RIR score: 8.4 out of 10.
Parentage: unknown
Hybridized by Schaum & Van Tol
Introduced in 1905
What our gardeners say:
The flowers are an unusual color of reddish violet with mauve highlights (pink to me), and open into 3.5 - 4 inch double flowers with attractively crinkled petals. Blooms in clusters with good repeat flowering. Flowers have a strong clove-like scent and are heavy enough to cause the short necks to bend. In autumn, hips will become large and red. For decorative value in the garden, this gives good value over a long period and is suitable for a shrubbery or mixed border where it will grow to above the average height for a shrub rose. In milder climates it can become leggy and lose color. It is a good variety to try where conditions are not good for roses, and is very hardy.
Hansa's close relationship to Rosa Rugosa is manifest in the general growth habit and strong, leathery leaves, which are veined and wrinkled. This also means hansa doesn't like to be sprayed with petroleum-based chemicals. Note the brown leaves in the lower left - I was spraying a rambler next to Hansa, but got a mix of Banner Maxx and Manzate on her. So far, Hansa has proven very resistant to all local fungal diseases without spraying. ZONES 3-9.