The rose garden
In 1867 in Lyon, Jean Baptiste Guillot created "la France", the first tea hybrid. One hundred years ago, in Vénissieux, Joseph Pernet Ducher obtains "Soleil d’Or", the first yellow modern rose. At this time Lyon was a centre of creation of worldwide reputation roses. With such a past, Lyon couldn’t do anything but offering to its inhabitants and to the Tête d’Or Park visitors 3 rose gardens.
The biggest is a landscape rose garden, gathering a great number of modern varieties. It is located next to the Cité Internationale. The contest rose garden, the oldest of the three, presents the innovations that will take part in the annual contest of " the most beautiful rose of France". It is located near the guards’ house.
Rosa canina
L.
1. Wild roses
This calling is used for natural roses. Only 150 to 200 species of the ones that described the genus Rosa are nowadays recognised. It is shrubs from North temperate hemisphere and intertropical regions mountains. 47 species are counted in Europe, 27 of them in France (the dog rosebush Rosa canina being the most widespread). The fruits or cynorhodons present a great diversity of form and colours in autumn.
Rosa x aveyronensis
Coste
2. Botanical roses
We call like that varieties having been cultivated for a long time and close enough to wild species. These roses descending from a reduced hybridisation number have kept the essential characters of one of their parents, from where comes their classification.
Rosa 'Gabriel Noyelle'
(obtainer : Buatois 1933)
3. "one hundred leaves" roses = Rosa centifolia
From the Greco-Roman Antiquity have come the forms considered as perfect of the Provins rose, called one hundred leaves roses for their numerous petals. In some of these roses, the flower’s stalk and sepals are covered with long green or brown odorous hairs. These roses are called "mossy one hundred leaves".
Rosa
'Tuscany Superb'
4. Provins roses = Gallic roses
The French rose (Rosa gallica) is the origin of most of the cultivated species in Western countries until the 19th century. Its full form (whose petals form a compact mass where the stamens seem to be missing), the Provence rose, then by alteration the Provins rose, is the origin of a great number of varieties and cultivars. The Provins roses whose varieties are very close one from another are vigorous and suckering forms. Their flowering is abundant but time limited (May-June).
Rosa
'Comte de Chambord'
5. Portland roses
Some varieties of the french rose (Rosa gallica), called Provins rose, tended to re-flower in autumn. This property made them very appreciated in times when double-cropping roses (which flower several times during the same season) were unknown. These varieties particularly collected by Lady Portland form the species Portland or portlandica.
Rosa
'Bloomfield abundance'
6. Bengal roses
Introduced with the teas in England, the Bengal’s rosebushes are vigorous and sometimes sarmentous bushing plants coming from China. Their double-cropping ability is very developed; their medium flowers nearly odourless are gathered by 3 or 5 or are alone.
Rosa 'Flammentauz'
(obtenteur : Kordes 1955)
7. Tea roses
The tea odour rosebush, cultivated in China was introduced in Europe in the late 18th century. Its arrival marked in a decisive way evolution of cultivated roses. The tea rose (double cropping) gives successive flowerings during the vegetation time. This quality, lacking in the European rosebushes was very appreciated in the last century. The tea rose has also brought the subtlety of the perfumes that make the charm of old roses. These qualities made the success of tea roses despite their low frost resistance reputation.
Rosa
'Rêve d'Or'
8. Noisette roses
Noisette roses seem to be the crossbreed result between musk rose (Rosa moschata) and Tea rose. Noisette roses are called like that because Philippe Noisette found them in the USA in 1814, they were sent to Paris by his brother Louis who marketed them. Many of the Noisette roses are sarmentous bushes, this form being still cultivated nowadays.
Rosa 'Marie Drivon'
(obtainer : Schwartz 1887)
9. Bourbon roses
Roses from Bourbon Isle (now Réunion Isle) were introduced in France as seeds in 1819. These vigorous roses are the result of the crossbreed between Damas rose and Bengal rose. Neglected because of their double cropping lack, their crossbred with tea roses has given very appreciated roses.
Rosa foetida
'Persian Yellow'
10. Pernetiana roses
In 1900 Pernet-Ducher, a rose obtentor from Lyon, presented "Soleil d’Or" a yellow rose obtained from the crossbreed between a tea rose and "Persian Yellow" a variety of the yellow-flowered Rosa foetida that was cultivated at the Lyon Botanical Garden. This Persian Yellow plant still exists in our rose garden. A new rose variety was born, to which was given its creator’s name. It is an important step of rose history.
Rosa
'Soleil d'Or'
These roses present the same character as tea hybrids, allied to the bright yellow petals colour and to their bicolour character (the reverse side being red or pink). Pernetiana roses, often interbred with tea hybrids are at the origin of several modern varieties
Rosa
'Elisa Boelle'
11. Double cropping hybrids
From the middle 19th century, interbreedings between tea roses and Provins roses have been multiplied. The roses obtained from that kept the double cropping tea roses’ character, that’s why they are called "double cropping hybrids". They presented a good frost resistance and Provins rose’s vigour. These qualities have made and still make their success though flowers are often odourless.
Rosa
'May Queen' (obtainer : Mauda 1898)
12. Wichuriana roses
These roses are from Formosa, they are sarmentous, thin and can reach 8 meters width. First introduced in the USA, they were interbred with Rosa multiflora and tea hybrids in order to give the Wichuriana hybrids. Flowers are small or medium-sized, extremely abundant and gathered in pyramidal bunches appearing from late May to middle-July depending on the variety. The fruits that follow are very decorative too.
Rosa
'La France'
13. Tea hybrids
Modern hybrids of tea rose are born from repeated crossbreeds between double cropping hybrids and tea roses. These big-flowered rose varieties can be counted by thousands, and it is possible to find among them as well in bushes as in climbing, the most famous modern roses. Their flowering is abundant in June and is renewed until autumn. "La France" a variety obtained in 1867 by Guillot fils, A rose producer from Lyon, is known as the oldest tea hybrid.