Rosa Pope John Paul II was hybridized by Dr. Keith W. Zary and later introduced in the U.S. by Jackson Perkins in 2006. This luminous, pure white, hybrid tea blooms in profusion atop long straight stems of an upright bush. A cross between Secret x French Lace, this beauty is a winner in the garden as well as on the show table. Its high centered, perfectly formed flowers are so fragrant one bloom will fill a room with perfume. Heat tolerant and disease resistant, this stunning rose is a must have for any garden!

This rose was chosen for October’s Rose of Month to honor the late Pope John Paul II who began his papacy on October 16, 1978. Pope John Paul II made history by becoming the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years. He was a vocal advocate for human rights and used his influence to bring about political change, often credited with the fall of communism in his native Poland. Noted as the most traveled pope in history, John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, at the age of 84. He was canonized a saint by Pope Francis in 2014.