“Elegant Gallica” Rose (Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis’ variety)

Hardy flowering shrub
Description: Medium pink, double blooms; flowers once per year in late spring or early summer
Habit: Medium-sized shrub to 4 feet high; spreads by suckers
Culture: Prefers rich, well-prepared garden loam and a warm, sunny location; prune just after flowering
Hardiness: USDA Zones 4b through 8b

“Elegant Gallica” is a particularly fine double form of the Apothecary’s Rose that was found in the gardens of the Wyck House, a 17th-century historic site in Germantown, PA, with a rose garden dating to the 1820s. The Gallicas are an important group of roses that, although not repeat blooming, had considerable influence on the evolution of modern roses.