Rosa damascena (RO-zuh dah-mah-SEE-nuh try-JIN-tee-PEH-tah-lah)
Family: RoseacaeUnknownShrub (3-15 ft)
Shrub (3-15 ft)Unknown
The Summer Damask rose is a hybrid shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae) by an unknown breeder in the 1600s. It was introduced in Germany in 1889 as Rosa damascena var. trigintipetala and in France in 1930 as 'Professeur Émile Perrot'. Damask roses are divided into two types: the Summer Damask and the Autumn Damask. The difference is the length of bloom time, with the Autumn Damask blooming into autumn. This vigorous shrub will grow 5-8 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide in an upright, bushy, well-branched form. Plant in full sun to partial shade in amended, well-drained, moist soil protected from the wind. It will tolerate poorer soils. Prune once flowering is completed, as it blooms on old wood. The pink flowers open in a flat form, are 2-3 inches across with 16-25 petals and a very strong Damask fragrance. They bloom once per season in spring or summer. The rose hips that follow are red and showy. The foliage is medium to dark green on stems with many prickles. The Summer Damask rose is grown in Bolivia commercially for making rose water and rose oil for perfumery. Use this shrub in the shrub border to help protect it from wind damage or in the back of the border. Use in the pollinator, cutting or cottage gardens. The petals work well for potpourri. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Good disease resistance. See pests of roses to the left. Deer will browse roses.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheRosa 'Belle Poitevine'Rosa 'Great Maiden' s Blush'Syringa pubescens subsp. pubescens
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial; Rose; Shrub
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Medium to dark green compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower shape
Cup; Saucer
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Medium pink flowers with yellow stamens. Double, loose, blooms open cupped to flat in summer only. They are 2-3 inches across with 16-25 petals and a very strong Damask fragrance