Papa Meilland

Papa Meilland, Meilland 1963 

Hybrid Tea 

Papa Meilland is arguably the most well known dark red Hybrid tea. It was used to promote the ideal red romantic rose.

Red roses aren't that easy to breed and especially good red Hybrid Tea roses are even today not so easy to create.

What made Papa Meilland so special? Well it was the combination of the dark red color with a very strong old damask fragrance. And this brings us immediately to its ideal purpose: Cut flower. Most red Hybrid teas are thin shrubs with long stems and at the end one beautiful bloom. They are made for the vase or to give to your loved one. Are they good garden plants? Not the best no but who can resist the look and smell of these beauties. Beauty comes at a price and with red hybrid teas it's their not so ideal growth and low disease resistance.

Papa Meilland can grow up to 120 cm and is rather thin as a shrub. The blooms however are out of this world. Perfectly formed Hybrid tea buds and unfolding flowers in a dark velvety red color and a scent to die for. Reblooming is good yes but she can be susceptible to mildew and blackspot as so many red roses are.

Papa Meilland got a climbing sport which is sold as Papa Meilland climbing or grimpant. It's much more healthy than the shrub version and the blooms are identical. If you want the blooms of Papa Meilland in your garden I would advise the climbing version.

Now the ancestry of Papa Meilland:

Parents: Chrysler imperial X Charles Mallerin

Grandparent: Crimson Glory

Great Grandparent: Mme Caroline Testout

Great Great grandparent: Lady Mary Fitzwilliam

Great Great Great grandparents: Devoniensis X Victor Verdier

Safrano 

As you can see the ancestors of Papa Meilland include many famous roses and they go back to the very early Tea roses and China's

So every time you look at a bloom of Papa Meilland you are looking at 200 years of rose history. With these famous genes it's not so strange that Papa Meilland is a stunner.