Rosa damescena cultivars or ‘Damask Roses’ have two distinct sections: the Summer Damasks and the Autumn Damasks. The former flower only once, and are large, thorny, quite open growing shrubs with intensely fragrant pink to white flowers. The latter, and their allies the Portland roses, are shorter, more compact shrubs with the ability to repeat flower in the autumn. Their colour range also includes red varieties and they share the same deep perfume. ‘Kazanlik’ is the most famous of the Damasks, being the one used commercially in Bulgaria and the Middle East for use in making rose oils and water.
Pruning Guide
Prune summer flowering varieties, once established, by a removal of one or two very old stems after flowering. Recurrent varieties have their stems shortened by one third in February/March.
PRODUCT TYPE
COLOUR
SIZE
SPECIAL FEATURE
HIGHLY FRAGRANT
SITUATION
FLOWER FORM
FLOWERING PERIOD
AWARD WINNING
GIFT IDEAS
BREEDER
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A highly favoured portland damask. Very full, fragrant blooms of deep pink with incurved central petals. Rare. Upright bushy growth. Repeat flowering. Size: 90cms x 90cms. -
Amelia (Damask) has pale pink sweetly scented blooms, with ruffled petals surrounding a yellow eye. It can be a tall shrub once established, and is ideally grown in a mixed border. Summer flowering. Size: 1.5m x 1m. -
Botzaris has creamy white flat quartered blooms in beautiful clusters, with a strong sweet scent. Forms a compact shrub with dark green foliage. Summer flowering. Named after Marcos Botzaris, hero of Greek Independence 1790-1823. Size 1.2m x 1.2m. -
Large clusters of medium-sized, globular pink-white blooms, which are sweetly scented. Pale green matt foliage, fairly prickly stems. Although often classed as a Noisette or Hybrid Perpetual this is more akin to the Portland Damasks. Repeat flowering. Size: 1m x 1m. -
Celsiana displays clusters of semi-double pale pink blooms, with a strong musk fragrance. Good in semi-shaded position. Dense grey-green foliage. Summer flowering. Painted by many famous artists from the past. Size: 1.2m x 90cm. -
Comte de Chambord, a.k.a. Mme Boll/ Mme Knorr, has large full blooms of rich warm pink, with a flat quartered shape. Strong fragrance. Repeat flowering. Ideal for the smaller garden. Size: 90cm x 60cm. -
Probably a very old variety, Nancy Lindsay found Gloire de Guilan in Iran where it was used for making attar. The clear pink, silky-textured blooms are quartered and folded. Fresh green foliage. Good on poor soils. Summer flowering. Size: 1.2m x 1.2m. -
Hebe's Lip, a.k.a. Rubrotincta Margined Hip, has scented semi-double white blooms with pink tinged edges in clusters. A tidy compact shrub with serrated mid green foliage. Summer flowering. Size 1.2m x 1.2m. -
Indigo is a fine Portland Damask, displaying clusters of highly scented double blooms of purple flushed with crimson. It's a strong upright grower with long smooth dark green foliage. Repeat flowering. Size: 1.2m x 1.0m -
Jacques Cartier, a.k.a Marchesa Boccella, is an excellent rose bearing deep pink very full bloom with a button eye. Wonderful fragrance. Repeat flowering. Good for the small garden. Size: 120cm x 90cm. -
A superbly scented rose, Kazanlik is grown commercially in Bulgaria for rose oil. Loose double pale pink blooms in clusters. Light green foliage. Summer flowering. Size:1.8m x 1.5m. -
Out of stock
Large flat quartered blooms of pure pink. Wonderful fragrance. Lovely pale green foliage. Summer flowering. Forms a bushy shrub with healthy foliage. Size:1.5m x1.4m. -
Leda, a.k.a. The Painted Damask, has pretty fully double blush white blooms with crimson tinged edges. Lovely greyish foliage. Summer flowering. Size: 90cm x 90cm. -
Out of stock
Madame Hardy is a pure white Damask rose with cupped blooms crammed full of petals. It has a distinctive green button eye. Lovely scent. Summer flowering. An upright shrub growing to around 1.8m x 1.5m. -
Raised in the Empress Josephine's gardens at Malmaison and named after Napoleon's second wife, Marie Louise is a popular damask with huge flat blooms of rich rose pink with mauve over tones. Strong perfume. Does well even in poor soil. Summer flowering. Size: 1.2m x 90cm. -
Miranda is a refined-looking Portland Damask. Strongly scented. Very double pink blooms with folded and crumpled petals. Repeat flowering. Size: 1.2m x 1m. -
Mme. Zöetmans, a.k.a. Mme. Zoutmann, has clusters of very full milky-white blooms with a button of in-curved petals. Fragrant. Thorny but tidy growth with abundant mid-green foliage. Summer flowering. Size:1.2m x 1.0m. (Mme Zoetmans). -
Out of stock
Grown from a seed bought over from roses growing by Omar Khayyam's tomb, which would now be found modern day Iran. Double spiky rich pink blooms open flat with a button eye. Strong fragrance. Soft pale grey-green foliage. Size: 1.8m x 1.8m. -
Pink Leda has clear pink double bloom, with a dark pink edge which shows a button eye. Strong fragrance. Dark green healthy, greyish foliage. Summer flowering. Size: 1.2m x 1.2m. -
Pompon des Princes (a.k.a. Ispahan) has clear pink, deliciously fragrant double blooms which flower throughout the summer. Scrolled in the bud, opening quartered with a green button eye. Size: 1.5m x 1.2m.
