Rosa 'William Lobb' (also famously known as 'Old Velvet Moss') is a historic, mid-19th-century Moss Rose bred in France by Jean Laffay in 1855. It is highly prized for its theatrical colour transformation, powerful old rose fragrance, and the unique pine-scented, furry "moss" covering its buds and flower stalks. 'William Lobb' is a massive, vigorous heirloom variety.
Key Characteristics
Classification: Centifolia Moss Rose (Old Shrub Rose).
The Blooms: Large, densely packed double flowers (up to 50 petals) that open as a dark, dramatic crimson-purple. As they age over 3 to 4 weeks, they fade beautifully into a smoky lavender-grey, violet, and mauve.
The "Moss": The sepals, flower stalks, and stems are heavily covered in a sticky, green, moss-like growth that releases a rich, resinous, balsam-like scent when touched.
Flowering Habit: It is once-flowering, delivering one spectacular, heavy flush of blossoms in mid-summer (June and July).
Growth & Size: A large, thorny, fast-growing shrub with arching canes. It reaches a height of 1.8–2.5 metres (6–8 feet) and a spread of 1.2–1.8 metres (4–6 feet). Because of its long, flexible canes, it is frequently trained as a short climber against a wall, fence, or pillar