April 13th, 2004
Rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’

photo: rose 'Madame Alfred Carriere'
2010-04-10. Rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ blooms pretty consistently this week every year.

Dateline: 2004


2004-04-13. Noisette rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’.

The cold snap that came last weekend has dropped nighttime temperatures into the 40s and ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ is loving it. Her flowers hold their shape better in cool weather. Under normal April conditions they open and fade in an afternoon and looking, sadly, like crumpled tissues. The flowers are larger than ‘Madame Joseph Schwartz’ and more of a peachy pink than ‘Souvenir del Malmaison’.

Dateline: 2003

The noisette ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ is a good rose for a garden seat under a trellis because the dainty blossoms bend their heads on thin, flexible stems. Although this characteristic would be a fault in a hybrid tea rose, it’s great for a climbing rose that you want over an arch or any situation where you look up at it.

photo: rose 'Madame Alfred Carriere'

In just the three years since I’ve planted ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’, she’s filled in a V-shaped trellis to the roof of our one-storey house. She remains attractively bushy from bottom to top even when not in bloom.

photo: rose 'Madame Alfred Carriere'

The cup-shaped flowers hold their form better in cooler weather. They open rather loosely and fade quickly. What they lack in form they make up in scent.


2003-04-11. Madame Alfred Carriere.

by M Sinclair Stevens

12 Responses to post “Rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’”

  1. From cheryl:

    I live in z 7b and would like to know if this rose could tolerate the heat. Also how tall can it get? Thank you

    Like most noisettes, ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ survives the heat (in Austin, we average 10 days above 100 each year); they are good Southern roses. It’s the cold that they’re sensitive to. However, she doesn’t bloom during the heat of summer. In fact her best season for bloom in my yard has been fall and winter. This could just be because I’m stingy with my water. Height? So far she’s easily climbed 10 feet to the roofline of my one-storey house. I’ve read elsewhere that she can grow to 20 feet. — mss

  2. From Kathy (New York):

    It seems like your photos just keep getting better. Did you get a new camera since you took the 2003 photos, or did you just get better at taking pictures? The 2004 photo seems to be crisper, and I would say, have better color, except I don’t know what this rose looks like to make that judgement.

    Kathy, yes I got a new camera just about a year ago. It is a digital Nikon Coolpix 4300. The earlier photos were taken with the digital still option of a video camera, the Canon Elura. And at the time I was impressed with the quality over my Sony 8mm. But now all those photos look unfocused and grainy. So I’ve spent the year retaking the photos I did before. Eventually, I’ll get the whole site updated…then it will be time to get a new camera. — mss

  3. From Cindy (Michigan):

    OK, I am green with envy. I HAVE to have this rose, but I live in Detroit. Typically z6-ish. Do you think I stand a chance if it is cozied among lots of brick for heat absorption? I have a small south facing bed next to the brick drive with the brick porch behind….A girl can always dream!

    The best person to ask is someone else who lives up north. Your site sounds like an excellent place to give it a try. That’s all any of us can do. — mss

  4. From Katrien Bosteels:

    Deze roos doet het prima in Belgisch klimaat.

    Wel moet ze een paar keer per jaar flink worden ingetoomd.

    Ze doet het goed als snijbloem, en bloet van begin mei tot in de herfst.

  5. From Dennsi Burnside:

    I had a ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ planted in Portsmouth, New Hampshire – zone 5 or 6. Had to wrap it in salt hay and burlap in the winters but it survived with some kill on exposed canes – hard to wrap a climber.

  6. From Brittany:

    Is the ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ a good climber for a entryway? I’m planting a rose garden and I wanted to grow the ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ on a trellis for the entrance to my garden.

    You didn’t mention where you live but in my part of the country she’s an excellent trellis rose. I have her on a trellis on the south side of my house. She can easily climb two stories and her canes are long and flexible which is good if you want to tie her to a trellis. Also she’s not very thorny so she’s easy to work with. — mss

  7. From Jen, Durham NC:

    Hi, I’m looking into this rose to climb my 2 story house. How sturdy did you need to build your trellis, and how high did it go? Did you make it yourself? Thanks!

  8. From James Douglas:

    Do you have this plant for sale, if not do you know where I might find some. Thanks

  9. From david melville, grasse, france:

    Can you tell me if this rose can be grown in a pot? Our terrasse is paved but I would like to use this rose around our front door.

    ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ is a climbing rose and rather leggy. I don’t think it would be very suitable for a pot. I’d choose something with a more dense form like ‘Ducher’ or ‘Blush Noisette’. — mss

  10. From david melville, grasse, france:

    Thank you, I’ll do that. David

  11. From mary-m cunningham:

    I live in Nanaimo BC, Canada and have successfully grown my Madame Alfred Carriere on my north wall over a trellis above my walkway. I did have a few problems at the beginning. The rose was looking poorly and I thought it would die but a good friend and gardener suggested watering with a mixture of magnesium sulfate and water and it worked.
    It is such a lovely rose and smells wonderful when I walk under the arbor. Worth every effort.

  12. From Leah Boulton - Melbourne, Australia:

    Hello, we are looking for a creeping rose for a fairly shaded fence (part shade), and it is a sheltered spot. We also want a rose that tends to spot flower throughout the year (if possible). ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ was recommended to us. Our winters get down to 4 degrees celcius at night and summers can reach 40 degrees celcius during the day (but on average the temperatures are in the low 30s). Are there any other rose varieties you’d recommend if ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ is not suitable? ‘New Dawn’ was also recommended. Many thanks.

    ‘Madame Alfred Carrier’ can handle the heat well (it’s frequently above 40°C in Austin, and some cold (it gets colder than 4°C in Austin but not for very long–the ground doesn’t freeze). However, it needs at least 6 hours of sunlight a day to flower well. I also grow ‘New Dawn’ and it is a wonderful rose. The flowers are longer-lasting than ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ and, overall, is more vigorous. However, ‘New Dawn’ has viscous thorns. — mss