All flowers
Cabbage Rose Wikimedia Commons
Rosaceae

Cabbage Rose

Rosa × centifolia

Ambassador of love, gratitude, fullness.

Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Rosa
Native to
Garden hybrid (developed in the Netherlands)
Bloom season
Early Summer
Type
Deciduous shrub
Height
1.5–2 m
Sunlight
Full sun
Soil
Rich, well-drained
Water
Moderate
Hardiness
4–9
Lifespan
Long-lived old garden rose

Did you know

  • The Latin name 'centifolia' means 'hundred-petaled' — and an open cabbage rose really does look like a layered green cabbage of pink petals.
  • Cabbage roses were developed by Dutch breeders in the 16th and 17th centuries and became one of the most painted flowers in Old Master Dutch still lifes.
  • It's the second most important species for the perfume industry after damask rose, especially valued in classic French perfumery centered on Grasse.
  • The famous painted roses on Limoges china and Sèvres porcelain are almost always cabbage roses, immortalized at the height of their popularity.
  • Pierre-Joseph Redouté painted dozens of cabbage rose portraits for Empress Joséphine's rose garden at Malmaison in the early 1800s.

Color meanings

Pink

Generous heart

Uses

  • Perfumery
  • Heritage rose gardens
  • Cut flowers
  • Cottage gardens