Deep, velvety currant‑red shade. - hybrid tea rose - very strong, garden-filling scented rose - rose-oil, classic rose character
– Very strong, classic rose-oil fragrance.
– Deep, velvety dark red exhibition blooms.
– Upright, medium shrub for beds and hedges.
– Suitable for cutting, long-stemmed flowers.
– Moderate heat and disease tolerance.
– Special feature: Awarded Prix du Parfum at The Hague in 1985 for its exceptional scent.
Sustainable garden design – Expert background
eleanorROSE® ORIGINAL 2-litre own-root potted rose
19,00 £
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3.5(5477)
VICTOR HUGO® – red hybrid tea rose - Meilland
Created to honour the writer Victor Hugo, this hybrid tea brings literary drama into compact London front gardens, with velvety crimson blooms and a garden-filling perfume that lingers after summer showers in humid weather and blustery, changeable conditions. As an own-root rose, it is bred for long-term stability, quietly building a strong underground framework before delivering its full above-ground presence. In a typical family plot or narrow terrace border, you will notice steady progression in flowering and structure, as it moves from settling roots to taller, more confident growth and then to a mature, enduring display. Its medium maintenance needs are straightforward: simple pruning, basic feeding and sensible watering are enough to support its natural resilience and keep this classic red rose performing beautifully for many seasons of balanced garden calm.
Victor Hugo® hybrid tea rose offered in a 2-litre pot.
Usage options
Target area
Reasoning
Narrow London terraced-house front garden
The upright 80–120 cm habit and 40–60 cm spread fit slim borders beside paths and railings, while the rich red blooms give a formal, welcoming focus without demanding complex care – ideal for the time-pressed urban gardener.
Feature rose in a small family garden bed
As a specimen, the large, high-centred flowers and dense mid-green foliage create a clear focal point that children and visitors notice immediately, yet routine pruning and feeding remain manageable for a beginner household.
Cutting patch or home cut-flower border
The classic exhibition-style buds and extra-large blooms were bred for vases, offering long-stemmed, strongly scented flowers that hold their form and colour indoors, rewarding even simple care from the occasional home flower-arranger.
Rainwater-conscious front garden with clay soil
Planted into improved, well-drained clay, this own-root plant responds reliably to stored rainwater, coping well with wet spells and breezy weather common in many UK streets, reassuring the sustainability-minded rainwater collector.
Container on balcony or paved front area
In a 40–50 litre peat-free container, its vertical habit and repeat flowering provide strong colour where borders are impossible, with manageable watering and feeding that suit the schedule of a busy apartment dweller.
Fragrance-focused seating area or doorstep
The very strong, rose-oil perfume makes stepping outside a daily pleasure, with scent carried on still evenings and after showers, giving high sensory reward for minimal effort to any scent-loving owner.
Small formal hedge or repeated planting rhythm
At 35–45 cm spacing, its upright structure and repeat flowering form a low, rhythmic line along paths or driveways, remaining attractive over many years thanks to its own-root longevity, pleasing the long-term planning garden investor.
Low-maintenance sustainable planting with perennials
Partnered with perennials such as lavender, sage or nepeta, this rose adds deep red structure while companions boost pollinator interest and ground cover, reducing weeding and inputs for the eco-aware city gardener.
Styling ideas
Classical Entrance – flank a front door with two large containers of this rose underplanted with silver-leaved sage for formal elegance – suited to homeowners wanting a composed first impression.
Poet’s Border – mix Victor Hugo® with dusky salvias, nepeta and ornamental grasses to echo the drama of its namesake in a narrow side return – ideal for literature-loving terrace dwellers.
Crimson Hedge – create a low flowering hedge along a path with evenly spaced plants, softened by lavender at the base – perfect for families seeking structure without complex clipping.
Balcony Focus – in a single 50 litre tub, combine this rose with trailing thyme and compact heucheras for year-round interest – suited to flat owners with only one or two statement containers.
Cutting Corner – group three plants at the back of a small bed with airy verbena in front to supply repeat, scented stems for the house – ideal for hobby florists building a mini cutting patch.
Technical cultivar profile
Property
Data
Name and registration
Hybrid tea rose; registered as MEIvestal, marketed as Victor Hugo® Hybrid tea rose MEIvestal; also exhibited as Senator Burda® in ARS competitions and show schedules.
Origin and breeding
Bred by Marie-Louise Meilland (Meilland International SA, France) from complex hybrid tea parentage including Karl Herbst and Erotika; introduced and registered in 1985 by Meilland Richardier.
Awards and recognition
Fragrance Award (Prix du Parfum) at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1985, recognising its intensely perfumed flowers and confirming its value as a strongly scented garden and exhibition hybrid tea.
