A beautiful, summer-flowering Gallica rose, Rosa Cardinal de Richelieu is a medium-sized, deciduous shrub rose with a compact, bushy habit and slender, almost thornless stems. The lush, divided leaves are mid-green. In midsummer, the shrub bears a profusion of gorgeous, almost globular, fully double, deep purple flowers which open out to a dusty purple with a pale centre and green eye; they have a deep, distinctive scent. For best flowering, apply fertiliser and a mulch in late winter or early spring. Shrub rose Cardinal de Richelieu tolerates poorer soil than most roses, and is a tough, hardy rose.Climbing rose

Site: Tolerates exposure
Soil: Any moisture-retentive, humus-rich, well-drained soil
Position: Full sun
Season of interest: Midsummer
Hardiness: Very hardy
Height:  up to 5’ (1.5m) Spread: 4’ (1.2m) in 2-5 years; sometimes smaller