An ancient, recurrent, fully double Damask rose originally discovered in Persia and brought to England in the 1940's, 'Rose de Rescht' is a delicious slice of history that every rose grower, herb enthusiast, home perfumer, and potpourri maker will want in his or her garden.

Compact, dense, and vigorous, each 2.5 to 3.5-foot tall bush bears semiglossy, medium green leaves. In May or June a multitude of small, fat, rounded, purple-red buds appear on 10 to 15-inch stems. They open to small, rounded, 2 to 2.5-inch wide, astonishingly full blossoms of a saturated fuchsia-red. And the fragrance? Each 100-petaled flower is saturated with the powerful, rich rose perfume that made Damask ("Damascus") roses the wonder of the ancient world. Best of all, if deadheaded, 'Rose de Rescht' reblooms later in the season. A cottage gardener's dream rose, and wonderful dried in cool shade, then stored in airtight containers to form the basis (with lavender flowers and sweet marjoram buds) of a heavenly, traditional, old English potpourri.