GRAND MOGUL – cream-white tea-hybrid rose - Delbard-Chabert
Imagine leaning back with afternoon tea on a sheltered coastal veranda, the air bright after showers and the breeze softened by a living rose windbreak. GRAND MOGUL brings that quietly lavish mood into an everyday family garden: upright, reliable and generously flowering, even where gales and showers are frequent and the soil needs careful drainage. Its elegant, high-centred blooms in creamy, buttery ivory open repeatedly through the season, offering a classic hybrid tea outline that looks as refined in a vase as it does beside shingle or paving. Medium maintenance means straightforward care for busy owners, while its own-root stamina underpins a long-lived, steady lifespan with good recovery if canes are damaged. Planted once in a suitable spot, it anchors beautifully into the border and, over time, moves from first-year roots through second-year shoots to full ornamental presence by its third summer.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Coastal veranda in large containers |
In big tubs of at least 40–50 litres, GRAND MOGUL offers upright structure and repeat creamy blooms without demanding complex pruning, ideal where you want a calm, refined presence beside outdoor seating for beginners. |
| Small front garden specimen |
The compact 100–140 cm height and glossy, mid-green foliage make a single plant an elegant focal point near the front door, delivering a long flowering season from a modest footprint for busy homeowners. |
| Family back garden seating area |
Planted near a bench or patio set, the medium, classic rose fragrance and refined high-centred flowers create a gentle sense of luxury that stays family-friendly and not overpowering for tea-lovers. |
| Cutting corner for home bouquets |
Solitary, high-centred, pointed buds on sturdy stems are ideal for cutting, giving you vase-worthy, exhibition-type flowers in soft cream-white for simple, repeated harvesting by home florists. |
| Mixed border with easy companions |
Combine with low Heuchera, Alchemilla mollis or creeping Gypsophila to set off the ivory flowers and to shade the soil, creating a stable, long-lived planting that remains visually coherent for low-maintenance gardeners. |
| Wind-exposed but sunny town garden |
The upright, moderately thorny framework gives decent anchoring and structure, coping well with blustery, rainy conditions typical of many UK plots near the coast or on open streets for urban gardeners. |
| Clay-based beds with improved drainage |
In heavier UK soils, a raised bed or loosened, grit-amended planting hole helps this rose establish, after which its own-root habit supports steady growth and recovery, even after harsher winters for practical planners. |
| Informal “girly” coastal-style strip |
Use a light, shingle mulch and pair with fine grasses such as Festuca to echo a seaside feel; GRAND MOGUL’s creamy, softly changing blooms give a refreshing, sunlit look along paths for coastal-style lovers. |
Styling ideas
- Coastal-Tea Nook – Position GRAND MOGUL in a 50-litre tub beside white-painted furniture and sea-blue cushions to frame a sheltered, breezy tea corner – ideal for veranda owners seeking low-effort elegance.
- Cream-Border Focus – Place one specimen centrally in a narrow bed, underplanted with Alchemilla mollis and pale Heuchera to highlight the ivory flowers – suited to small front gardens needing a single, reliable star.
- Shingle-Romantic Strip – Plant in a line along a gravel or shingle path, interwoven with Festuca and creeping Gypsophila for a soft, feminine coastal feel – perfect for those wanting a “girly” yet simple seaside look.
- Everyday-Cutting Patch – Dedicate a sunny corner to two or three plants at cutting distance, leaving space to step in easily and harvest buds – for home florists who like effortless vases from their own garden.
- Patio-Family Hub – Flank a family dining set with a pair of container-grown plants in large, stable pots, giving season-long scent and structure – for busy families wanting impact without intricate maintenance.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid Tea rose; current trade name GRAND MOGUL, exhibition name Grand Mogul; collection Hybrid tea rose; commercial type hybrid tea rose; registered by Delbard-Chabert from 1965. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred in France by André Delbard-Chabert; parentage ‘Sultane’ × ‘Chic Parisien’; introduced by Delbard / Georges Delbard SA in 1965; own-root form supplied in 2-litre containers. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright habit, 100–140 cm high, 65–95 cm spread with moderately dense, glossy mid-green foliage; moderately thorny shoots; weak self-cleaning so deadheading improves appearance and flowering continuity. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, double flowers with 26–39 petals, solitary on stems; high-centred, pointed-budded hybrid tea form; remontant with generous second flush, suitable as both garden and cutting rose. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cream-white to buttery-yellow tones, ivory overall; ARS code w, RHS 155D, 4D; buds show pale yellow tinge, opening warm then fading to near white with slight greenish edge as flowers age in the sun. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength, classic rose fragrance with traditional hybrid tea character; notable near seating and pathways without becoming overpowering; primarily ornamental with little value for pollinators due to full doubling. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose-hip production generally low because of double flowers; occasionally forms small, spherical orange-red hips 8–12 mm across, adding a modest late-season detail without major ornamental emphasis. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3); good resistance to powdery mildew and black spot, moderate rust susceptibility; tolerates warmth but needs watering in prolonged drought. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil; prefers improved clay with added organic matter and grit; plant 50–90 cm apart depending on use; medium maintenance with routine deadheading and basic pest checks. |
GRAND MOGUL Hybrid tea rose Delbard-Chabert offers elegant, fragrant cream-white blooms, reliable repeat flowering and long-lived own-root resilience; a thoughtful choice if you favour enduring beauty with manageable care.
