Centifolia Rose 'Fantin-Latour'

This is one of my favorite roses. I planted it in a trouble spot (partly shady) where a previous rose (later transplanted) had failed to...Read More flourish. It grows very tall with sprawling canes. Over years, pruning canes back to where they are stronger leads to a more upright bush.

The flowers are nice, somewhat large, centifolia-type flowers which last a long time and are quite fragrant, and it tolerates the partial shade better than some others. It grows upwards quite quickly (even in the shade).

I bought this as a bare root plant from David Austin Roses in Autumn 1999. It is planted under the overhang of a large tree, but on a ra...Read Moreised bank, and is quite shaded but does get some sun, mainly in the afternoon. It is often dry because the overhang prevents much rain falling to it, but this does not seem to faze it. I keep it mulched with compost, and give an organic rose fertiliser once when coming into growth.

The shrub does not need to be heavily pruned, a tidy up to remove any dead, crossing or weak stems is sufficient, along with cutting back the previous years flowered stems to a strong shoot. Pruning is normally done in this climate late winter/early spring. Mine has grown to approx. 4' tall, and a little wider, and on it's own makes a substantial display. The leaves are healthy, although greenfly do attack them I remove these by finger method. The leaves do tend to remain on the shrub for much of the winter.

Flowering is once in the season, but it is a good flush and they last a long time, with buds opening in succession so not all are gone at once. Considering the size of the shrub, it competes easily with repeat flowering bush roses. Some other repeat flowering shrubs , in my experience, do not repeat well anyway and do not have the stature of this shrub. It is a nice backdrop to other 'repeat' flowering shrub roses.

The flower shape is typical centifolia with a button eye, cupped at first and opening wider later. It has a scent which is not the old fashioned, 'red rose' scent, but one which is an equally 'old fashioned' rose scent. Simply delicious!

Not a pure Centifolia, despite its classification. Re-discovered and christened by Graham Stuart Thomas, and written up by Derek Fell in ...Read Morehis 1999 book Impressionist Roses

"... Fantin-Latour was little-known in France at the time of his death, for his entire output of paintings -- numbering some 700 floral still lifes -- was taken every year for sale to English art patrons. He was so well respected in England for his paintings of roses that an English nurseryman named a rose for him, ‘Fantin-Latour’. A large, pale-pink shrub rose, it has a swirling petal pattern and a wonderful fruity fragrance..."