Alba Roses (W3)

Definition of alba rose

• Definition as written by louisa: Very old roses. They flower at the beginning of summer, nearly always fragrant and disease resistant. The foliage is gray-green and the form upright and vigorous.
• Definition as written by dovey: Albas are hybrids whose antiquity may go back further than the Roman Empire, earlier than 100 A.D. It is believed that Alba roses are derived from the dog rose, Rosa canina, and the Damask rose, Rosa damascena. Alba roses bloom on second-year or older wood, the bloom color ranges from white to cream and mild pinks.
• Definition as written by RosinaBloom: These old hybrids are vigorous and hardy, usually sparsely spiny shrubs with gray-green foliage and white to pink, usually fully double, fragrant flowers. Prune in late summer after flowering by cutting old shoots back by about one-third.

[From The Rose Garden (Tenth Edition), by William Paul, p. 253:]

The Alba or White Rose... although forming but a small group, the extreme delicacy and surpassing beauty of the flowers, which are chiefly of white, blush, flesh, and pink hues, make them a highly popular one... The upper surface of the leaves of the true Alba has a whitish appearance, beneath which is shown an intense green... The Alba Rose ranges over the middle of Europe and was introduced in 1597.

[From Gardening with Old Roses, p. 24:]

Another ancient group, the Albas, emerged as a cross between R. damascena and R. canina. They have distinctive and very attractive grey-green foliage, flower in early summer in shades from white to pink, and are worth trying in difficult places in shade or where tree roots invade mercilessly.
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"Alba Roses": The third ancient group, hybrids between a rose of the "R. canina" section such as "R. mollis" and "R. gallica", or possibly a "Damask". Alba roses are always white or pale pink flowered, sweet scented, with bluish leaves. They make large bushes up to 2.5 m, with rather few thorns.

davidaustinroses.com
Alba Roses

Alba Roses

A class that dates back to the Middle Ages. Their flowers are restricted to pink, blush and white, but they have a delicate beauty and are set off to perfection by grey-green foliage. Albas are among the hardiest of roses, requiring the minimum of attention and thriving under the most difficult conditions; withstanding partial shade better than most roses. They are almost completely disease free. Little pruning is required.

| Alba Maxima | Amelia | Belle Amour | Blush Hip | Celestial | Félicité Parmentier | Maiden's Blush | Mme Legras de St. Germain | Pompon Blanc Parfait | Queen of Denmark

paulbardenroses.com
Alba Roses

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From Brent Dickerson: "As is so often the case with roses, the precise origin of the Alba group is much debated; possibly "R. canina x R. damascena", or "R. corymbifera x R. gallica", or . . . ?
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• Alba Semi-plena
• Armide
• Crimson Blush
• Félicité Parmentier
• Great Maiden's Blush
• Konigin von Danemark
• Royal Blush

rogersroses
Alba Roses

• "A Feuilles de Chanvre"
• "Alba Foliacea"
• "Alba Maxima"
• "Alba Semi-plena"
• "Alba Suaveolens"
• "Amelia"
• "Belle Amour"
• "Blanche de Belgique"
• "Blush Hip"
• "Celeste"
• "Chloris"
• "Crimson Blush"
• "Cuisse de Nymphe Émue"
• "Cymbaefolia"
• "Félicité Parmentier"
• "Great Maiden"s Blush"
• "Jeanne d"Arc"
• "Lemon Blush"
• "Minette"
• "Mme Legras de St Germain"
• "Mme Plantier"
• "Pompon Blanc Parfait"
• "Princesse de Lamballe"
• Rosa alba mygindii
• Rosa x alba
• "Royal Blush"
• "Sappho"
• "Small Maiden"s Blush"
• "Summer Blush"
• "Tender Blush"
• "White Blush"
• "Yellow Blush"

rosegathering.com
Alba Roses

Alba Roses are hybrids whose antiquity may go back further than the Roman Empire. Pliny, who lived from 23-79 A.D., mentioned white roses in his Natural History. Botanists believe these roses may have been Albas.

