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Souvenir de la Malmaison (Rosa 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'), whole plant
  • Souvenir de la Malmaison — close-up of leaves and flowers
  • Souvenir de la Malmaison — seasonal appearance
  • Souvenir de la Malmaison in a garden setting

Souvenir de la Malmaison

Rosa 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'

Medium · Some experience

About Souvenir de la Malmaison

Souvenir de la Malmaison is one of the most celebrated Old Garden Bourbon roses, bred by Jean Beluze in France in 1843, producing extraordinary large fully-quartered blush-pink blooms with a rich old-rose and spice fragrance. Growing 3 to 4 feet in a compact shrub, it blooms repeatedly from spring through fall. Named to honor Empress Josephine's legendary rose garden at Malmaison and considered one of the finest historic roses in American heirloom collections.

  • Fragrant
  • Long-blooming
WATER
Regular
Top inch dry
LIGHT
Full sun
6+ hrs direct
HARDY
Hardy to -10°F (-23°C)
USDA hardiness zones 6–9

How to care for Souvenir de la Malmaison

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
  • Summerevery 45 days
Get watering reminders for Souvenir de la Malmaison — free on iPhoneDownload on the App Store

At a Glance

  • NativeEurope
  • Height3–6 ft (0.9–1.8 m)
  • Spread3–5 ft (0.9–1.5 m)
  • Flower colorPink, White
  • Foliage colorGreen
  • SoilLoamy, Well-drained, Rich
  • LocationsYard

Bloom time

BLOOM CYCLE

Peak bloom

May–Sep

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

Blush-pink quartered blooms with spice fragrance, deadhead for repeat

Fragrance

STRONG FRAGRANCE

Rich tea and spice 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

Souvenir de la Malmaison · Native
  • Native
  • Europe

History

Illustrated historical scene for Souvenir de la Malmaison

Rosa 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' is a blush-pink Bourbon rose bred by French hybridizer Jean Beluze, released in 1843 from a cross between the tea rose 'Madame Desprez' and an unnamed tea. The Grand Duke of Russia commissioned the name to honor the memory of Château de Malmaison, Empress Josephine Bonaparte's estate outside Paris where she had assembled the world's most comprehensive rose collection (over 250 cultivars) before her death in 1814; by 1843 the gardens had been largely destroyed. The fully double flat-quartered blooms, twelve centimeters across, open a rich creamy blush pink and pale to near white in sun, carrying a rich tea-and-spice fragrance regarded as among the finest in the old-rose canon.

Repeat bloom throughout the season on a compact bourbon-style shrub; a climbing sport released in 1893 extends its use. Sensitive to rain and mildew but indispensable in heritage rose gardens.

Bred by Jean Beluze in Lyon, France in 1843, the rose was reportedly named when a Grand Duke of Russia acquired it for the Imperial Gardens in St. It became one of the most beloved Bourbon roses in American Victorian gardens.

Symbolism & meaning

What It Symbolizes

Souvenir de la Malmaison makes royal remembrance visible, named for Empress Josephine's legendary rose garden at Malmaison outside Paris. As a classic Bourbon rose, it carries nineteenth-century French breeding at its most refined: quartered blush blooms, rich fragrance, and a softness that feels deliberately preserved. To grow it is to keep one room of that vanished garden open.

  • Royal remembrance — honors Empress Josephine's rose garden
  • Bourbon heritage — classic of the Bourbon rose class

Where the Name Comes From

French for 'Memory of Malmaison', honoring Empress Josephine Bonaparte's legendary rose garden at Chateau de Malmaison outside Paris.

Uses & Fun Facts

  • Quartered blush blooms bring old-rose fragrance to borders and cut stems
  • Heritage Bourbon rose for warm walls, pots, and sheltered borders

Related plants

More Rosa plants

Plants with similar care

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water Souvenir de la Malmaison?

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

How much light does Souvenir de la Malmaison need?

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

Is Souvenir de la Malmaison 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 Souvenir de la Malmaison easy to grow?

It is moderately demanding: a good choice once you have a little experience.

When does Souvenir de la Malmaison bloom?

It typically blooms May–Sep in the Northern Hemisphere.

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