Growth and structural characteristics
Medium-sized, upright bush reaching about 80–120 cm high and 40–60 cm wide, with moderately prickly stems and dense, slightly glossy mid-green foliage providing a neat, vertical presence in beds or containers.
Flower morphology
Classic hybrid tea with solitary, high-centred, pointed buds on long stems; XL double blooms with 26–39 petals; remontant, producing an abundant second flush suitable for cutting and show purposes.
Colour data and phenology
Deep, velvety currant-red flowers; buds emerge crimson, open to rich dark red, then fade slightly to ruby with a burgundy tinge; colour holds moderately well through the bloom’s life in typical UK light levels.
Fragrance and aroma
Very strong, garden-filling perfume with classic rose-oil character; fragrance is noticeable in still air and near seating areas, making it a rewarding choice for sensory gardens and evening enjoyment.
Hip characteristics
Produces small, spherical red hips around 12–18 mm in diameter in moderate quantities; decorative in late season and potentially useful for wildlife interest if not all faded flowers are removed.
Resistance and winter hardiness
Rated H6 and hardy roughly to -15 to -12 °C; disease resistance is moderate to black spot, mildew and rust, so occasional monitoring and timely treatment or cultural care may be needed in humid seasons.
Horticultural recommendations
Best in sunny or lightly shaded spots with improved drainage; space 35–70 cm depending on use; water in dry spells, especially in containers, and prune annually to maintain vigour and repeat flowering.
VICTOR HUGO® – red hybrid tea rose - Meilland offers powerful fragrance, classic cut flowers and long-lived own-root reliability; a thoughtful choice if you prefer enduring character over passing fashion.
Detailed product attributes
Product Identification Data
Product Name:
VICTOR HUGO® – red hybrid tea rose - Meilland
Product Type:
eleanorROSE® ORIGINAL - 2-litre own-root potted rose
Meaning of Cultivar Name:
The name honours the 19th-century French poet, novelist and dramatist Victor Hugo, and the cultivar was created for the 100th anniversary of his death.
Cultivar Synonym:
Dreams Come True; Senator Burda®; Spirit of Youth
Full Bloom:
Rich dark red with a deep-toned, velvety texture.
Before Fading:
Slightly fading ruby red with a subtle burgundy tinge.
Colour Fading Description:
As it opens the deep crimson–currant red shade only moderately fades; at full bloom it is a rich dark red, and before the bloom fades it becomes slightly ruby with a burgundy tinge.
Pollinator Attraction:
Its fully double flowers attract pollinators only to a limited extent, as the dense, fully double petal form obscures the stamens and reduces access to nectar and pollen compared with simple or semi‑double blooms.
Pollinator-Friendly Rating:
Its double flowers attract pollinators only moderately, so it is at most partially pollinator-friendly and primarily an ornamental variety
Our product is a rose grown with pharmaROSA®’s unique cultivation technology!
2-litre, own-root, potted rose.
With a shoot system appropriate to the season.
With a root system that thoroughly permeates the growing medium.
Quality compliant with the requirements of the E.N.A. (European Nurserystock Association).
Supplied in unique packaging that prevents damage.
Can be planted during frost-free periods.
True-to-variety rose bush with a unique identifier.
The pharmaROSA® own-root potted rose is a well-rooted plant that supports reliable establishment when planted and cared for properly, so it can be planted whenever the soil is not frozen.
Crop overview: several varieties and growth stages in a short crop section.Shoot system: intensive growth of fresh basal shoots on a young plant.Root system: demonstration of a vigorous root system permeating the growing medium, by removing the pot.Balance: mature plant with root system and shoots in harmony with each other.
Information about the videos
The video series is not a “seasonal showcase”; it illustrates the essence of pharmaROSA® own-root cultivation in a tangible way: how the plant is built up, what the root system is like and how the shoot system regenerates. The recordings were therefore made at different times and with plants at various stages of development, so mixed foliage levels and differing stages of growth may appear in the videos. They are not a ‘sample’ of the batch dispatched, but a visual explanation of how the technology works. The current condition of the rose available to order — typical for the given period and similar to what you can expect to receive in the parcel — is shown in the upper part of the product page.
Pages for private customers Garden roses for the family garden, with minimal care → ORIGINAL® Premium garden roses – instant impact, a truly showpiece garden → EXTRA® Pages for professionals and private customers Roses for public spaces – large areas, sustainable maintenance → NATURAL® Roses for projects – hedge and row planting, fast implementation → RAPID® For professional partners only Production – propagation material for garden roses, wholesale → NEONATAL®
Company details
PharmaRosa Ltd. Company registration number: 01-09-717479 VAT number: 13075314-2-43 Plant health registration no.: HU130721 Bank account (IBAN): HU85117631891388688400000000 BIC (SWIFT): OTPVHUHB Bank name: OTP Bank Nyrt.
