual Spread: 90cm
- Flowering Period: June to September
- Flower Colour: Rich deep violet-purple to cerise lilac
- Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -20 to -15 degrees Celsius (RHS hardiness rating H6)
- Growth Habit: Vigorous, upright shrub, nearly thornless
- Flower Type: Very large fully double blooms 10cm across with 60-75 petals, flat and quartered
- Fragrance: Exceptionally strong, heady fragrance
Overview
Rose 'Reine des Violettes' stands as one of the most celebrated heritage roses, aptly named "Queen of the Violets" and bred by Millet-Malet in France in 1860, offering gardeners the most intensely purple rose available with exceptional fragrance and historic significance. This extraordinary hybrid perpetual produces masses of very large fully double blooms measuring 10cm across with 60-75 velvety petals that open flat and quartered, showcasing rich deep violet-purple colouring that deepens from initial mauve tones to stunning purple-pink intensity. The spectacular blooms display classic old rose form with distinctive flat, quartered presentation that reveals the intricate beauty of the substantial petal arrangement, whilst the exceptionally strong heady fragrance adds aromatic dimension that enhances any heritage garden setting. With its vigorous upright growth, distinctive glossy grey-green foliage, remarkable thornless stems, RHS Award of Garden Merit recognition, and excellent repeat flowering from summer through autumn, 'Reine des Violettes' delivers outstanding garden performance with unmatched historic purple beauty, making it ideal for heritage plantings, fragrance gardens, pillar training, and anywhere exceptional purple excellence with heritage significance is desired.
Key Features
The outstanding appeal of 'Reine des Violettes' lies in its masses of extraordinary, fully double blooms that showcase perfect old rose form with exceptional deep violet-purple colouring and remarkable aromatic intensity. Each flower displays rich velvety petals in deep violet-purple tones arranged in classic flat, quartered formation with 60-75 substantial petals, measuring 10cm across and creating blooms of remarkable presence and garden drama. The unique deep purple colouring provides spectacular displays that evolve from mauve to intense purple-pink, creating dynamic colour interest that symbolises royalty and historic elegance. The flowers are produced abundantly in flushes throughout the growing season, opening from beautifully formed buds that add elegant anticipation to the heritage garden display. The exceptionally strong heady fragrance, noted by experts as marvellous, complements the spectacular visual impact, creating memorable garden experiences that enhance both heritage garden themes and everyday garden enjoyment with historic purple magnificence.
Growth Characteristics
This hybrid perpetual rose displays vigorous upright growth with shrub habit, reaching 2m in height with a generous spread of 150cm, or can be trained as a climber to 300cm, creating impressive garden presence that commands attention throughout the growing season. The remarkable nearly thornless stems provide exceptional ease of handling and maintenance, making this variety particularly valuable for heritage gardens and areas where safe access is important. The distinctive glossy grey-green foliage is produced abundantly, creating attractive backdrop that perfectly complements the deep violet-purple blooms whilst maintaining excellent appearance throughout the growing season. The vigorous yet manageable growth, described as chunky and substantial, ensures reliable flowering whilst creating impressive garden impact that fits well into diverse heritage garden settings from borders to pillar training.
Flowering Performance
From early summer with excellent repeat blooming through autumn, 'Reine des Violettes' delivers exceptional flowering displays with abundant blooming in flushes that continues consistently throughout the extended growing season. The plant produces masses of very large, fully double flowers continuously, creating substantial visual impact with reliable performance that ensures ongoing heritage celebration. The individual blooms develop with classic old rose flat and quartered form, allowing gardeners to appreciate the perfect deep purple colour evolution and exceptional fragrance intensity, whilst the substantial 60-75 petal structure ensures each flower maintains its elegant appearance for extended periods. The repeat blooming nature ensures spectacular displays throughout the season, with the abundant violet-purple blooms providing continuous focal points that enhance heritage spaces with their unique colour and exceptional fragrance.
Growing Conditions
'Reine des Violettes' thrives in full sun to partial shade with fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, requiring good drainage whilst maintaining consistent moisture for optimal performance and fragrance development. The rose adapts well to moderately fertile soils and responds excellently to both sunny and partially shaded aspects, making it more versatile than most roses where the deep violet-purple colours can be appreciated and the exceptional fragrance can be enjoyed. For best results, plant in positions with good air circulation, incorporating well-rotted organic matter to support the vigorous flowering and healthy foliage development. The variety benefits from regular feeding and responds well to heritage rose care practices, whilst the substantial size makes it suitable for diverse garden situations from heritage beds to pillar training.
Hardiness and Disease Resistance
One of the most notable features of 'Reine des Violettes' is its good disease resistance and excellent hardiness, which significantly reduces maintenance requirements and ensures healthy growth throughout the season. The variety demonstrates strong natural resistance typical of heritage roses, making it more resilient than many modern varieties and particularly suitable for low-maintenance heritage plantings where reliable performance is essential. The healthy glossy grey-green foliage remains attractive and vigorous throughout the growing season, providing excellent backdrop for the spectacular purple blooms.
Care and Maintenance
'Reine des Violettes' requires standard heritage rose maintenance with particular attention to hard pruning in early spring to maintain compact growth and achieve optimal flowering performance. Apply balanced rose fertiliser in early spring and again in early summer, with regular deep watering during dry periods to support the vigorous growth and abundant flower production. The good disease resistance and thornless stems mean this variety requires minimal intervention beyond standard care practices, making it suitable for heritage gardeners seeking reliable historic plantings with exceptional fragrance. Regular deadheading after first flush encourages repeat blooming and maintains the spectacular display throughout the season, whilst the recommended hard pruning in late winter maintains the chunky shrub shape and promotes strong new growth for optimal flowering performance.
