Old Garden
Mutabilis
Multicolor · repeat-blooming · Zones 6-9
Old Garden Rose
Honorine de Brabant
Lilac-pink striped with crimson, fragrant.
A pink/striped member of the old garden & heirloom roses group, Honorine de Brabant is grown for its long succession of blooms and its fragrance. Below you'll find a full profile of Honorine de Brabant — its characteristics, how to grow it, where to use it in the garden, and answers to the questions gardeners ask most.
About Honorine de Brabant
As one of the old garden & heirloom roses, Honorine de Brabant carries the traits gardeners look for in the group — full, many-petaled blooms, often quartered or cupped. Prized for depth of fragrance and full, romantic form, the old garden roses carry a character that many modern roses cannot match.
In flower, Honorine de Brabant is pink/striped and fills the plant with bloom in wave after wave, carrying a strong, carrying fragrance. It is hardy across USDA zones 5-9, so it suits a wide range of gardens with the right seasonal care.
Characteristics and form
Honorine de Brabant makes an arching, informal shrub in most classes, typically around 3 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. The blooms are full, many-petaled blooms, often quartered or cupped, medium to large in size, set against often matte green foliage. Knowing a rose's habit and mature size is the key to placing it well: give Honorine de Brabant room to reach its full spread without crowding its neighbors, which also keeps air moving through the plant and disease at bay.
How to grow Honorine de Brabant
Plant Honorine de Brabant where it will get at least six hours of direct sun a day in fertile, well-drained soil with good air movement around it. In cold climates, set the graft union — the swollen knob where the variety joins the rootstock — at or just below the soil line; in mild climates, keep it at soil level. Once planted, water deeply and less often to encourage deep, drought-resistant roots.
- Light: Full sun, six hours or more; morning sun is best because it dries dew early and limits disease.
- Soil: Rich and well-drained, slightly acidic at about pH 6.0–6.5. Improve heavy or sandy soil with plenty of compost before planting.
- Water: Deep, infrequent soakings at the base rather than frequent light sprinkling; more in heat, sandy soil, or containers.
- Feeding: A balanced rose fertilizer in early spring, repeated after the first flush to fuel the next.
- Pruning: Prune it in late winter to an open, outward-facing framework, then deadhead through the season.
Bloom habit: Repeat (recurrent). Honorine de Brabant blooms in repeated flushes from late spring until the first frost. Deadhead spent flowers to bring on the next wave.
Where to use Honorine de Brabant in the garden
Honorine de Brabant suits heritage and cottage borders, fragrant gardens, and specimen shrubs. It is at home in a romantic, informal planting with other old roses and cottage perennials. For more ideas, see our guide to companion plants for roses.
Common problems and care
Grow it with good air flow; many old roses are robust and famously long-lived. Watch for the usual rose troubles — black spot, powdery mildew, and aphids — and head them off with good air flow, base watering, and a tidy autumn clean-up. See our full guide to rose diseases and pests for identification and treatment.
Honorine de Brabant — frequently asked questions
How big does Honorine de Brabant get?
Honorine de Brabant typically grows about 3 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide, forming a an arching, informal shrub in most classes. Its final size depends on your climate and how you prune it.
Is Honorine de Brabant fragrant?
Yes — Honorine de Brabant has a strong, carrying fragrance, and scent is one of the reasons to grow it.
Does Honorine de Brabant bloom more than once a season?
Yes. Honorine de Brabant is a repeat-blooming rose that blooms in repeated flushes from late spring until the first frost, especially if it is deadheaded and fed through the summer.
What hardiness zones does Honorine de Brabant grow in?
Honorine de Brabant is hardy in USDA zones 5-9. That range describes the winter cold it can survive; gardeners colder than zone 5 should give it winter protection or grow it in a movable container.
Is Honorine de Brabant easy to grow?
Grow it with good air flow; many old roses are robust and famously long-lived. Give Honorine de Brabant full sun, well-drained soil, and the ordinary seasonal care any rose appreciates, and it is a straightforward rose to grow.
How and when should I prune Honorine de Brabant?
Prune Honorine de Brabant in late winter to an open, outward-facing framework, then deadhead through the season — see our step-by-step guide to pruning roses for the full method.