Grow in full sun with fertile, humus-rich moist but well-drained soil. Roseraie de l’Hay is a useful shrub as it is tolerant of poor soil and semi-shade in those difficult parts of the garden. It can also be grown as a lovely and protective hedge. Resistant to black spot. Helpful to our birds, bees and small animals, providing food and shelter. Height & Spread in maturity, 1.5-2.5m x 1.5-2.5m.

Common Name: Roseraie de l’Hay
Latin Name: Rosaceae
Soil: Clay, loam, sand, chalk. pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral.
Habit: Upright shrub with prickly stems, glossy foliage
Position: Full sun, will take partial shade.
Aspect: North, south, east and west facing
Flowering period: Continually in summer and autumn
Fruiting: Red hips in late autumn, helpful to wildlife.
Hardiness: Fully hardy,
Special features: A strong adaptable rose, growing and thriving in most aspects with the added pleasure of its fragrant blooms which flower continuously.

Symbolism, Folklore & Old Wives Tales :

Gender – Feminine, Planet – Venus, Element – Water,
Power – Love, Psychic Powers, Healing, Love, Luck & Protection
Deities – Hulda, Cupid, Adonis, Aurora, Aphrodite & others

Roses have long been used in love mixtures and still today we see Roses as a Symbol of love.

History:
Jules Gravereaux purchased a large property in L’Haÿ about 8 km south of Paris in 1892 and hired the famous landscape architect and horticulturalist Édouard André to lay out a garden containing 1600 roses. The garden claims to be the first ever garden dedicated exclusively to roses. Gravereaux collected roses from all over Europe, and started to create new rose varieties for the production of rose oil for perfume, which would facilitate the process of distillation. He worked on hybrids of Rosa rugosa and developed the cultivar ‘Rose à parfum de L’Haÿ’, among others. In all he created 27 new cultivars, primarily for rose oil production. The very fragrant, crimson-purple rugosa hybrid ‘Roseraie de L’Haÿ’, was named for this garden.