Maréchal Niel

Maréchal Niel 

Few roses made such a stir in the rose world as Maréchal Niel, a Sulfur yellow Tea Noisette.

Her origins are shrouded in mist. She was found by Louis Castel in 1857 in the gardens of Mr Chateau in Montauban. Eugène Verdier gave her the name Maréchal Niel and brought her on the market in 1864. Maréchal Niel was a Field Marchal of French emperor Napoléon III.

As soon as she came available she was a sensation. Everybody wanted to have this yellow gem. But why? What made her so special? Tea Noisette roses have always been regarded as the highest in beauty in the rose world and Maréchal Niel probably had the most beautiful blooms of all Tea Noisettes. Her blooms are light Sulfur to golden yellow fading into very light yellow with aging. Her bloom form is goblet shaped which opens slowly, the outer petals curl up giving the bloom a magnificent appearance. They are big, 10 to 12 cm. They hang down and look like golden bells

But that's not all, her perfume was unparalleled with tones of Iris, raspberry, violets etc...

It was so delicious a perfume with the same name was brought on the market.

Maréchal Niel was a climbing Tea Noisette and could reach 4 to 5 meters.

She had one flaw: She wasn't entirely hardy in lots of European countries and especially not in America. She could withstand temperatures as low as - 12 and her roots and the foot of the rose needed winter protection. She was bred in greenhouses and in places with a milder winter climate or against a warm southern wall. In Southern France and in climates fit for growing wine she was extremely popular, even in California and the southern states in the USA.

Her popularity starting to decline during WW I

and not much later WW II gave her a final blow.

After the 2 World Wars people had lost interest in difficult to grow, elite roses. People wanted Hybrid Teas and modern climbers cause they were much easier to take care for.

Maréchal Niel was as good as forgotten but some gardens had kept their specimens.

Due to the renewed interest in the old historical garden roses Maréchal Niel was rediscovered and began to appear in catalogs again. At the start of the 21th century our climate started to change at a rapid pace. Most parts of Southern and Western Europe started to get much milder winters, more hot and dry summers. Ideal to grow Maréchal Niel on a Southern facing wall.

Today, many nurseries sell her again as her reputation is gaining esteem again..

A rose friend in a village north of Paris wanted to grow her for years but he didn't dare thinking it was too cold in winter. In 2014 he had put his fear aside and planted her against a trellis on a South facing wall. Within two years she became magnificent and gave him the most beautiful blooms he had ever seen. He covers the base and roots of the rose with a very thick layer of straw and he wraps the first meter of branches in a frost protective cloth. He started in 2014 and the only time the temp dropped to the danger zone was in February 2021 but even then she was undamaged.

I planted mine a month ago against my big south facing wall together with rêve d'or and Mme Bérard 

So with a bit of TLC this marvelous rose can be grown on a warm spot in moderate climates.

One last important tip: Never prune her!