Centifolia Rose 'Fantin-Latour': The Painter's Pink Cabbage Rose

Introduced in 1938 by Bunyard and also known as 'Best Garden Rose', 'Fantin-Latour' honors the 19th-century French painter Henri Fantin-Latour, famous for his exquisite floral still lifes. This Centifolia (cabbage rose) produces the classically full, globular, quartered blooms—4 to 5 inches across—in a delicate, clear pink that pales to blush at the edges. The fragrance is intensely rich, the quintessential Centifolia perfume: heavy, sweet, and deeply satisfying.

The plant forms a graceful, arching shrub 5 to 6 feet tall and wide, with grey-green, slightly rugose foliage and numerous fine thorns. It blooms once in early summer, but the display is so lavish—branches bending under the weight of flowers—that it defines the season. The foliage remains attractive through summer.

Like all Centifolias, 'Fantin-Latour' is very cold-hardy (zone 4), disease-resistant, and tolerant of partial shade. Its arching habit makes it lovely on a slope or at the back of a border. For lovers of Old Garden Roses, this 20th-century variety captures the full romance and fragrance of the cabbage rose tradition.