Rosa 'Mme Alfred Carrière' planted in the San Marcos Growers garden.
Resembling a Bourbon Rose, with large cupped flowers with wavy petals loosely arranged, 'Mme Alfred Carrière' is considered to be a Noisette Rose, although its parentage was not recorded. This beautiful rose was raised by J. Schwartz (France) and introduced in 1879. It has nearly thornless canes are clad with large leaves. It can grown up a wall to 18 feet tall or as a large shrub without support. The clusters of well scented large flowers (likened to a Tea Rose or Bourbon Rose fragrance) are creamy-white with a tint of pink and are produced intermittently with a strong initial bloom in mid spring and a magnificent display carried on over a long period. It is a very hardy rose for its class, occasionally plagued by powdery mildew but not other rose diseases and is reportedly tolerant of shaded locations. Those visiting our nursery can see this rose on the fence next to the gate to our greenhouse area. In 1908 was
proclaimed the best white climber by the National Rose Society in England. Winner of the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit in 1993. Hardy to zones 4-10. We grew this rose from 1997 until 2010.
David Austin in his book Shrub Roses and Climbing Roses says of
this rose: "If a very strong, reliable, repeat-flowering, white climber is
required, you need look no further than this variety. Even today, there is no
white Climbing Rose to rival it in performance."
