With Rosa ‘Blanche Moreau’, the beauty begins before the flower even opens. Its buds are covered with dark brown, moss-like growths that contrast beautifully with the creamy white flowers. This distinctive detail identifies it as a moss rose, a historic rose group with a character all its own.

Blanche Moreau was introduced in France by Moreau-Robert in 1880. It descends from older white roses, including ‘Comtesse de Murinais’, and shows how nineteenth-century breeders built upon existing varieties. Blanche means ‘white’ in French; the precise reason for its full name has not been documented conclusively.

Its richly filled flowers open in a cupped shape and later become flatter. They release a sweet rose fragrance and appear mainly during the summer flowering period, sometimes followed by a few flowers in autumn. The slender shrub has gracefully arching branches and fits beautifully among perennials in a romantic border. A distinctive white garden rose for those who enjoy looking closely.