Fantin-Latour – pale pink historic centifolia rose – Bunyard
Fantin-Latour offers a historic yet commercially viable option for professional propagation, combining centifolia character with reliable shrub structure suited to premium container and specialty routes. The robust hardiness profile supports projects exposed to winter and wind in northern regions, helping nursery networks service public and collector-focused schemes with confidence through a stable own-root base. Strong, classic rose fragrance, very double rosette flowers and dense, dark green foliage provide a clear step-up for border, park, hedge and specimen applications, while sparsely thorned shoots aid handling and presentation. Moderate disease tolerance aligns with medium-maintenance expectations in UK nursery and landscape practice, and, following the natural pattern of roots consolidating in year one, structural shoots in year two and full ornamental impact from year three, this NEONATAL material underpins predictable, long-lived, own-root finished stock for historic and collection-led ranges.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L historic shrub – Bush-trained, discreetly supported 5–7 L plants emphasising height, spread and dense foliage as a border or park shrub, positioned as a selection/specialty historic offer – target: retail/collector
- Fragrance showcase specimen – Individually labelled, once-flowering specimens highlighting strong, classic fragrance and centifolia heritage, grown in 5–7 L premium containers for feature use – target: retail/collector
- Historic hedge line pack – Batch-consistent, own-root shrubs selected for structural height and foliage, offered as coordinated 5–7 L units for heritage hedge runs and boundary lines – target: retail/collector
- Collection garden centifolia – Clearly documented historic centifolia units for thematic and show gardens, using NEONATAL propagation for identity and long-term stability in 5–7 L container supply – target: retail/collector
- Large heritage feature container – Pre-shaped shrubs intended for 40–50 L final containers, capitalising on fragrance and historic flower character for patios, entrances and display points – target: retail/collector
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Fantin-Latour, a historical centifolia shrub rose marketed as Fantin-Latour Historic rose Bunyard; unregistered variety with authenticity verified and tracked via PharmaRosa item number and quality rating. |
| Origin and breeding |
Historical centifolia selection bred by Edward A. Bunyard in the United Kingdom, with introduction attributed to Bunyard’s Nursery around 1900 and continued distribution as a classic historic rose. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holds the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit, indicating consistent garden performance under UK conditions and adding recognised value for historic and collection-led assortments. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy shrub habit reaching approximately 140–220 cm high and 120–190 cm wide, with dense, slightly glossy dark green foliage and sparsely thorned shoots that ease handling and finishing work. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, rosette-shaped, large blooms (about 2.75–3.95 inches) borne mainly solitary; petal count exceeds 40, with a single, non-remontant main flowering period and weak natural self-cleaning of spent blooms. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pale pink flowers (ARS Lp; RHS 65C outer, 65B inner), soft and milky-translucent, opening almost white outside with powdery pink within; colour lightens in strong sun, often fading nearly to white at full maturity. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, easily noticeable fragrance with a classic rose character, contributing significantly to perceived quality and making the cultivar particularly suitable where scent is a key selection criterion in historic plantings. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is generally low because of the very double flower form, though some small, spherical orange-red hips of roughly 9–15 mm may appear sporadically, adding minor seasonal interest late in the year. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Moderate overall disease resistance, with good powdery mildew resistance and moderate response to black spot and rust; hardy to approximately -34 to -32 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 5, USDA zone 4a) under typical care. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to borders, parks, hedges, specimen roles and cut use; medium maintenance with occasional pest and disease control, best offered as bush-trained plants with discreet support in premium 5–7 L containers. |
Fantin-Latour combines award-backed hardiness, strong fragrance and reliable shrub structure in an own-root form that supports predictable, long-lived stands; please contact us to coordinate volumes and scheduling for your historic rose ranges.
