Deep, velvety currant‑red shade. - hybrid tea rose - very strong, garden-filling scented rose - rose-oil, classic rose character
– Deep, velvety currant-red exhibition blooms
– Very strong, classic rose-oil fragrance
– Reliable remontant flowering with XL blooms
– Upright habit with dense, healthy foliage
– Ideal for cut flowers, beds and hedges Special feature: Awarded Prix du Parfum at The Hague 1985 for its exceptional scent.
Sustainable garden design – Expert background
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre own-root potted rose
19,40 €
3.5(5314)
VICTOR HUGO® – red hybrid tea rose – Meilland
Created to honour Victor Hugo, this classic hybrid tea brings a rich, velvety red accent to your garden with romantic, XL exhibition blooms that also cut beautifully for the vase. Its very strong, garden-filling fragrance means You can enjoy the scent from a doorway, patio or open window, even in smaller family gardens. The upright, compact habit and mid-green, slightly glossy foliage keep beds and borders looking neat without complicated pruning. As an own-root rose it offers reassuring longevity, rebuilding after winter or tougher seasons for a stable, long-term display. Well-suited to Irish conditions with a steady tolerance of our moist climate and need for sensible drainage in heavier soils, it settles in reliably if You keep watering regular in dry spells. Over the first year it focuses on roots, in the second year You see stronger shoots and buds, and by the third year it reaches full ornamental value with sumptuous colour, form and scent for the whole household to enjoy.
Victor Hugo® hybrid tea rose, supplied as a 2-litre potted plant.
Use cases
Target area
Reason
Front garden focal point
The XL, high-centred crimson blooms and upright, tidy structure make this rose ideal as a front-door or driveway feature where You want instant impact from a single plant. Best for those who like a clear, elegant focal point, especially beginners
Romantic cut-flower corner
Bred as an exhibition hybrid tea, it produces long-stemmed, solitary flowers perfect for cutting, so even a small group gives You plenty of classic, florist-style stems to bring indoors. Ideal for home decorators who enjoy arranging their own bunches
Scented patio or seating area
With its very strong, garden-filling perfume, planting near a bench, terrace or favourite chair lets the fragrance drift around You on still evenings, adding a sense of luxury without extra effort. Ideal for relaxation-lovers who value soothing outdoor moments
Easy-care family flower bed
A compact, upright bush with dense foliage fits neatly into mixed borders, giving structured colour without sprawling into neighbouring plants, and its moderate care needs suit busy timetables. Perfect for family gardens that must stay good-looking and practical
Small group planting in front gardens
Planting 3–5 bushes at the recommended spacing creates a unified block of deep red colour that repeats through the season, offering a simple way to design a smart, cohesive bed. Best for people who want strong effect from a few well-chosen plants
Partial-shade side border
This variety copes with partial shade, so it works along house walls or side paths that do not get full sun all day, still giving richly coloured blooms rather than weak, stretched growth. Helpful for urban plots where sunlight comes in short windows
Large container on patio or balcony
In a 40–50 litre container with good drainage, its upright habit and strong colour create a vertical accent that suits paved spaces and sheltered coastal balconies, provided watering is regular. Ideal for those gardening in limited space who still want classic roses
Structure for cottage-style borders
The straight stems and defined outline act as a structural backbone among looser perennials and ornamental grasses, while own-root growth matures into a stable, long-lived clump despite our often wet, heavy-soil conditions. Suited to cottage-garden fans planning for many years
Decorating ideas
Classic Cottage Entrance – Underplant VICTOR HUGO® with lavender and soft catmint along a path for a scented, country-style welcome – perfect for homeowners who enjoy traditional, romantic front gardens
Crimson and Silver Border – Combine its deep red blooms with Stachys byzantina and silvery ornamental grasses for a refined contrast – ideal for those who prefer a calm, elegant colour palette
Patio Scent Theatre – Place a 40–50 litre pot near seating and pair with rosemary and thyme for fragrance at foot and nose level – great for busy people who relax outdoors after work
Modern Ruby Feature – Plant in a narrow bed with white flowering perennials and dark mulch to emphasise the velvety blooms – suited to urban gardeners wanting a simple, graphic look
Romantic Cut-Flower Strip – Line a sunny fence with a row of VICTOR HUGO® and interplant Verbena hastata ‘Blue Spires’ for vertical accents – ideal for hobby florists who like cutting from their own garden
Technical cultivar profile
Parameter
Data
Name and registration
Hybrid tea rose, registered as MEIvestal, marketed as Victor Hugo® Hybrid tea rose MEIvestal; also known in exhibition circles as Senator Burda®, belonging to the hybrid tea commercial group.
Origin and breeding
Bred by Marie-Louise Meilland for Meilland International SA, France, from complex parentage including Karl Herbst and Erotika; introduced and registered in 1985 by Meilland Richardier.
Awards and recognitions
Fragrance Award (Prix du Parfum) at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1985, confirming its status as a strongly scented garden and exhibition rose with reliable perfume under show conditions.
