Rosa 'Alain'

Rosa 'Alain'
Genus	Rosa hybrid
Hybrid parentage	('Guinée' × 'Wilhelm') × 'Orange Triumph'
Breeder	Francis Meilland
Origin	Meilland International, France, 1948

Rosa 'Alain' is a red Floribunda rose variety, bred by Francis Meilland before 1946. Meilland International introduced the rose in France in 1948. It was named for Meilland's son, Alain, who was born in 1940. It won the Geneva Gold Medal in 1948.

Description

'Alain' is a bushy, upright hybrid tea rose, 3 to 5 ft (0.91–1.52 m)in height, with a 2 to 3 ft (0.61–0.91 m) spread. Bloom size is 4 in (100 mm). It has a semi-double (17-25 petals) bloom form.. The flowers are bright red and open relatively flat, which exposes the bright yellow stamens to view. Blooms occur in open clusters, up to as many as nine, and bloom repeatedly throughout the season.^[1]

History

Meilland International

The Meilland family is a multi-generational family of French rose breeders. The family's first rosarian was gardener, Joseph Rambaux, who first started breeding roses in 1850 in Lyon. He is best known for developing the Polyantha 'Perle d'Or'. His wife, Claudine and son-in-law, Francois Dubreuil, took over the nursery after Rambaux died in 1878. Dubreuil became a successful rose breeder and grower. In 1900, Dubreuil hired sixteen year old, Antoine Meilland, as a gardening assistant, where he met Dubreuil's daughter, Claudia. Antoine and Claudia married in 1909 and their son, Francis was born in 1912. The couple took over Dubreuil's nursery after his death in 1916.^[2]

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