''Rosa'' 'Alain' is a red Floribunda

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can b ...

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, in height, with a spread. Bloom size is . It has a semi-double (17-25 petals) bloom form.. The flowers are bright red and open relatively flat, which exposes the bright yellow

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s to view. Blooms occur in open clusters, up to as many as nine, and bloom repeatedly throughout the season. Flowers have a light fragrance. Foliage is green and glossy. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

is winter hardy up to −29 °C (

USDA zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

5). The plant is a vigorous grower and has a mild fragrance.

History

Meilland International

The Meilland family is a multi-generational family of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

rose breeders. The family's first rosarian was gardener, Joseph Rambaux, who first started breeding roses in 1850 in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

. He is best known for developing the

Polyantha Garden roses are predominantly hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. An enormous number ...

'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 Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) Places *Rural ...

was born in 1912. The couple took over Dubreuil's nursery after his death death in 1916. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Antoine and Claudia bought property in Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, near Lyon and started a new nursery. Their son, Francis, married Marie-Louise (Louisette) Paolino, daughter of an Italian rose breeder in 1939. Francis expanded the rose business over time into a large, international company, and became the most famous and prolific rose breeder in the family. His legendary 'Peace' rose, brought the family international attention and great commercial success when it was introduced after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The Meilland family merged their business with Francisque Richardier in 1946, so that Francis Meilland could focus solely on breeding roses. After Francis's early death in 1958, Louisette continued to breed roses, introducing many awarding winning new varieties. The new company, Meilland-Richardier grew into Meilland International (AKA House of Meilland), and is located in Le Luc en Provence, France. Francis and Louisette's children, Alain and Michele, are both successful rose breeders for the company. Meilland International continues to be 100% family owned and managed.

'Alain'

'Alain' was developed by Francis Meilland, a French rose breeder from the prominent Meilland family. The rose was introduced in 1948, and named for the breeder's son, Alain Meilland, who was born in 1940. 'Alain' was developed from a cross of 'Guinée' and'Wilhelm', in turn crossed with'Orange Triumph'. 'Alain' was selected as ''Most Beautiful French Rose'' (''Plus Belle Rose de France'') at the Lyon Rose Trials in 1946. In 1948 another gold medal was won at the Geneva Rose Trials. The

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done ...

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

of 'Alain', 'Climbing Alain' was introduced in 1957.

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed Alain 1948 introductions