This rose is special to me because it bears the name of one of my family ancestors on my father’s side, the French part. The rose was given to me by Gail Trimble, and that makes it even more special. It is a hybrid perpetual and retains the old rose form. It has large, globular buds that open to lovely multi-petaled flowers, in a deep pink. The flowers are full, flat and quartered that do fade as they age and make lovely cut flowers. The bush is compact, has nice foliage with lots of red prickles (thorns) on its stiff canes. Mainly it blooms in summer, and rarely has much in repeat blooms, which is common in the older roses. Hybridized in 1842 by Deprez in France, its ownership was sold to Cochet (the senior) for 100 francs (probably A LOT of money at that time). Amazingly it is the oldest variety of its class still being sold.
Hybrid Perpetuals are interesting roses, a result of a fusion between the Bourbons and almost any other parent that came along. Eventually they became known as Hybrid Perpetuals as early as the 1820’s. Unfortunately, many of these roses no longer exist, and only the very hardy survived. Many are still grown in today’s modern rose gardens, such as ‘Baronne Prevost’, ‘Reine des Violettes’, ‘Baroness Rothschild’, ‘Paul Neyron’ and ‘Frau Karl Druschki’ (later changed in England to ‘Snow Queen’ during the First World War).
Most Hybrid Perpetuals can be used as shrubs and pegging them (although not common today) works very well on some of the taller varieties. Some have even sported as climbers, so it is preferable to use the taller varieties at the back of the garden. I actually have this rose in a large pot so I can see and enjoy it close up.
By Barbara Picarelli, Consulting Rosarian Emeritus
Edited for the website by Nanette Londeree, March 2020
Hi Barbara: Thanks for your comments on Baronne Prevost. Regarding your family connection, do you have any idea who the Baronne was after whom the rose was named, and/or other information thereon?
Thanks.
Jeff