During the Middle Ages, mysticism and symbolism were very important. Rose gardens were an allegory for the Blessed Virgin. The enclosed, preserved aspect of the garden symbolised the virginity of Our Lady. The “hortus conclusus” – enclosed garden – was the sealed source, the image of virginity. In medieval miniatures, Mary is often represented surrounded by roses, symbols of purity and perfection. For Denys the Carthusian, a monk in the 15th century, the rose garden is “the garden of exquisite pleasure and delight, the gentlest garden planted by God, predestined, from the beginning of time and will always remain closed”.
The Chartreuse rose: a climbing rose with the shape of an old rose. Light tangerine in colour, the Chartreuse rose has a lovely light fragrance.
In 2014, the le pear tree Verte longue panachée and the apple tree Reinette Grisé de Saintonge, two of the thirteen heritage apple and pear trees which descended from the magnificent collections of fruit trees originally established by the Carthusian monks, were planted in the Laundry Garden.
