Today’s rose is one that does not sit neatly into a ‘class’, described as a hybrid Gallica, Portland, or Hybrid Perpetual. A genetic study does show she is closer to the Gallicas than the Portlands. To be honest, a lot of the old garden roses are ‘mongrels’ with attributes from their parents who in turn were a bit of a mixture. Whatever her antecedent ‘Yolande d’Aragon’ is a glorious rose.
Dating from 1843, introduced by Jean-Pierre Vibert, and is reputed to be a seedling of the Damask Perpetual ‘Belle de Trianon. Yolande produces clusters of dark pink buds dressed in feathery sepals. Large, cupped blooms of deep pink with pale backs. Stuffed with petals in a rosette swirl. Breathtakingly strong old rose fragrance, you must keep returning for another deep inhale. One big summer flush followed by intermittent blooms or even a second flush. Mine is a young rose but last summer she had a lot of late bloom.
Will reach around 1.5m tall with a width of 1m. She is of the era of strongly disease resistant roses but here she had shown some black spot this summer. It has been a weird season though. A very dry mild winter and equally dry spring often with strong cold winds with the odd hot sunny day thrown into the mix. The roses did not know whether to grow or quietly sleep, producing a lot of stressed small foliage. Even the Pemberton Hybrid Musks suffered with the early foliage succumbing to fungal infection. The flush of foliage following rain was and remains healthy so perhaps Yolande’s spot is the result of the weather rather than inherent disease propensity.
A popular rose and widely available. Graded an 8.5 from the American Rose Society – a very good to excellent rose, one recommended without hesitation. Hardy USDA zones 4b-9b.
Depiction of the marriage of Louis II of Anjou and Yolande of Aragon from Froissart’s Chronicles 1470. (http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=22147)
Yolande d’Aragon (1379-1442) played a significant role in the complex ‘Game of Thrones’ in both Spain and France. Born a princess of the small Spanish state of Aragon, her parents arranged her marriage in 1400 to end a feud between the Aragon and Anjou families. Yolande initially resisted this marriage to Louis II, Dule of Anjou. However, it turned out to be a long successful marriage with five children. Yolande became a committed supporter of the French royal family in the last years of the Hundred Year War. Her involvement deepened when her daughter Marie of Anjou married Charles the youngest son of the mad Charles VI.
Charles became heir to the French throne when his eldest brother John died. Following the death of Charles VI, the infant Henry VI of England was proclaimed King of France. Yolande encouraged Charles to fight for his throne. She supported Joan of Arc’s ambition to lead the French army in the successful battle against the English, so Charles became King of France. Yolande’s great diplomatic skill continued to be employed in quelling feuds and squabbles between the French aristocratic families. Not the atypical interfering mother-in-law I think. Certainly, a lady who deserves a rose that is a little out of the ordinary.
I forgive ‘Yolande d’Aragon’ for her few spots this season as the blooms and fragrance are quite special. In her second summer here, she has grown vigorously despite being in a slightly shady position. Do you grow her? How is her disease resistance with you? Comments are welcome as always.
First posted on my Facebook blog Rose of the Day on 27th June 2023
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