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Madame Plantier (Rosa 'Madame Plantier'), whole plant
  • Madame Plantier — close-up of leaves and flowers
  • Madame Plantier — seasonal appearance
  • Madame Plantier in a garden setting

Madame Plantier

Rosa 'Madame Plantier'

Easy · Beginner friendly

About Madame Plantier

Madame Plantier is a classic French Old Garden rose of the Alba-Noisette hybrid class, bred by Plantier in 1835, famous for her massive spring display of pure white fully-double rosette blooms with green button eyes and powerful sweet fragrance. Growing 6 to 10 feet in an arching once-blooming shrub, she carries a single spectacular bloom flush in late spring. An iconic heritage rose in American heirloom gardens.

  • Fragrant
  • Disease-resistant
WATER
Regular
Top inch dry
LIGHT
Full sun
6+ hrs direct
HARDY
Hardy to -30°F (-34°C)
USDA hardiness zones 4–9

How to care for Madame Plantier

Watering

  • Springevery 7 days
  • Summerevery 5 days
  • Fallevery 10 days
  • Winterevery 21 days

Soil · Rich & loamy

  • Top dressingBark mulch15%
  • Main mixRich loam + compost 3:170%
  • DrainageGravel15%

Use fully finished compost — fresh compost burns roots.

FERTILIZER

Balanced Feed 14-14-14

An even feed covers all three needs at once, keeping leaves, roots and blooms moving together with nothing pushed out of balance.

N33%P33%K33%
  • Nitrogen · Leaves
  • Phosphorus · Roots + Blooms
  • Potassium · Strength
  • Springevery 45 days
Get watering reminders for Madame Plantier — free on iPhoneDownload on the App Store

At a Glance

  • NativeEurope
  • Height5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m)
  • Spread4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m)
  • Flower colorWhite, Cream
  • Foliage colorGreen
  • SoilLoamy, Well-drained, Rich
  • LocationsYard

Bloom time

BLOOM CYCLE

Peak bloom

Mar–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Pure white rosette blooms in massive spring flush, once-blooming only

Fragrance

STRONG FRAGRANCE

Powerful sweet old-rose damask fragrance.

Toxicity

Humans Slight

Unknown toxic principle

Slight

  • Stem
  • Contact

EXPOSURE Touching stems.

EFFECT Pricks from thorns.

NOTE Not toxic; thorns cause mechanical injury.

Safe

EXPOSURE No exposure route is reported.

EFFECT No toxic effect is reported.

NOTE Listed as non-toxic for dogs; avoid eating ornamental plants unless confirmed edible.

Safe

EXPOSURE No exposure route is reported.

EFFECT No toxic effect is reported.

NOTE Listed as non-toxic for cats; avoid eating ornamental plants unless confirmed edible.

Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

DISTRIBUTION

Madame Plantier · Native
  • Native
  • Europe

History

Illustrated historical scene for Madame Plantier

Rosa 'Madame Plantier' is a pure white hybrid rose bred by French nurseryman Plantier of Lyon in 1835, probably from a cross between a Rosa alba and a noisette rose (though exact parentage is lost). The arching flexible canes reach two to three meters and can be trained as a weeping shrub, pillar, or small climber. In early summer the plant produces a single but overwhelming display: hundreds of small fully double blooms open from greenish-cream buds to flat pompon-rosette-shaped pure white flowers with a powerful sweet old-rose damask fragrance, covering the plant for about three weeks.

Though once-blooming, the display is so spectacular that 'Madame Plantier' remains widely planted nearly two centuries later. Empress Josephine included it in the Malmaison collection shortly before her death, and it survives today in many nineteenth-century French rose gardens.

Bred by Plantier of Lyon, France in 1835 and widely distributed through the 19th century, Madame Plantier became a staple of American cemetery and farmstead plantings, where her hardy constitution and spectacular spring bloom made her a favorite heirloom rose still found surviving on abandoned homesteads across the American South.

Symbolism & meaning

What It Symbolizes

Madame Plantier Rose is pure romance lingering across centuries, a fragrant white old garden rose still found cascading over the foundations of long-abandoned homesteads. Its blooms are favored for weddings, but its survival on forgotten farms is its quieter miracle. In its persistence, the heirloom rose proves that tenderness, well planted, easily outlives its planters.

  • Pure romance — white fragrant blooms for weddings
  • Heirloom survivor — still found on abandoned homesteads

Where the Name Comes From

Named by breeder Plantier of Lyon for his wife Madame Plantier.

Uses & Fun Facts

  • Pure white rosettes pour out powerful sweet old-rose perfume
  • Arching once-blooming shrub anchors heritage and historic gardens
  • Massive spring display covers cottage borders in white

Related plants

More Rosa plants

Plants with similar care

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water Madame Plantier?

In summer, water about every 5 days; in winter, about every 21 days. Adjust for heat, pot size and drainage.

How much light does Madame Plantier need?

Full sun: 6+ hrs direct. Watch the leaves — scorching or stretching means the light needs adjusting.

Is Madame Plantier toxic to cats or dogs?

Pets Safe (Dogs Safe · Cats Safe) Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

Is Madame Plantier easy to grow?

Yes — it is considered an easy, beginner-friendly plant.

When does Madame Plantier bloom?

It typically blooms Mar–May in the Northern Hemisphere.

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