Duc de Cambridge – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
Duc de Cambridge offers a historically significant Damask option for professional growers seeking premium, once-flowering, strongly scented shrub material for specialist ranges. As a 3–6‑month pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own‑root cutting it integrates smoothly into nursery workflows geared to 5–7 L premium containers and bush‑trained production with discreet support, providing a stable base for park, hedge and specimen releases. Its vigorous, bushy habit and dense, matte olive‑green foliage support a dependable structural presence in thematic and collection plantings, while own‑root longevity underpins long‑term stock beds and repeat lifting. Winter‑hardy to typical Scottish and northern conditions, it aligns well with UK nursery and public‑realm supply routes. With medium maintenance needs and moderate disease tolerance it fits managed production systems where authenticity, fragrance and traditional ambience are core selling points, moving from root establishment in year one, framework building in year two and full ornamental performance from year three onward.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- 5–7 L collector’s heritage shrub – Premium 5–7 L bush-trained plants with discreet support, presented as authenticated 1840 Damask history pieces for fragrance gardens and specimens – retail/collector
- Damask fragrance park unit – Own-root, vigorously grown shrubs routed through premium container, specialty lines for planting as scented park groups or hedges with predictable long-term performance – public-realm suppliers
- Historic hedge module – Taller, bushy, densely thorned plants finished in 5–7 L for use as characterful boundary or hedge elements in traditional schemes – landscape/estate channels
- Thematic collection feature – Curated batches highlighting the cultivar’s origin, colour and strong fragrance, supplied as uniform bush-trained shrubs for historic and show-garden projects – thematic/show-garden partners
- Mother-stock container block – Larger, containerised own-root plants maintained as renewable propagation base for niche Damask and historic ranges, supporting continuous semi-finished production – wholesale propagation partners
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Duc de Cambridge is a historical Damask shrub rose marketed in the Historic rose collection; unregistered cultivar, verified authenticity, premium silver rating within pharmaROSA NEONATAL own-root range. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Jean Laffay in France, around 1840, with unknown parentage; introduced circa 1840 as a historical Damask rose now supplied as own-root professional propagation material. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Strong, tall, bushy shrub reaching around 200–300 cm high and 140–220 cm wide, with dense olive-green matte foliage and densely thorned shoots providing solid structural presence. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, very full, rosette-shaped solitary blooms with more than forty petals; once-blooming, non-remontant flowering habit concentrated into a single seasonal display. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Crimson-lilac base colour shifting with weather; buds dark crimson-red, opening to rich purple and bright lilac-pink tones, later fading to mauve-lilac with a soft silvery sheen, colour retention moderate. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, full Damask fragrance with garden-filling intensity, designed for scented gardens and fragrance-focused planting schemes where aromatic performance is a primary selection criterion. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hips only occasionally set due to very double flowers; when present they are pear-shaped, red-orange, around 16–24 mm diameter, potentially adding modest late-season ornamental interest. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately -32 to -29 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 5, USDA 4b); disease resistance moderate overall, with medium susceptibility to powdery mildew, black spot and rust. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to park, specimen, scented garden and hedge uses; medium maintenance and occasional plant protection; release as bush-trained plants with discreet support in premium 5–7 L specialty containers. |
Duc de Cambridge combines vigorous bushy growth, very strong Damask fragrance and dependable own-root longevity into a distinctive historic shrub option; we would welcome a discussion to align volumes, timing and integration into your production plans.
