BELLE DE LONDRES – pink climbing rose – Harkness
Step out of your London front door after rain and meet a rose bred in Hertfordshire that turns a simple path into a scented journey. BELLE DE LONDRES (Compassion) is a large-flowered climbing rose with richly layered blooms and a strong, fruity fragrance, ideal for narrow urban plots where every square metre matters yet you still want romance and character. Its long-lived, own-root form gives reassuring stability, quietly rebuilding from the base if stems are damaged and offering reliable renewal year after year. Over time you can expect that gentle arc of Year 1 roots, Year 2 shoots and Year 3 full ornamental presence. On UK walls and fences it copes well with blustery, damp spells and helps you manage heavy rain as it slows runoff from hard surfaces. Train it over a simple trellis, arch or balcony upright and enjoy a greener, more sustainable sense of balance.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Narrow London front garden wall |
Trained flat against brick, this climber delivers generous, XL blooms while using very little ground space, adding vertical colour and privacy without crowding bins, bikes or paths – a calm choice for the busy urban gardener. |
| Rainwater-friendly façade or fence |
Clothing hard surfaces with dense foliage and tall growth helps slow driving rain, soften wind and intercept runoff before it reaches the pavement, supporting more thoughtful water use in compact city plots – ideal for the sustainability-minded homeowner. |
| Small pergola or arch over a path |
Its long, flexible canes, strong scent and repeat flowering make a welcoming tunnel of perfume, perfect for “after-work” garden walks and weekend cups of tea beneath a curtain of blooms – appealing to the romantic beginner. |
| Large container on balcony or terrace (50–70 L) |
In a substantial, well-drained pot this own-root climber can be trained up railings or a freestanding obelisk, offering height and fragrance where borders are impossible, while remaining easier to reposition – practical for the flat-dwelling gardener. |
| Mixed flowerbed backdrop |
Placed at the rear of a border, its tall framework and warm salmon-pink tones create a soft backdrop for lower perennials, giving structure through the season and maintaining interest even between flushes – helpful to the design-conscious hobbyist. |
| Family seating or dining corner |
Trained along a trellis behind a bench or table, the rich, fruity scent and large, classical blooms turn an everyday seating nook into a scented retreat, while own-root resilience promises years of enjoyment – reassuring for the long-term planner. |
| Cut-flower corner for home arrangements |
Its high-centred, exhibition-style flowers on long stems are well suited to cutting, so a single plant near the back door can supply fragrant stems for vases, keeping the house linked to the garden – rewarding for the creative home florist. |
| Screening between neighbouring properties |
Dense foliage and a tall, climbing habit help filter views between gardens, softening boundaries with blossom instead of fencing alone and adding a feeling of privacy without heaviness – attractive to the neighbourly homeowner. |
Styling ideas
- Blush-Front Romance – Train BELLE DE LONDRES over a slim arch flanked by lavender and nepeta to create a softly scented, bee-pleasing entrance – suited to terrace-house owners wanting a “girly” yet grown-up look.
- Vertical-Cottage Mix – Fan the rose along a warm brick wall, underplant with dwarf heuchera and low catmint to weave salmon-pink blooms through russet and blue foliage – ideal for small family gardens seeking year-round structure.
- Balcony-Dramatic – In a 60-litre pot, combine the climber with trailing thyme and compact sage, training it up a metal obelisk for height and herb scent – perfect for urban balconies with limited floor space.
- Evening-Scent Nook – Place a bench beneath a trellis of BELLE DE LONDRES, with soft grasses and gaillardia in front, so the fruity perfume drifts around you at dusk – appealing to relaxation-focused gardeners.
- Soft-Screen Border – Use the rose as a tall, flowering screen, underplanted with coral bells and low evergreen structure, to blur boundaries between front drive and garden – right for those wanting privacy without heavy fencing.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Registered as Compassion, marketed as BELLE DE LONDRES – Compassion climbing rose; a large-flowered climber classed by the ARS as an exhibition large-flowered climbing rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Jack L. Harkness in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, from ‘White Cockade’ × ‘Prima Ballerina’; introduced and registered in 1972 by Harkness Roses. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holds the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (AGM), confirming reliable performance, distinctive ornamental value and sound garden worth under typical UK growing conditions. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous climbing rose reaching about 320–500 cm in height with a 160–260 cm spread; dense, glossy dark green foliage and heavily thorned shoots provide strong coverage for walls, fences and arches. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double blooms with 26–39 petals; XL high-centred, pointed buds opening in small clusters of 3–5 per stem; remontant, with an abundant second flush extending seasonal display. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Warm salmon-pink with a peachy centre and soft pink outer zones; flowers lighten to pastel and sometimes creamy tones in strong sun, giving nuanced colour changes through the flowering period. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Rich, strong, fruity fragrance typical of classic shrub and climbing roses; the scent is prominent around seating areas and entrances, adding sensory value from first flowering to late-season flushes. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces moderate quantities of ovoid orange-red hips, about 14–22 mm across; ornamental in late season and attractive in informal borders or wildlife-friendly plantings. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −26 to −23 °C (RHS H7; USDA 5b; Swedish Zone 4); disease resistance is moderate to weak, with particular sensitivity to rust, so regular monitoring and protection are beneficial. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best on well-drained soil with regular feeding and watering in drought; suitable for walls, fences, pergolas and trellises, and for cutting; partial shade is tolerated but choose airy sites to limit fungal problems. |
BELLE DE LONDRES rewards you with scented, exhibition-quality blooms, statuesque vertical growth and long-lived own-root resilience, making it a thoughtful choice for transforming compact walls or arches with lasting beauty.
