Rosa 'Belle Portugaise' - Bell of Portugal Climbing Hybrid Tea (1903)
Rosa 'Belle Portugaise' planted in the San Marcos Growers garden.
A large (15-30 ft) vigorous climbing hybrid tea rose with glossy dropping foliage and large pale pink flowers. Produced by Henri Cayeux at the Lisbon Botanic Garden in Portugal in 1903 it is a cross of R. gigantea with 'Reine Marie Henriette', a hybrid climbing tea rose. In late spring going into early summer the long pointed buds open into large (4-6") loose flesh pink flowers. The R. gigantea parentage makes this rose to tender for colder locations but this is a great rose for mild climates. Although it is prone to mildew the plants seem not to suffer adversely and this detriment can be somewhat overlooked in light of its virtues. Large plants can climb into trees and then cascade down elegantly - a stunning site. We grew this rose from 1999 until 2015 when we lost our large specimen cutting stock plant.
