Rosa Alba

For years I have called myself a rose lover, but I have completely neglected a significant category of old roses. Finally, this summer, a plantsman of my acquaintance called me on it. “How,” he said, “could you not grow alba roses?”
Of course, I made all the usual excuses, mostly having to do with the fact that I have not yet found a peaceful way to annex my neighbor’s property with its abundant sunny space. However, that excuse did not really hold water, because Albas are one of the few rose types that thrive with somewhat less than six hours of sun per day.
Coincidentally, at about the same time that my rose omission became an issue, the town came and removed several large, dead branches from the sugar maple in front of my house. The tree will be fine, but the surgery created a large patch of significantly sunny space in the front garden. It is now begging to be filled and I have decided that it is past time to invest in some Alba roses.
The origins of the Albas are mostly lost in the mists of time, but they are most likely ancient hybrids. English rosarian Graham Thomas believed that they were derived from at least two species roses, Rosa damascena, native to Asia Minor and the dog rose—Rosa canina—native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia . Over the centuries, at least from the time of the Roman naturalist/statesman, Pliny, in the first century A.C.E., white roses have often been described in literature and depicted in works of art. Many of those celebrated whites may have been Albas.
What makes a rose an Alba? As you might suspect from the name, Alba roses feature double or semi-double petals of white or pale pink. The flowers appear only once a year, in spring or early summer on shrubs that are generally upright, with distinctive gray-green leaves.
One of the chief glories of the Alba roses, in addition to their elegant flower forms, is their scent, which is strongly rosy, with overtones of citrus. This makes them especially desirable in areas where garden visitors congregate.
Now that opportunity has presented itself, I have to think about which Alba rose to chose. Fortunately, many are still available—after all these centuries–from specialty nurseries. Even more fortunately, once established Albas combine beauty with both drought and cold tolerance, so my Albas will have a good chance of survival in the wilds of my front garden.
Probably my first choice will be ‘Great Maiden’s Blush’, a rose that goes by many names, the raciest of which is in French—‘Cuisse de Nymphe’—or “thigh of a nymph”. Somewhere between the color of a French nymph’s thigh and an English maiden’s blush lies the pale pink of this old Alba hybrid. Featuring up to fifty petals, the variety has been known since before the fifteenth century and has been celebrated for almost as long. The petals have a soft, relaxed appearance with a strong fragrance. Because of its hybrid nature, this Alba features green, rather than grayish foliage, but compensates by bearing few prickles. It tends to be rather large—between five to eight feet tall and about five feet wide. However, like most roses, it can be kept in check by pruning after it blooms.
For something whiter, I might try ‘White Rose of York’, or Alba semi-plena. Those who find escape in the currently popular Outlander series of books will appreciate that fact that this shrub is also sometimes known as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Rose’, as the white rose or cockade was a personal emblem of the eighteenth century Stuart claimant to the English throne. ‘White Rose of York’ features the characteristic gray-green foliage and clusters of flowers with eight or more white petals apiece. Each flower’s center bears a lovely boss of golden stamens and exudes a strong fragrance. Like other Albas, ‘White Rose of York’ is a once bloomer that sets attractive red hips in the fall.
A little smaller at up to five feet high and three feet wide, is Félicité Parmentier, featuring an old-fashioned, quartered flower form of up to one hundred twenty shell-pink petals. Bred in the early nineteenth century, ‘Félicité’ bears flowers that age to cream before they fall. The shrub compensates for its once-flowering disposition by producing abundant quantities of blooms with a strong scent.
These varietal considerations make me think that I could probably fit in two Albas—maybe one white and one pink. Since they only flower once, they will need lots of companions with interesting blooms and/or foliage to fill the flower-free months. This provides even more food for thought.
Albas generally flower on old wood, which means that this year’s growth will produce next year’s flowers. Prune after flowering, unless you want rose hips, in which case, you should nip them off when they wither in late summer or early fall. In spring, restrict yourself to trimming out dead wood; otherwise, you will eliminate flowers. Fertilize with fish emulsion, according to manufacturer’s directions and mulch with a couple of inches of organic mulch to keep the roots moist and cool.
Roses that have stood the test of time so well deserve good homes in modern gardens. For an excellent selection of Albas and other Old Garden Roses, try Rogue Valley Roses, PO Box 116, Phoenix OR 97535, (541) 535-1307, www.roguevalleyroses.com.