Roses are probably my favourite flowers (certainly every June anyway!). They have such appeal to the senses; beautiful to look at, highly and deliciously scented and silky smooth to touch. I’ve previously written about roses on this blog, but today, I’m extolling the virtues of a particular favourite and one I look forward to every year in both gardens – Rosa ‘Albertine’.

I’ve been in Wales this week and as I approached the cottage, a glorious sight met me – ‘Albertine’ – in full flower rambling away over the stone walls around the door and windows. It’s an old rambling rose with the most exquisite scent and prolific clusters of flowers each June. As ‘Albertine’ does not repeat (although we have occasionally seen the odd flower in late September), it’s one to savour when in in full fling!

The perfume hits as you pass this rose – a really heady aroma! I’d recommend planting it near to a door, window or a frequently used pathway in order to get the full experience. It’s a joy to wake to the scent wafting in through an open window first thing in the morning!

However, ‘Albertine’ is more than it’s perfume. A characteristic I love is the development of the roses; from dark almost red buds to shell pink young flowers to the fully open salmon pink clusters – whilst flowering, this rose has an abundance of all stages of flowering, making a truly breath taking sight .

Justifiably, Rosa ‘Albertine’ has an RHS Award of Garden Merit and it definitely gets my vote too!