Graham Thomas supports Dr. C. C. Hurst's theory that Albas are derived from the dog rose, "Rosa canina", and the Damask rose, "Rosa damascena". (More on this can be found in The Graham Stuart Thomas Rose Book).
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List of Alba Roses Featured on this site:

• Alba Maxima, R. x alba 'Maxima' (before 1500)
• Beauté Virginale (Descemet)
• Belle Aurore (Hybrid Alba, Descemet, 1815)
• Chloris (Descemet, 1820)
• Cuisse de Nymph, Great Maiden's Blush, R. alba L. var. Incarnata (West), R. x alba 'Incarnata' (before 1500)
• Céleste, Celestial (Dupont, 1810)
• Great Maiden's Blush (see Cuisse de Nymphe)
• Maiden's Blush Great, Great Maiden's Blush (before 1500)
• Maidens's Blush Small, Small Maiden's Blush (Kew Gardens, 1797)
• Minette (Vibert, 1819)
• R. damascena aurora, Rosier Aurore Poniatowska (Thory, Illustrated by Redouté)(Céleste, Celestial)
• R. x alba 'Incarnata', R. alba L. var. Incarnata (see Cuisse de Nymphe)
• R. x alba 'Maxima' (before 1500)
• R. x alba 'Suaveolens' (before 1750)
• R. x alba semi plena, R. x alba 'Semiplena', R. x alba Semi-Plena (Dieck)
• Rose de York
• Sappho (England, before 1817)
• Small Maiden's Blush, Maiden's Blush Small (Kew Gardens, 1797)

Photo Gallery of Alba Roses

• Alba Maxima
• Beauté Virginale
• Beauté Virginale
• Belle Aurore
• Céleste
• Chloris
• Great Maiden's Blush
• Minette
• Rosa alba
• R. x alba Incarnata
• R. x alba 'Incarnata'
• R. x alba 'Semiplena'
• R. x alba 'Suaveolens'
• Rose de York
• Sappho
• Sappho
• Small Maidens Blush

Albas and Hybrid Albas

• About Alba Roses
• Photo gallery of Alba and Hybrid Alba Roses
• Albas and Hybrid Albas featured:
• Alba Maxima (before 1500)
• Beauté Virginale (Descemet)
• Belle Aurore (Hybrid Alba, Descemet, 1815)
• Chloris (Descemet, 1820)
• Cuisse de Nymph, Great Maiden's Blush, R. alba L. var. Incarnata (West), R. x alba 'Incarnata' (before 1500)
• Great Maiden's Blush (see Cuisse de Nymphe)
• Maiden's Blush Great, Great Maiden's Blush (before 1500)
• Maidens's Blush Small, Small Maiden's Blush (Kew Gardens, 1797)
• Minette (Vibert, 1819)
• R. x alba 'Incarnata', R. alba L. var. Incarnata (see Cuisse de Nymphe)
• R. x alba 'Maxima' (before 1500)
• Rose de York
• Sappho (England, before 1817)
• Small Maiden's Blush, Maiden's Blush Small (Kew Gardens, 1797)

roses.uk.com
Alba Roses

The 'White Rose of York'. An ancient European, probably a hybrid between Rosa Damascena and a form of Rosa Canina. Available in the following very fragrant varieties, which are mostly stalwart erect shrubs of great garden value with elegant foliage of a notable greyish hue, particularly in the variety Celestial. Pruning is as for Gallica Roses.

• Alba Semi-plena - (Alba 16th century or earlier) Clusters of large sweetly scented semi-double white blooms, matt gre...
• Celestial - This fine bushy plant has the most shapely buds of all; rich, warm pink in the folds, opening shell pink, very smooth and soft in pleasing contrast to the extra grey leaves
• Great Maiden's Blush - A strong grower with greyish foliage. Flowers very full petalled, flat of a warm blush pink, fading at the edges to a cream pink. For pure rose sweetness in fragrance this is hard to beat
• Konigin Von Danemark - Possibly a Damask rose, but in any case, one of the most lovely. The vivid scarlet pink shown in the unfolding buds remain in the centre of the open flowers after they have faded to their pale pink of unusual clarity.
• Maxima - Also known as Great Double White, Mme Legras, Cheshire Rose, Jacobite Rose. Very similar to Great Maiden's Blush in all but colour, which is creamy white with a dark cream tin...