CHARLES DE GAULLE® – purple tea-hybrid rose – Meilland
Created for those who dream of afternoon tea beneath a rose-draped arbour, CHARLES DE GAULLE® combines romance and elegance in an easy-to-handle 2-litre own-root form that slips naturally into a cottage-style border. Large, high-centred blooms in cool lavender-lilac with a silvery sheen lend a soft colour accent to hedges, kitchen gardens and seating areas, while the very strong, citrus-verbena fragrance carries across the garden on warm days. Once settled, its upright, bushy habit and dense foliage create a stable, long-lived feature that responds well to simple winter pruning or light shaping, perfect where time is short but atmosphere matters. Own-root planting supports long-term regeneration, so the shrub thickens year by year, maintaining dependable ornamental value even after harsher winters. Ideal for typical UK conditions, it copes reliably with blustery weather and showery spells by holding its blooms firm in wind and rain-swept coastal gardens, especially when given decent drainage and a sunny position. Use it in generous drifts or as a single, storybook focal point by a bench or arch, then gather exquisitely scented, long-stemmed blooms for the house to extend the same cosiness indoors. From the first year’s root building through stronger second-year growth to a full, romantic display by the third season, this own-root plant rewards patient gardeners with enduring structure and scent-led charm.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Central feature in a cottage-style flower bed |
The upright, bushy habit and dense foliage give a well-defined, medium-height anchor for mixed borders, allowing underplanting with perennials while keeping a classic hybrid tea outline as the visual centre of a romantic scheme, ideal for the homeowner. |
| Cutting patch near the kitchen garden |
High-centred, pointed buds on sturdy stems yield elegant, long-lasting cut flowers, so you can harvest armfuls of exhibition-type blooms in lavender-lilac tones without sacrificing the shrub’s garden presence, perfect for the enthusiastic florist. |
| Seating area or afternoon tea corner |
The very strong, sweet, citrus-verbena scent radiates around seating, creating a scented “room” effect; planting a small group near a bench or terrace brings a refined, perfumed backdrop for tea, ideal for the scent-loving family. |
| Small front garden focal shrub |
At around 80–110 cm, it offers a substantial yet manageable presence that suits modest plots; upright, bushy growth frames paths and doorways neatly, keeping the look ordered but romantic, well suited to the busy urban gardener. |
| Long-lived feature in a traditional rose border |
As an own-root rose, it rebuilds from the base if cut back hard, helping preserve its character and form over many years and reducing the risk of rootstock shoots, a reassuring choice for the long-term-minded planner. |
| Wind-exposed or showery family gardens |
Flowers are carried on sturdy stems and the shrub forms a compact, bushy framework that stands up reliably to blustery sites, coping well with typical British spells of wind and rain in more open gardens, suiting coastal-region owners. |
| Large container on patio (40–50 litre minimum) |
Its tidy, upright framework adapts well to a 40–50 litre pot where roots have enough volume to stabilise the plant and support repeat flowering; this allows a movable, scented focal point for terraces and balconies, appreciated by the space-conscious renter. |
| Mixed planting on challenging, heavier soils |
In raised beds or improved heavy clay, the own-root form establishes progressively, building root mass first, then stronger top growth, and by the third year delivering full ornamental value with stable flowering for the practical-minded beginner. |
Styling ideas
- Lavender-Tea Border – Run a loose row of CHARLES DE GAULLE® through a cottage border, underplanted with soft nepeta and pale violas to echo the lilac tones – ideal for romantically inclined homeowners.
- Perfumed-Arbour Nook – Position two or three shrubs by a bench or arbour, backed with glossy evergreen hedging so the strong citrus-verbena scent pools around a sheltered seating area – perfect for tea-time garden dreamers.
- Kitchen-Cut Patch – Plant a small grid beside the kitchen garden with airy gypsophila and threadleaf coreopsis to supply armfuls of subtly coloured, high-centred blooms for vases – suited to home florists and baking enthusiasts.
- Front-Garden Welcome – Use one or three plants flanking a path, with low box or lavender edging, to provide a formal yet soft, storybook entrance that works in compact front gardens – reassuring for first-time house owners.
- Patio-Perfume Pot – Grow a single shrub in a 40–50 litre terracotta container, underplanted with trailing thyme, to create a movable cloud of fragrance close to doors and windows – convenient for balcony and terrace gardeners.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as MEIlanein; marketed as CHARLES DE GAULLE® PERFUMELLA® MEIlanein, an exhibition-type tea hybrid primarily used as a garden and cutting rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Marie-Louise Meilland, France, 1974, from complex hybrid tea parentage; registered in 1976 and introduced after 1976 by Meilland International for ornamental and cutting use. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated fragrance rose, with perfume cups and certificates at Monza, Rome, Madrid, Geneva and Belfast in the 1970s, confirming its status as a benchmark scented hybrid tea. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright, bushy plant 80–110 cm high and 50–70 cm wide, with dense, mid-green, slightly glossy foliage; almost thornless stems and poor self-cleaning, so deadheading improves overall presentation. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, double, high-centred blooms with 26–39 petals, borne mainly singly on stems; exhibition-style pointed buds make it particularly suitable for cutting and classic hybrid tea displays. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cool lavender-lilac tone with silvery sheen, opening from crimson-tinged buds; colour fades towards pastel lavender-grey in heat, but remains richer and more vivid under cooler, softer light. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, garden-filling scent with a sweet citrus-verbena character; designed primarily for ornamental and cut-flower enjoyment rather than pollinator value, as the full form covers stamens. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is light due to double flowers; occasional small, ovoid hips 11–15 mm across, in orange-red RHS 40A, appearing sporadically and adding modest late-season ornamental interest. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to about –15 to –12 °C (RHS H6, Swedish Zone 2, USDA 7b); disease resistance moderate to low, with sensitivity to rust, so regular monitoring and timely treatments are advisable. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil; water regularly in dry spells. Space 50–90 cm depending on use, and apply consistent deadheading and disease management to maintain top display. |
CHARLES DE GAULLE® offers refined lavender blooms, powerful fragrance and a compact, upright habit on a resilient own-root plant that matures gracefully, making it a thoughtful choice if you enjoy scented, romantic structure in a family garden.
