A Souvenir de la Malmaison in full flush, with its flat, quartered blooms opening pale pink and white, stops people on the sidewalk. This old Bourbon rose asks for room, a protected spot and a light hand with the pruners.
What Is the Souvenir de la Malmaison Rose?
Souvenir de la Malmaison is a hybrid Bourbon shrub in the rose family, bred by Jean Beluze of France before 1843 and released in 1850. It grows as a bushy shrub rather than a climber, reaching 2-6 feet tall and 3-6 feet wide in full sun.
The flowers are white blended with light pink, very double, with 75 petals and up to 5 inches across. They start out cupped, then open flat and quartered, mostly solitary or in small clusters. The fragrance is a moderate to strong tea rose scent.
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Roses in your state
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Where Does the Souvenir de la Malmaison Rose Grow Best?
This rose is listed for USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a and 10b. Its double flowers ball up in wet weather, and black spot and mildew show up in rainy areas.
- Pacific Northwest, such as western Oregon and Washington: The hardiness fits, but long wet springs are the test. Plant it under an eave or beside a wall where the blooms stay dry.
- Southeast and Gulf Coast, such as the Carolinas, Georgia and Louisiana: Warm zones suit it, yet humid, rainy stretches invite black spot and mildew. Pick an open, protected site with air moving through.
- Upper Midwest and Northeast, such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York: Zone 5a is the cold limit listed, so the colder parts of these states sit at the edge. A sheltered spot may help.
- Southwest and interior West, such as Arizona, Nevada and Utah: Zones up to 10b are listed, and drier air keeps the flowers from balling. Full sun is still the setting for the size given above.
The state selector shown just below this section takes you to the page for your own state.
How to Care for the Souvenir de la Malmaison Rose Through the Year
Waking Up
As buds swell in spring, the shrub starts its bushy growth, and it needs full sun to reach its full size. Check the spot you chose: if rain tends to hit the bed hard, a protected location is the better home for those heavy flowers.
Pruning
Go light. This rose does not do as well when it is pruned hard, so limit the work to dead or crossing wood and a modest shaping of the shrub. Keep the cuts modest and leave the framework alone.
Blooming
The first flowers open in late spring or early summer, and the rose then reblooms in flushes through the season. Pick off spent blooms that have been spoiled by rain, since wet petals can ball and hang on the shrub.
Summer
Between flushes, keep the foliage dry where you can, because black spot and mildew can occur in rainy areas. Water at the base of the plant rather than overhead, and give the shrub the width it needs so air moves through.
Fall
Fall flowers may still come as the last flush of the season. Rake up fallen leaves from beneath the shrub, since leaves that carried black spot are a source of trouble the next year.
Winter
Where local winters are cold, ask a local garden center or rose society whether the shrub needs protection. Avoid heavy pruning in every part of its listed range.
Souvenir de la Malmaison Rose Diseases and Weak Points
Rain can affect both the flowers and the foliage. Rain damages the blooms directly and also sets the stage for leaf diseases.
Keeping the flowers out of heavy rain helps prevent them from balling.
| Threat | How Souvenir de la Malmaison handles it |
|---|---|
| Heavy rain | Flowers tend to ball, so a protected location helps |
| Black spot | Can occur in rainy areas |
| Mildew | Can occur in rainy areas |
| Hard pruning | The rose does not do as well if overly pruned |
Choose a site with full sun, shelter from heavy rain and room around the shrub.
Is the Souvenir de la Malmaison Rose Right for Your Yard?
It suits a gardener with a sunny, sheltered corner and space for a shrub up to 6 feet wide. It is a poorer match for a soggy site or for anyone who prefers to prune hard each year.
- Choose it if you want large, scented, quartered blooms and a repeat show in flushes, and plant it where rain cannot reach the flowers easily.
- Skip it for a rain-soaked, shaded or tight spot, where balled blooms and leaf spots would frustrate you.
- Open the page for your state through the selector to see the months for pruning and planting where you live.
Common Questions
How Big Does a Souvenir De La Malmaison Rose Get?
It grows 2-6 feet tall and 3-6 feet wide in full sun, so allow for both its height and its width.
Does Souvenir De La Malmaison Bloom More than Once?
Yes. The first flowers come in late spring or early summer, and it then reblooms in flushes through the season.
Can You Prune Souvenir De La Malmaison Hard?
No. Heavy pruning makes the rose do less well, so trim lightly and keep the shrub’s framework.