Damascus rose
Rosa damascena
ShrubSecondary
Production
The classic Damask rose for perfume, rose water and fragrant petals — a thorny shrub-layer producer that thrives in Mediterranean summers with winter chill. Prune hard after bloom and keep air moving through the canopy.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Shrub
- Lifecycle
- Secondary
- Soil preference
- Loam, Sandy
- Soil pH range
- 6 – 7.5
- Min. temperature
- -20°C
- Min. rainfall
- 450 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- Medium
- Frost tolerance
- High
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Irrigation needed
- Medium
How to manage it
Classic perfume and rose-water rose; hard-prune after flowering to renew flowering wood and keep the bush open for air. Harvest petals at dawn for the finest scent.
Watch out for
Thorny and can sucker; needs winter chill for best bloom and hates waterlogged soils. Susceptible to black spot and rust in humid springs.
Design your line to see how your land fits Damascus rose.
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