This lovely old rose is without question one of the more legendary in historical terms. It is a hybrid rose of unknown parentage, and has been grown in European countries for hundreds of years. It has been called the 'symbol' of the House of York in England for many years; and is also a symbol of the county Yorkshire. There is much written on internet pages concerning this fabled rose, but do we know how much is actually truth?
I can only post what I know locally of this garden wonder: It is
first class among the roses even though it blooms only once here in late May. The plant is a large shrub in shape with the canes forming an arching spray. Foliage is mid-to-dark green, and lush in appearance. I've grown it since 1994; and winters have very little impact on its hardiness. Fragrance is an important bonus!
I thought it worth adding some pictures that I took the banner from. They are from June 1, 2013 (I think), and the idea is to illustrate how nice it can be as a 'shrub' rose. Fragrance is a very powerful yet subtle bonus from this rose. Picture quality is not the best.