Rosa x 'Gloire de Dijon'

Common name: 'Gloire de Dijon' climbing rose
Plant type: Climbing hybrid tea
Flower color: Apricot
Bloom period: Main bloom in early to mid June, reflowers if pruned and weather not too hot
Fragrance: Intensely sweet tea fragrance
Height: Up to 15 feet in good situation
Hardiness: Zone 6 (in sheltered spot)-9 (10 in non-humid climates)
Light needs: Full sun to part shade, east wall ideal
Moisture needs: Moderate
Seasonal character: Huge flush of bloom in June, then reblooms in good situation until frost

When we dream of the romance of climbing roses, smothered in huge fragrant blooms, it's 'Gloire de Dijon' that we are certainly imagining.  Its enormous (9 cm) flowers boast one of the most extraordinary colors in the rose world:  true apricot, nuanced with pink and yellow, and changing as the blossom opens.  The outer petals are recurved, giving them a pointed silhouette and endowing the blossoms with an ineffable elegance.  As if all this were not enough, this climbing hybrid tea is powerfully fragrant and--brace yourself--healthy!  Our 15-foot specimen has never been sprayed (I don't spray) and shows no blackspot or mildew in spite of being near another rose that is moderately black-spotty rose (David Austen's 'Sharifa Asma').

'Gloire de Dijon' was created by the French rose hybridizer Jacotot in 1853.  It is a cross of 'Deprez à Fleurs Jaunes' and 'Souvenir de la Malmaison.'  If only modern rose breeders were as inspired as Mr. Jacotot!

This rose is usually described as generously repeat-flowering, but I find it quixotic in this respect.  Our specimen in Normandie, on the east wall of the brick house, does not rebloom unless pruned after the first flowering.  The specimen we have on our Paris terrace does not rebloom at all.  I plan to plant one in Provence and we'll see what happens there.  To encourage rebloom, prune quite hard after the first flowering, and feed generously.  In cold climates, cease this treatment after mid-July, as it will encourage winter-kill.

Although many sources list this rose as hardy to Zone 5, I--as a former resident of that zone--can't imagine it being hardy that far north (except in a greenhouse).  Even Zone 6 requires careful placing and especially shelter from winter winds.  Of course, northern-grown specimens will never attain the stature of those in milder climates, as some winter-kill will inevitably occur in most years.

Before planting, give the soil the deepest and most thorough preparation you can manage.  This rose may be around longer than you are!  Dig in plenty of compost or rotted manure with several handfuls of bonemeal.  Assure good drainage.

Prune immediately after the first flowering, then prune faded blooms back to second 5-leaflet leaf.  Late winter pruning is also effective in stimulating heavy bloom.  During periods of heavy bloom, make sure to water thoroughly and often.  The plant loses a huge amount of moisture through all those petals!

'Gloire de Dijon' makes magnificent, long-lasting cutflowers, albeit on short stems.  The blossoms are eminently suited to floating in a beautiful bowl.  And if you have a marriage coming up, plan it for when this rose will be in bloom!

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