These heritage cultivars include classes like Albas, Bourbons, and Damasks. Growers value them for their intense fragrance, complex bloom shapes, and high disease resistance compared to newer hybrids. They typically bloom only once per season on old wood, requiring different pruning techniques than continuous-blooming varieties.
Heard on the job
Don't prune those old roses back to the ground or you'll cut off all the buds for the spring flush.
Insider tip
Because they bloom on old wood, wait until right after they finish flowering to prune them, rather than cutting them back in early spring.
Also heard as
- heritage rose
- antique rose