CHARLES DE GAULLE® – purple tea-hybrid rose – Meilland
Step outside after the rain into a world of cool lavender light and soft foliage green, and You will understand why CHARLES DE GAULLE® has become a beloved hybrid tea for Irish cottage borders and small city front gardens. Its medium-tall, upright habit fits neatly into narrow beds, while the large, high-centred blooms in refined lilac-mauve bring a quietly romantic glamour to everyday paths and doorways, even where gardens face brisk sea air and frequent showers in an Atlantic-influenced climate. This perfume-award-winning rose surrounds short evening walks with an enveloping, citrus-verbena fragrance, and, thanks to remontant flowering, it offers flush after flush of colour for cutting and for the garden. Grown on its own roots, it builds a durable framework and can regenerate strongly from the base, promising long-lived character and stable ornamental value across the seasons as it matures.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Cottage-style front garden border |
The medium-height, upright bush sits beautifully behind low walls and railings, where its refined lavender blooms read clearly from the street. Dense foliage helps it look “finished” even between flushes, ideal for a welcoming yet orderly front garden for the homeowner. |
| Cut-flower and scent corner |
Large, high-centred, exhibition-style flowers on strong stems make this cultivar excellent for vases, while the very strong citrus-verbena scent quickly perfumes a kitchen or hallway. Regular cutting encourages more buds, rewarding the enthusiastic but time-poor beginner. |
| Small urban terrace or patio pot (40–50 L) |
In a 40–50 litre container with good drainage, its bushy, compact frame gives a vertical accent without overwhelming a balcony or terrace. The intense perfume turns even a small paved space into an intimate evening retreat for the busy city gardener. |
| Feature shrub in a mixed perennial bed |
Placed as a single focal plant, its unusual lavender-lilac colour and silvery sheen contrast beautifully with whites and soft pinks. Own-root growth means that, once settled, it can build a long-lived framework that rewards the patient, design-conscious buyer. |
| Romantic, “girly” pastel planting |
The cool, sophisticated purple tones pair gently with baby’s breath and windflowers, creating a feminine, airy mood without becoming garish. Repeating these tones along a path gives a coherent, storybook feel, suiting the romantic cottage-garden enthusiast. |
| Season-long colour for family seating areas |
Remontant flowering brings several flushes from early summer into autumn, so family seating spots remain colourful for months rather than weeks. With simple deadheading and feeding, it keeps providing elegant blooms for the relaxed outdoor-living family. |
| Low-prickle rose for child-friendly spaces |
The almost thornless growth reduces accidental scratches when children pass close by or adults brush against it along narrow paths. This makes it easier to place near benches or along busy routes, reassuring the safety-conscious garden planner. |
| Long-term own-root planting in heavy Irish soils |
Planted slightly raised with added grit, this own-root shrub gradually forms a resilient root system that copes better with cool, damp conditions and recovers strongly from any winter dieback, offering a steady, low-fuss presence for the practical Irish gardener. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage Ribbon – Line a narrow front path with CHARLES DE GAULLE® alternating with soft pink geraniums for a scented, pastel “ribbon” that feels gently romantic – ideal for cottage-style front-garden dreamers
- Lavender Nook – Place one shrub in a large pot beside a bench, underplanted with trailing thyme, so evening fragrance pools in a quiet corner – perfect for balcony and patio relaxers
- Pastel Trio – Group three roses with baby’s breath and threadleaf coreopsis for a hazy, lilac-and-cream cloud that looks refined but easy-going – suited to busy families wanting instant charm
- Doorway Welcome – Flank a terraced-house doorway with two container-grown plants, letting their upright form frame the entrance while perfume greets visitors – great for urban homeowners who like tidy impact
- Romantic Screen – Create a low, almost thornless visual screen near a seating area by repeating shrubs at 50–60 cm, companioned with airy ornamental grasses – ideal for those seeking privacy with softness
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as MEIlanein, marketed as Charles de Gaulle® PERFUMELLA® MEIlanein; ARS exhibition name Charles de Gaulle; part of the PERFUMELLA® fragrance-focused collection. |
| Origin and breeding |
Raised by Marie-Louise Meilland in France from complex hybrid tea parentage; bred 1974 and registered 1976, introduced after 1976 as a strongly scented garden and exhibition cultivar. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holder of multiple international fragrance awards, including perfume cups and certificates from Monza, Rome, Madrid, Geneva and Belfast during the 1970s, confirming its outstanding scented-garden value. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Medium-tall, upright, bushy shrub 80–110 cm high and 50–70 cm wide, with dense, slightly glossy mid-green foliage and very few prickles, giving a refined, accessible structure for beds or large containers. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double, high-centred blooms with 26–39 petals, classic pointed buds and mainly solitary presentation; strong hybrid tea form suited to cutting, with good stem length for vases and show bench use. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cool lavender-lilac flowers (RHS 75C outer, 76D inner) with silvery sheen; colour richest in cooler weather, fading towards pastel lavender-grey in heat; remontant, with abundant second and later flushes. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, garden-filling perfume with a sweet, citrusy verbena character; suitable for placing near doors, paths or seating where air movement carries scent, enhancing evening and wet-weather garden walks. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set generally sparse due to full, double blooms; when present, produces small, ovoid orange-red hips 11–15 mm across, mainly of ornamental interest rather than for wildlife or culinary harvesting. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately -15 to -12 °C (H6, USDA 7b, Swedish Zone 2); disease resistance moderate to low, especially to rust, so benefits from airy spacing, clean-up and preventative care in damp seasons. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with fertile, well-drained but moisture-retentive soil; prefers regular feeding, watering in dry spells and consistent deadheading; recommended spacings 50–90 cm depending on hedge, mass or specimen use. |
CHARLES DE GAULLE® offers award-winning fragrance, refined lavender-mauve blooms and a compact, almost thornless habit on a durable own-root framework; an excellent choice if You would like a long-lived, elegant rose to enrich everyday garden moments.
