The other day I needed a rose—a special rose with certain very specific characteristics. It had to have beautiful blossoms, decent-looking leaves and a repeat blooming habit. Fragrance was a given. This much-needed plant also had to be pest and disease resistant and require very little care.
Hearing all of that, some people might point me at the nearest big-box store while intoning the words, “Buy a Knock-Out rose.” Even if those people were family members or best friends, I would not oblige them. Knock Out roses are perfect at some times and in some places, but they lack fragrance and character. In short, Knock Outs may be hot, but they leave me cold.
I wanted the rose for the garden at my summer cottage, where a sunny spot awaited it. I don’t get to the cottage as much as I would like, hence the need for a plant that can get along on its own most of the time. The soil is heavy, sticky clay, leavened by rocks of all sizes, so the rose had to be indestructible. Vacation was coming to an end and the window of opportunity for rose selection and installation was narrow. After a certain amount of fruitless trolling through local garden centers, I had begun to think that my rose acquisition would have to wait until next summer.
Then I saw the rose—‘Blanc Double de Coubert’—which translates to ‘Coubert’s Double White’ in English. It was a big, healthy specimen and apparently, the only one of its variety left at the nursery where I found it. Three years ago I sought ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ in the same local nurseries and couldn’t find it. This time, it was not only waiting for me, but was sitting right by a sign that said, “All roses 30% off.” I was sold.
‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ is a French hybrid variety descended from Rosa rugosa, a species native to Japan. The hybrid was introduced over one hundred years ago, in 1892 or 1893, by a rose breeder with the equally impressive name of Charles Pierre Marie Cochet-Cochet. I figured that a Japanese rose that ventured to France, traveled in elevated horticultural circles and acquired a fancy name along with a few extra petals would add a great deal of interest to my American garden.
Gardeners who live in or near coastal areas may know the species rugosa rose because it has naturalized along dunes and other places that bound the beach. When the shrubs are out of bloom, they are notable for their oval-shaped, wrinkled or rugose leaves. These sprout on arching canes that adorn themselves with single-petaled flowers in shades of rose, pink or white. Once the petals fade, the hips continue the job of making the plants memorable. As big as cherry tomatoes, they are bright red and stand out in the late summer and early fall. Needless to say, rugosas are tolerant of wind and salt spray.
‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ differs from its rugosa species parent because it bears semi-double flowers with ten to twenty petals apiece. The blooms burst forth in clusters that are most plentiful in mid to late spring, but reappear in flushes throughout the growing season. Some people call this French-born beauty “the muslin rose,” because the pure, white flowers are the color of bleached muslin. That intense whiteness is matched by their strong, sweet-spicy fragrance. A healthy, bloom-covered ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ perfumes the air in its environs and is heady enough to make passers-by stop and sniff appreciatively. These virtues, plus extreme hardiness and overall good garden performance led the Royal Horticultural Society to bestow its Award of Garden Merit on ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’.
Of course, beauty always comes at a price and with rugosas, the price is prickles. ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’s canes are covered with small prickles and you should wear stout gloves while clipping blooms or doing routine maintenance on the plant. Fortunately you can confine those maintenance activities to pruning out dead wood in the spring, shaping the plant to your liking and deadheading spent blossoms to encourage rebloom. Unlike many light-colored roses, it is not susceptible to blackspot or other fungal diseases. The shrubs are also somewhat shade tolerant, but as with all “shade tolerant” roses—including Knock Outs—“shade” means very light shade, not Stygian darkness.
With the help of a sharp spade, pickaxe and a lot of compost, ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ is now installed in the summer cottage garden. It has one small flower bud already—a sign of hope for the future. I look forward to seeing masses of flowers and clusters of bright hips next spring and summer.
If you would like your own ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’, you may find it, as I did, in a good local nursery. If you come up empty, order from Heirloom Roses, 24062 Riverside Drive NE, St. Paul, Oregon 97137; (503) 538-1576; http://www.heirloomroses.com. Print catalog $3.00.