A long time love for me and ever the tough, hardy survivor, the hybrid rugosa Therese Bugnet impresses and delights with old rose and clove scented blooms, lovely mid-green foliage, and red stems that are increasingly thornless approaching their apex.

TB for me is a once bloomer with the total blooming period extending over a period of about a month. No autumn/late summer blooms observed on my specimen. Blooms shatter after around three days. If conditions are calm, petals cling precariously longer.
Later blooms in the cycle tend to be at the end of vigorous new basal shoots or laterals and slightly larger and fuller than the earlier blooms from old wood. Thrips LOVE the later blooms and the end up looking muddied.
No hips ever develop here.

In my South-Central Michigan Z5b, there has been no observed die-back of any canes; not even after our previous winter with -20*F low temperatures.

Generally disease resistant, I have noticed TB to be susceptible to powdery mildew in my climate when conditions favour the disease but never black spot. The leaves are rugose, but nearly to the degree of more "pure" hybrids such as Hansa.

In my location, TB is a tall, vase shaped arching shrub of 6.5 feet to 8 feet tall and at least 6.5 feet wide. Multiple basal shoots develop without branching for several feet. Branching lateral growth becomes twiggy with slightly smaller but plentiful blooms in time. Canes are bowed down when in full bloom and subjected to soaking rains.
Suckering is very minimal.
Seems easy to strike from cuttings in early spring in my conditions- a trimming jammed into the earth early April sprouted growth followed by more vigorous growth at the peak of summer.

Occasionally pestered by cane end borers in cut cane ends, but no die-back observed from pests. The damage seems primarily aesthetic to me.

A graceful and architectural shrub, Therese Bugnet should be included more often in gardens in the North.

Enjoy!

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April 1, 2014 after thinning out of oldest, least productive canes.

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May 22, 2014- Full of buds and vigorous new growth!

May 25- Buds showing strong first colour!

May 28- First Bloom of the season!

May 31- Close up of a bud

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May 31- Look at all of those buds!

May 31- A fully open bloom

May 31- Full bush shot, looking East

June 1- Full flush fast approaching!

June 3- Full Bloom!

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June 5- Oh my! Demure, lovely nodding blooms!

June 5- Nodding lovelies from below

Steven