ALASKA® – cream-white climbing rose - Kordes
Imagine returning from the seafront, dropping your bucket of shells and sitting down with afternoon tea beside a sheltered wall laced with creamy-white blooms: Alaska® Klettermaxe® offers a gently refreshing show of high-centred flowers that soften the edges of pergolas, verandas and fences. Its reliable remontant flowering keeps your coastal-style garden light and bright over a long season while the plant gradually anchors itself, managing blustery weather and heavy soil with steady resilience. As an own-root climber, it is bred for quiet longevity and stable ornamental value in an average family garden, building roots in the first year, stronger shoots in the second and a truly full display by the third, with medium care needs that suit busy beginners yet still reward keen gardeners.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Small coastal veranda screen |
Use Alaska® on a compact trellis to create a soft, cream-white backdrop that filters views without overpowering a small veranda; its manageable height and medium care needs make privacy planting achievable for busy veranda owners. |
| Pergola over seating area |
Trained along a pergola, its very double, high‑centred blooms bring a refined, “cut-rose” look to everyday outdoor tea or family meals, while own‑root vigour supports long-term structure for family garden planners. |
| House wall or warm fence |
Planted against a sunlit, sheltered wall, Alaska® makes the most of reflected warmth, producing abundant repeat flushes that brighten brick or render with minimal fuss for low-maintenance homeowners. |
| Arched entrance or gateway |
Its flexible climbing growth suits training over arches, where clustered flowers frame paths in a welcoming way and moderate prickliness still allows easy maintenance for style-conscious visitors. |
| Clay soil family garden |
Once established in well-prepared ground with improved drainage, Alaska® copes steadily with heavier UK soils, rewarding basic care and anchoring firmly over time for typical suburban gardeners. |
| Large container on balcony |
In a 50–60 litre container with good drainage and regular watering, this climber provides vertical colour where planting space is scarce, giving a long flowering season for space-limited balcony owners. |
| Cut-flower corner |
The long-stemmed, pointed buds and creamy, double blooms suit cutting; grown near a path or terrace, you can harvest stems often without disturbing the rest of the garden for home flower arrangers. |
| Wind-exposed coastal boundary |
On a sturdy fence or pergola where breezes funnel through the garden, Alaska®’s climbing habit can be trained to break up gusts, acting as a living wind filter for coastal-style enthusiasts. |
Styling ideas
- Coastal-Veranda Screen – Train Alaska® along a slim trellis in a 50–60 litre pot, pairing with blue Festuca for a breezy seaside palette – ideal for small veranda owners.
- Cream-Pergola Retreat – Let the climber drape over a pergola, underplanting with sea kale and lavender for relaxed, beach-holiday shade – perfect for family seating areas.
- Elegant-Entrance Arch – Frame a path with an arch clothed in Alaska® and Gypsophila repens ‘Knuddel’ to soften the base – suited to cottage-style front gardens.
- Clay-Garden Backbone – Position it along the sunniest boundary, improving the planting strip with grit, then add Iris germanica for vertical accents – helpful for typical clay-based plots.
- Cutting-Corner Niche – Grow Alaska® on a simple obelisk beside the patio with Verbena hastata ‘Pink Spires’ for airy contrast – attractive for home florists who love fresh bouquets.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Large-flowered climbing rose from the Klettermaxe® collection; registered as KORjoslio, marketed as Alaska® Klettermaxe®, KORjoslio; ARS exhibition name ‘Future’. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tim-Hermann Kordes, W. Kordes & Sons, Germany, from ‘Moonlight’ × unnamed seedling; bred 2005, introduced 2014 with EU PBR 2014 and USA plant patent 2017. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated climber: Certificat de Mérite Bagatelle Paris 2014; Gold Medals Kortrijk 2014 and La Tacita 2016; Best Climber titles Lyon 2016 and Belfast 2018; 1st Prize Baden 2017. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous climbing habit reaching about 180–280 cm high and 80–160 cm wide, with moderately dense, slightly glossy medium-green foliage and moderate thorniness suitable for training on supports. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, high-centred, pointed-budded blooms with over 40 petals; large clustered flowers in repeated flushes throughout the season, with abundant second flowering on established plants. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cream-white flowers with subtle pink veils and buttery centres when opening, maturing to pearly, milky white; colour holds very well with only slight fading and occasional pink tinges on outer petals. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Delicately sweet, mild fragrance that adds refinement without overwhelming nearby seating areas; primarily ornamental due to very double form and concealed stamens, with limited pollinator access. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rosehip production is generally sparse because of the very double flowers; where formed, small spherical orange-red hips around 7–11 mm add occasional late-season interest. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Medium disease resistance to mildew, black spot and rust; good heat and moderate drought tolerance; reliably hardy to about −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA Zone 6b, Swedish Zone 3). |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in a sunny, sheltered spot on pergolas, walls, arches or fences; plant 140–240 cm apart, ensuring well-drained soil or large containers, and provide moderate pruning and occasional plant protection. |
ALASKA® – cream-white climbing rose - Kordes offers long-season flowering, graceful climber structure and dependable own-root longevity, making it a thoughtful choice if you would like a lasting coastal-style feature.
