Botzaris – cream-white historic Damask rose – Robert
Historic damask shrub Botzaris offers a specialty option for nurseries seeking heritage authenticity in premium-container production, combining moderately vigorous, bushy structure with once-flowering, very double rosette blooms ideal for collection and fragrance-led thematic ranges. The strong, long-lasting damask fragrance supports high-end “fragrance garden” positioning, while the pure cream-white to snow-white colour holds well in UK light, providing reliable display for show gardens and curated park settings that echo traditional plantings. Own-root propagation in the pharmaROSA® NEONATAL system gives a stable, renewable base for specialist nursery and wholesale lines, supporting homogeneous blocks, low replacement rates and predictable capacity planning, with H7 hardiness and USDA 4b performance aligning well with Scottish and northern English schemes where winter resilience and wind exposure are critical. Used as bush-trained with discreet support in 5–7 L premium containers, it is well suited to specialist retailers and collector-focused channels looking to build historic damask segments with reliable identity and long-term planting value that develops through roots in year one, framework in year two and full ornamental presence from year three onward.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L heritage shrub – bush-trained, discreetly supported plants in 5–7 L premium containers, emphasising historic damask origin and strong fragrance for specialty retail benches – retail/collector channels.
- Fragrance-garden signature piece – selected, well-branched specimens for thematic fragrance gardens, supplied as premium container stock with clear story and traditional ambiance – public-realm and show-garden projects.
- Historic cut-and-garden rose – dual-purpose plants positioned for both garden use and occasional heritage cut stems, focusing on flower form and perfume from medium maintenance shrub production – boutique heritage outlets.
- Cold-climate heritage collection block – own-root plants used to build hardy, renewable stock blocks for historic collections in colder regions, leveraging H7 hardiness and stable assortment planning – northern-region nurseries.
- Estate and park feature shrub – groups of uniform shrubs for traditional park beds and estate borders, using premium-container material for quick establishment and a concentrated once-flowering display – public-sector contractors.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Historic damask–Hybrid Gallica shrub rose marketed as Botzaris, part of a Heritage rose collection, also referenced as Botzaris Heritage rose Robert, with no registered cultivar name recorded to date. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by François André Robert in Angers, France, around 1856, introduced commercially the same year by Pépinières Robert; parentage remains unknown and the cultivar is unregistered in formal listing systems. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, slightly spreading shrub 105–155 cm high and 75–125 cm wide with moderately dense, dark green, slightly glossy foliage and dense prickling, forming a solid, traditional shrub framework under bush-training. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, 1.5–2.75 inch, very double rosette flowers with over 40 petals, produced mainly as solitary blooms; not remontant, giving a single flowering period that concentrates its ornamental and fragrance impact. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cream-white buds with slight pinkish tint open to white-cream flowers with buttery-yellow centres, maturing to uniformly snow-white discs; colour retention is good, though centres fade and petals may scorch under strong sun. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, long-lasting damask perfume typical of historic fragrance roses, providing a clear scent signature for thematic plantings and fragrance gardens; the fully double blooms prioritise ornamental and olfactory effect over pollinator value. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose hips are formed only occasionally; bottle-shaped, 14–22 mm diameter, orange-red (RHS 40A), adding limited late-season interest but not a primary feature for most production or design uses. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated H7 with USDA zone 4b and Swedish zone 5 suitability, tolerating -32 to -29 °C; disease resistance is medium to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, requiring periodic protection under higher-pressure conditions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to flower beds, specimen planting, parks and cut use; best grown as bush-trained with discreet support, in premium container, specialty production for retail collectors, with medium maintenance and occasional plant protection needs. |
Botzaris combines historic identity, strong damask fragrance and robust cold-climate performance on a predictable, regenerative own-root base, making it a dependable choice for heritage-focused programmes where we can jointly plan volumes and timing.
