Antique Rose—-Rosa gallica

This is the last of the famous four (alba, damask, centifolia and gallica).   I would like to see all of them growing side by side to differentiate between the foliage and blossoms.  Any ideas where?  The gallica is known as the apothecary’s rose.  An apothecary in the old days was the pharmacist, herbalist or medical practitioner.  This rose was a staple in the medicine chest, and is still in use today.  Gallica rose is a two to four foot shrub that will send up suckers, which is good for a hedge, annoying in the garden.  Stems are moderately prickly and hips and fall foliage are red.  Blooms come in single to fully double and, like the other old roses, range in white to deep pink, with some swirled and striped.  Rosa gallica has a scent that is lasting and lingering.  Of interest to us in this land of tall trees and rocky clay, this plant can tolerate some shade and poor soils.  Rosa gallica plants still persist in some very old European gardens.  An enduring rose.

Gallica Rose 'scarlet fire'

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