46. L'arche des roses anciennes

The Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire decided to showcase the horticultural heritage of the Centre-Loire Valley region by displaying a collection of climbing and rambler roses from Orléans.

The city of Orléans and the French department of Loiret have in fact been key to botanical research since the Renaissance. The geographical location facilitates the movement of people and ideas, and the introduction of new botanical plants, the development of trade and the increasing needs of the population contributed little by little to the appearance of the horticultural sector, for which Orléans quickly became one of the French capitals.

Between 1819, the year of the very first rose of Orléans, and the 1960s, more than 600 varieties of rose were created in the French department of Loiret. From 1900, two families of roses were key to local production and played a part in Orléans’ prestige: Rosa wichuraiana and Rosa polyantha.

The Rosa wichuraiana Crep. is a vigorous shrub with flexible branches, climbing or rambler, native to Japan, Korea and Eastern China. At the turn of the 20^th century, the Fauque, Turbat and Barbier families from Orléans went further into their research on cross-breeding this species and created numerous varieties of climbing roses. The hybrids of Rosa wichuraiana are often admired for their magnificent flowers and add a touch of elegance and opulence when used to decorate the arches, gazebos and pergolas in our gardens.