One of the first ‘Noisette’ type roses, bred by Phillipe Noisette in N.Carolina, USA around 1814. A rose that has stood the test of time, it’s still very popular today, especially with rose gardeners.

I can’t claim to be a rose gardener, but I do appreciate a rose that is healthy and just gets on and does its stuff without any cosseting. Mine adorns an arch on my allotment. It was the weakling amongst a batch of bare root roses supplied for a job many years ago and I didn’t hold out much hope of it forming a decent plant, so I decided to keep it for myself. Every year it produces masses of blooms from June through to autumn and seems to thrive on neglect.

This is a neat climber to about 2.1m x 1.2m. Clusters of pink buds open to dainty, pale lilac pink flowers with a clove-like fragrance that bloom over a long period. ‘Blush Noisette’ repeat flowers over the summer through to the autumn, but remember to deadhead. Vigorous and healthy growth means it can withstand light shade, although mine is in full sun. It’s also not a very thorny rose, which is always a bonus I find.

If you’re looking for a trouble-free rose (no blackspot) then remember to place your order when the bare root season returns in the autumn.