QUEEN OF ROSES® – salmon-orange hybrid tea rose – KORbico
Imagine returning from the seaside, laying your cup of afternoon tea beside you, and glancing up at an elegant, salmon‑orange bloom that feels as if it has bottled the sunlight over a Cornish bay. QUEEN OF ROSES® is a classic hybrid tea bred by Kordes, supplied here as a practical, own‑root plant in a 2‑litre container, ideal for small coastal gardens and verandas where you need planting to stay put and cope well with blustery, salt‑tinged air and challenging drainage conditions. Its upright, compact habit slips neatly into shingle beds, narrow borders or a large 40–50 litre pot, providing refined, long‑stemmed blooms for cutting with a fresh, fruity tea fragrance. Own‑root plants establish steadily for a long, reliable lifespan, quietly regenerating after winter and keeping their ornamental value year after year, so that by the third season you enjoy the full effect after the first year’s rooting and the second year’s strengthening growth.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Small coastal front garden border |
The compact, upright habit makes QUEEN OF ROSES® easy to slot into narrow front borders without overwhelming paths or windows, while disease resistance keeps care simple in damp coastal air where fungal issues often develop more quickly, ideal for the busy homeowner. |
| Shingle or gravel planting by the drive |
Planted through shingle, its strong framework and own-root anchoring help it sit firmly through blustery, salt-tinged weather while you just top up mulch and water in dry spells, suiting those wanting structure without complex routines, especially relaxed beginners. |
| Large pot on a sheltered veranda |
In a 40–50 litre container, this rose forms a tidy, upright presence that complements outdoor seating, giving you cuttable stems close to hand while the pot confines root spread and simplifies watering, perfect for compact spaces cared for by time-pressed urbanites. |
| Cutting bed for home flower arrangements |
Long, straight hybrid tea stems and very full flowers in warm salmon-orange provide reliable material for vases from summer onwards, and its repeat flowering means you can harvest without stripping the garden, appealing to creative, arrangement-loving gardeners. |
| Feature rose in a mixed coastal-style border |
Used as a focal point among sea kale, Festuca and soft grasses, the glowing blooms read clearly from a distance and the dark, glossy foliage provides contrast, with low maintenance thanks to strong disease resistance, suiting design-conscious yet practical owners. |
| Low maintenance family back garden bed |
The rose’s robust health means less spraying and fewer worries about black spot or rust around seating, play or washing lines, and as an own-root plant it regrows well if accidentally damaged, reassuring for active spaces managed by busy families. |
| Classic hybrid tea display with exhibition potential |
Queen of Roses® offers well-formed, high-centred blooms in the tradition of show benches, so keen hobbyists can enjoy exhibition-style flowers at home while still benefiting from a resilient, easy-care plant, attractive to aspirational but non-professional enthusiasts. |
| Long-term specimen for stable ornamental value |
With an ADR award and own-root vigour, this cultivar is bred for staying power, maturing steadily from root-building in year one to a well-furnished shrub by year three, fitting gardeners who value durable plantings and minimal replacement, particularly thoughtful planners. |
Styling ideas
- Veranda Chic – Grow in a 50 litre clay pot with silvery Festuca and a low lavender skirt to echo a breezy coastal palette – for compact terraces and veranda tea corners.
- Shingle Ribbon – Thread a short row through pale gravel with sea kale and small grasses so the salmon-orange flowers glow above the stones – for lovers of clean, seaside-inspired schemes.
- Cutting Nook – Plant a trio in a sunny side bed with feverfew and soft perennials, giving an easy-access source of long stems – for home florists who like effortless bouquets.
- Family Anchor – Use as a single focal shrub near seating where children play, relying on its robust health and own-root recovery – for households wanting beauty without fuss.
- Classic Showcase – Combine with neatly clipped evergreen shapes and simple paving to highlight the formal hybrid tea blooms – for admirers of traditional, exhibition-style roses.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as KORbico; marketed as Queen of Roses® Hybrid tea rose KORbico, also known in exhibition circles as Colour Wonder; premium bronze quality rating. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Reimer Kordes, W. Kordes’ Söhne, Germany, from ‘Kordes Perfecta’ × ‘Super Star’; bred and registered in 1964, introduced 1965 and now supplied as an own-root garden rose. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holds the ADR rose distinction from 1964, signalling proven garden performance and health, and winner of the Belfast Gold Medal in 1966, confirming its long-respected ornamental value. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright, bushy hybrid tea reaching about 85–115 cm high and 60–85 cm wide, with moderately dense, dark green, glossy foliage and noticeably thorny stems suitable for cutting and structure. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very full, high-centred cup-shaped blooms with 40 or more petals carried mainly singly on stems; repeat flowers well through the season, with an especially abundant second flush in good conditions. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Warm salmon-orange with silky sheen; buds bright orange-salmon, maturing to uniform salmon-orange, then softening to peachy pink with yellowish tones; colour retention moderate, softening rather than dulling. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Moderate, clearly perceptible scent with a fresh, fruity tea character; ideal for seating areas and cutting where fragrance is appreciated without being overpowering in smaller, enclosed gardens. |
| Hip characteristics |
Tends to set few hips; small 10–14 mm ellipsoidal hips, orange-red and of limited ornamental impact, so flowering performance rather than autumn fruit display is the primary decorative feature. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Good disease resistance, rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to approximately −23 to −21 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6a, Sweden zone 3) for reliable overwintering in most UK regions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with well-drained soil; suitable for borders, low hedging, specimen planting and cutting; spacing around 40–75 cm depending on use, with regular deadheading to encourage repeat flowering. |
QUEEN OF ROSES® Hybrid tea rose KORbico offers healthy, repeat-flowering salmon-orange blooms on a compact, long-lived own-root shrub, making it a refined, practical choice for coastal-style gardens and considered family spaces.
