Rosa 'Cardinal de Richelieu' (G)

Cardinals wear red (mere Bishops wear purple), but no rose is more purple than Cardinal de Richelieu in a good year.  It also has an unusual chromosome count, being triploid whereas most Gallicas are tetraploid: this suggests that Cardinal de Richelieu is probably a hybrid with a diploid China Rose.  The flowers are not large, but full of short, incurved petals-purple with near-white undersides.  When they curl over to make a button-eye, the contrast between the white and the purple is very striking.  The base of the petals is also very pale, with occasional white streaks.  Later the colour fades to mauve and lilac, before the flower drops its petals and shatters tidily.  The flowers usually come in clusters of about three.  The plant has thornless stems and small, shiny, China leaves.  It flowers better than most Gallicas in hot climates.

All the roses we sell are field-grown and lifted when conditions are at their optimum to ensure strong, quality plants and are potted-up as soon as they are received into the nursery. This ensures that the roots do not dry out and gives the plant the best start. Therefore, do not be surprised if the soil falls away from the root when planting, particularly during the winter and early spring months. We use a high quality commercial compost mix when potting our roses and recommend you incorporate this into the planting hole when planting out in the garden.

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