Bourbon roses were cultivated in France and named after the Isle de Bourbon, an island in the Indian Ocean where Autumn Damask and the China rose Old Blush growing together produced the first hybrid of this class. The growth habits of Bourbon roses is varied. Some are shrubby and compact while others produce long arching canes suitable for training up a pillar. Flowers are large, full, and appear in strongly fragrant clusters of 3 to 7, most abundantly in spring and intermittently until fall. Bourbon roses have a tendency to get blackspot more than other old garden roses, but their magnificent flowers are worth the extra care to keep them at their best. Zones 5/6 - 10 |