Garden Applications
'Reine des Violettes' excels in heritage gardens and fragrance displays where its historic significance and spectacular purple performance can be fully appreciated. The extraordinary violet-purple blooms make it ideal for period plantings, heritage rose collections, and special displays where authentic historic beauty and exceptional fragrance are essential. Perfect for training on pillars, obelisks, or walls, this rose provides outstanding versatility with RHS Award of Garden Merit recognition. The vigorous growth and abundant flowering make it particularly suitable for creating dramatic displays in heritage settings, whilst the substantial size ensures it creates impressive focal points in diverse garden settings from traditional heritage borders to contemporary landscapes celebrating historic roses.
Container Growing
The substantial size makes 'Reine des Violettes' suitable for large container cultivation for patios, courtyards, and heritage displays. The rose thrives in very large containers where its violet-purple blooms can create spectacular focal points and the exceptional fragrance can be appreciated at close quarters, making it perfect for terraces and seating areas where historic beauty is desired. Choose containers at least 70cm wide and deep with excellent drainage, using high-quality multipurpose compost enriched with slow-release fertiliser. Container-grown specimens require more frequent watering and feeding than ground-planted roses, but the spectacular heritage displays and exceptional fragrance make this worthwhile for special heritage plantings and historic garden celebrations.
Seasonal Interest
Throughout the growing season, 'Reine des Violettes' provides exceptional seasonal interest with continuous purple colour evolution and reliable aromatic performance. Spring brings the emergence of distinctive glossy grey-green foliage and the first beautifully formed buds, building anticipation for the main flowering display. The spectacular violet-purple blooms from early summer with good repeat through autumn provide months of evolving colour that maintains historic beauty throughout the season, creating consistent heritage impact with royal purple appeal. The attractive grey-green foliage remains healthy throughout the season with good disease resistance, providing perfect backdrop for the spectacular flower displays, whilst the vigorous upright branching structure provides strong architectural interest during dormant periods.
Fragrance Profile
'Reine des Violettes' features exceptionally strong heady fragrance that complements the spectacular visual display and enhances the heritage garden experience with outstanding aromatic excellence. The powerful fragrance, described as marvellous by rose experts, adds exceptional aromatic interest to heritage spaces whilst making this rose particularly valuable for fragrance gardens where both visual beauty and intense aromatic qualities celebrate historic rose breeding. The strong heady scent enhances heritage garden atmosphere and makes this variety essential for areas where fragrance contributes significantly to the garden experience, particularly near heritage seating areas, pathways, and windows where the exceptional aromatic qualities can be fully appreciated.
Companion Planting
The unique deep violet-purple colouring of 'Reine des Violettes' provides excellent opportunities for companion planting with complementary heritage garden plants and sophisticated colour schemes. The rich purple tones work magnificently with white and cream flowers for elegant heritage contrast that highlights both the historic significance and garden beauty, whilst pink and lilac flowers create harmonious colour displays. Silver and grey foliage plants complement the purple tones whilst enhancing the grey-green rose foliage. The vigorous growth makes it suitable for planting with heritage perennials and herbs that enhance the garden's historic atmosphere throughout the growing season.
Heritage and Innovation
'Reine des Violettes' represents exceptional hybrid perpetual breeding achievement by Millet-Malet in France in 1860, created during the golden age of rose breeding to achieve the deepest purple colouring possible with outstanding garden performance. The variety demonstrates historic breeding excellence that successfully integrated unique deep purple colour with exceptional fragrance, thornless stems, and excellent disease resistance, creating a rose that satisfies both heritage garden purposes and practical gardening requirements. The breeding achievement, recognised with RHS Award of Garden Merit, represents historic horticultural significance that makes this variety particularly valuable for heritage plantings and historic garden recreation.
Historic Significance
One of the most valued features of 'Reine des Violettes' is its authentic historic heritage from 1860 and status as "Queen of the Violets," making it uniquely meaningful for heritage garden displays and historic plantings. The deep violet-purple colour represents the pinnacle of 19th-century breeding achievement in purple roses, whilst the exceptional fragrance and thornless character demonstrate the sophistication of heritage rose breeding. This historic significance, combined with RHS recognition and exceptional garden performance, makes it particularly appealing to gardeners seeking roses with both authentic heritage meaning and practical excellence for creating historically accurate garden experiences.
Fragrance Garden Excellence
The exceptional fragrance qualities make 'Reine des Violettes' particularly valuable for gardeners who wish to create authentic heritage fragrance gardens and celebrate historic aromatic roses. The exceptionally strong heady fragrance, noted as marvellous by rose experts, creates outstanding aromatic displays that provide lasting garden enjoyment whilst maintaining the historic significance of heritage rose breeding. The abundant repeat flowering ensures continuous fragrance throughout the season whilst maintaining heritage garden displays, making it ideal for both heritage garden beauty and exceptional aromatic garden experiences.
Why Choose 'Reine des Violettes'?
Rose 'Reine des Violettes' represents the perfect combination of authentic heritage significance, exceptional performance, and unique purple beauty. The masses of extraordinary violet-purple blooms with their exceptionally strong fragrance provide spectacular heritage displays from early summer with good repeat through autumn, whilst the vigorous growth, thornless stems, and excellent disease resistance ensure reliable performance with heritage garden practices. Whether grown for heritage gardens, fragrance displays, historic plantings, or simply for its exceptional beauty and authentic historic significance, this outstanding hybrid perpetual rose offers unique value that combines meaningful heritage importance with outstanding garden excellence, creating lasting memories and enduring beauty that celebrates the golden age of rose breeding and the achievement of the deepest purple rose colouring in any heritage garden setting.
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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