Coupe d’Hébé – historical Bourbon shrub rose propagation material
Heritage character and fragrance-driven appeal make Coupe d’Hébé a convincing choice where romantic historic Bourbon identity supports specialist ranges focused on collection value and scented garden schemes. Supplied as pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own-root tray-rooted cuttings, it offers a predictable propagation base for premium 5–7 L container production and bush-trained plants with discreet support, suitable for park, specimen and flower-bed use in thematic rose gardens. Its medium disease profile with resistance to powdery mildew and black spot sits well in UK nursery systems where winter hardiness down to H7 is valued, providing confidence for long-lived, renewable stands that can underpin retail collector and specialty channels. Over time, year one root establishment, year two structural shoot build-up and year three full ornamental performance help stabilise quality and scheduling for nursery, wholesale, integrator and institutional partners, while its suitability for cooler regions supports reliable cropping even where winters are long and demanding.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Heritage Scented 5–7 L Bush – Own-root, bush-trained Coupe d’Hébé with discreet support in 5–7 L pots, marketed on historic Bourbon identity and very strong fragrance – target: selection/specialty retail and collector channels.
- Park Feature Historic Rose – Taller, pre-trained plants for park and institutional planting, produced from NEONATAL stock for structural reliability and cold hardiness, offered as a premium shrub-type unit – target: public-realm and municipal project suppliers.
- Romantic Border Collection – Colour-coordinated, mid- to shell-pink historic roses grouped as a themed range, using homogeneous own-root batches for consistent presentation – target: design-led garden centres and show-garden partners.
- Scented Cut-Flower Niche Line – Plants grown on for dual ornamental and on-site cutting use, leveraging remontant flowering and strong fragrance in curated displays – target: speciality retailers serving hobby cutting gardens and scented borders.
- Collector’s Bourbon Reference Plant – Authenticated historic Bourbon cultivar supplied as a stable own-root unit for gene-bank, mother-stock and collection roles, underpinning long-term propagation plans – target: heritage-focused nurseries and collection managers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Current trade name Coupe d’Hébé Heritage rose Laffay, American Rose Society exhibition name Coupe d’Hébé, commercial type historical Bourbon rose, unregistered cultivar in the historical rose commercial group. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bourbon rose crossed with a Rosa chinensis hybrid, bred by Jean Laffay in France around 1840, first distributed by Camden Park in Australia and introduced to commerce in 1850; breeding company not provided. |
| Awards and recognition |
Not provided; no specific competition results, collector recommendations, horticultural ratings or global awards have been recorded for this cultivar in the available data. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Climbing growth with dense, slightly glossy, light green foliage, typically 200–300 cm high and 120–200 cm spread; densely thorned shoots benefit from bush training and discreet support in managed garden or park settings. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, cupped, double flowers with 26–39 petals, generally solitary on the stem; remontant with a lighter second flush, and weak self-cleaning so regular deadheading is advisable to maintain appearance and encourage flowering. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pink flowers, ARS code dp, RHS 68C outer and 68D inner; buds deep purplish pink, opening to uniform warm mid-pink that fades to pastel shell-pink and soft mauve or mallow tones as blooms age, with modest overall colour retention. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, classic rose fragrance detectable from a distance; double blooms reduce pollinator access so the variety functions primarily as an ornamental and scented feature rather than a pollinator-supporting planting choice. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional spherical orange hips, about 15–22 mm in diameter, may develop where flowers are not deadheaded; hips are mainly of visual interest rather than a core production feature or commercial selling point. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Medium overall disease resistance with good resistance to powdery mildew and black spot but only medium tolerance of rust; hardy to approximately −26 to −23 °C, RHS H7, corresponding to Swedish Zone 4 and USDA Zone 5b conditions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Recommended for flower beds, parks, specimen planting, scented gardens and cut flowers; moderate maintenance with some pest control and deadheading, best released as bush-trained plants with discreet support via premium 5–7 L container routes. |
Coupe d’Hébé offers historic Bourbon character, very strong fragrance and cold-hardy own-root reliability, giving nurseries predictable, regenerating long-lived stock worth discussing for future capacity and scheduling.