Growth and structure
Upright hybrid tea with dense, mid-green, slightly glossy foliage; moderately prickly stems. Typical height 80–120 cm, spread 40–60 cm, forming a compact, vertical bush suited to beds, hedging and large containers.
Flower morphology
Large XL, high-centred, pointed buds opening to double blooms with 26–39 petals. Solitary flowers on long stems, remontant with a plentiful second flush, bred for cut-flower and exhibition use as a classic hybrid tea.
Colour and phenology
Deep, velvety currant-red overall; buds deep crimson-red. Freshly opened blooms vivid currant red, maturing to rich dark red, then slightly ruby with a burgundy tinge; colour fade is moderate across the flowering period.
Fragrance and aroma
Very strong, garden-filling perfume with a classic rose-oil character. The scent is rich and lingering, noticeable at a short distance, making it suitable for sensory plantings near paths, entrances and seating areas.
Rose hip characteristics
Produces spherical red hips 12–18 mm in diameter in moderate quantities, offering late-season ornamental interest and some wildlife value, without overwhelming the plant or heavily reducing repeat flowering.
Resistance and hardiness
Moderate disease resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust; benefits from basic preventive hygiene and occasional treatments. Hardy to approximately −15 to −12 °C (RHS H6, USDA 7b, Swedish zone 2) with normal garden care.
Horticultural recommendations
Suitable for flower beds, specimen use, hedging, cut flowers and containers. Allow around 45 cm in mass plantings or 70 cm as a solitary; in containers, choose at least 40–50 litres and water during prolonged drought for best results.
VICTOR HUGO® offers velvety red, wonderfully fragrant flowers on a compact, upright bush that works in borders or large containers, and as an own-root rose it builds long-term strength with relatively simple care, so You can choose it with confidence.
Detailed product attributes
Product Identification Data
Product Name:
VICTOR HUGO® – red hybrid tea rose - Meilland
Product Type:
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL - 2-litre own-root potted rose
Cultivar Name Meaning:
The name honours the 19th-century French poet, novelist and dramatist Victor Hugo, and the cultivar was created for the 100th anniversary of his death.
Synonym Name:
Dreams Come True; Senator Burda®; Spirit of Youth
Full Bloom:
Rich dark red with a deep-toned, velvety texture.
Pre-Fading Flower:
Slightly fading ruby red with a subtle burgundy tinge.
Colour Fading Description:
As it opens the deep crimson–currant red shade only moderately fades; at full bloom it is a rich dark red, and before the bloom fades it becomes slightly ruby with a burgundy tinge.
Pollinator Attraction:
Its fully double flowers attract pollinators only to a limited extent, as the dense, fully double petal form obscures the stamens and reduces access to nectar and pollen compared with simple or semi‑double blooms.
Pollinator-Friendly Rating:
Its double flowers attract pollinators only moderately, so it is at most partially pollinator-friendly and primarily an ornamental variety
Our product is a rose grown with unique pharmaROSA® cultivation technology!
2 litre, own-root, potted rose.
With shoots appropriate to the season.
With roots thoroughly interwoven through the growing medium.
Quality in line with the requirements of the E.N.A. (European Nurserystock Association).
In unique packaging that prevents damage.
Can be planted during frost-free periods.
True-to-type rose plant with an individual identifier.
The pharmaROSA® own-root potted rose is a well-rooted plant that supports reliable establishment when planted and cared for properly, so it can be planted whenever the soil is not frozen.
Stock: several varieties and several stages of development in a short stock section.Shoot system: intensive growth of fresh basal shoots on a young plant.Root system: presentation of the strong root system interwoven through the growing medium with the pot removed.Balance: mature plant where the development of the root system and the shoots is in harmony.
Information about the videos
The video series is not a “seasonal showcase”, but makes the essence of pharmaROSA® own-root production tangible: how the plant is built, what the root system is like and how the shoots renew themselves. The footage was therefore taken at different times, showing plants at different stages of development, so mixed leaf coverage or differing growth stages may appear in the videos. This is not a “sample” of the batch delivered, but an illustration of how the technology works. The current condition of the rose available to order — typical of the given period and similar to what you can expect to receive in the parcel — is shown at the top of the product page.
Pages for private customers Garden roses for the family garden, with minimal care → ORIGINAL® Premium garden roses – instant impact, a truly showpiece garden → EXTRA® Pages for professionals and private customers Roses for public spaces – large areas, sustainable maintenance → NATURAL® Roses for projects – hedge and row planting, fast implementation → RAPID® For professional partners only Production – propagation material for garden roses, wholesale → NEONATAL®
Company details
PharmaRosa Ltd. Company registration number: 01-09-717479 VAT number: 13075314-2-43 Plant health registration no.: HU130721 Bank account (IBAN): HU85117631891388688400000000 BIC (SWIFT): OTPVHUHB Bank name: OTP Bank Nyrt.
