RECONCILIATION® – apricot-pink hybrid tea rose – Harkness
Imagine returning from the shoreline, salt on your skin and wind in your hair, to a sheltered corner where RECONCILIATION® fills the air with fragrance and peach-honey notes. This own-root hybrid tea settles in reliably, forming deep, resilient roots that anchor well even where you must manage heavier soils with sensible drainage and watering. In a 40–50 litre container on a sunny veranda or in a small front garden bed, its upright habit and dark, glossy foliage frame perfectly shaped blooms for vases and weekend gatherings. Over time it matures steadily – first consolidating below ground, then building sturdy shoots, and by its third year offering its full ornamental presence.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Coastal veranda in a large container |
In a 40–50 litre pot this rose forms a stable, well-anchored plant with manageable watering needs, suiting breezier, seaside-style verandas where you want reliable structure and colour for relaxed, sea-facing seating areas for the beginner. |
| Small family front garden bed |
The tidy upright habit and moderate spread make it easy to place near paths or front doors, providing long-season, repeat flowering without taking over limited borders, ideal where you want impact but simple upkeep for the homeowner. |
| Feature rose beside a seating nook |
Very strong, garden-filling scent and elegant, very double blooms make it a natural choice beside a bench or tea table, so you can enjoy fragrance at close quarters with only occasional deadheading needed for the enthusiast. |
| Cutting patch or mixed cut-flower bed |
Solitary, exhibition-type hybrid tea blooms on sturdy stems deliver classic, vase-worthy flowers in warm peach-pink tones, giving a steady supply of home-grown stems for informal arrangements to suit the creative. |
| Coastal-style mixed planting with grasses |
The refined peach-pink colour blends easily with silver foliage and fine grasses, while its own-root robustness builds a long-lived framework that partners well with Festuca or sea kale in breezier gardens for the stylist. |
| Sunny shrub and perennial border |
Moderately dense, glossy dark leaves and upright growth slot neatly among perennials, creating a dependable vertical accent that returns each year with consistent flowers, supporting a stable, long-term planting plan for the planner. |
| Sheltered terrace in wetter, windier districts |
Once established, its deeper root system copes reliably where regular rain and wind require good soil structure and thoughtful water management around the planting area, reassuring for gardeners in exposed locations for the coastal. |
| Long-term own-root specimen rose |
As an own-root plant it regenerates well from the base, maintaining variety-true shoots over many years and building a durable framework that responds positively to periodic pruning rather than intensive care for the busy. |
Styling ideas
- Veranda Retreat – Place RECONCILIATION® in a 50 litre sand-coloured pot with blue-grey Festuca and a weathered bistro set for a breezy, seaside tea corner – perfect for coastal-style lovers.
- Front-Garden Welcome – Flank your path with two specimens underplanted with low lavender to frame the doorway in scent and soft peach colour – ideal for busy homeowners wanting easy elegance.
- Romantic Cut-Flower Row – Line a sunny strip with roses spaced for cutting, adding soft grasses behind for movement, so you can clip scented stems without spoiling the display – suited to hobby flower arrangers.
- Coastal Shingle Mix – Combine with sea kale and silver Artemisia in a free-draining strip, letting the glossy foliage contrast with pale pebbles and driftwood accents – great for laid-back, Cornish-inspired gardens.
- Evening Scent Corner – Position near a sheltered bench with warm-toned cushions and soft lighting so the honeyed fragrance lingers around you as the light fades – made for relaxed evening tea drinkers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Property | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose; registered as HARtillery, marketed as RECONCILIATION® hybrid tea rose HARtillery; exhibition name Reconciliation; ARS group hybrid tea; shrub or cut-flower usage. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Harkness & Co. in the United Kingdom, introduced and first distributed in 1995; parentage not recorded; part of the long-established Harkness hybrid tea breeding tradition. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright shrub reaching about 90–130 cm high and 60–90 cm wide, with moderately dense, dark glossy foliage and moderate prickliness; spent blooms need deadheading because self-cleaning is relatively poor. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, cup-shaped flowers with more than 40 petals, borne mostly singly on stems; medium-sized blooms around 4–7 cm across, remontant, with a notably abundant second flush in suitable conditions. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Peach-pink palette with deep peach-orange buds, softening through pastel cream-peach to peach with pinkish edges and a creamy-yellow centre; colour retention is very good, fading gently rather than scorching. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, garden-filling perfume with peachy, honeyed notes; best appreciated near seating areas or paths; highly ornamental, with flowers that prioritise scent and form rather than pollinator accessibility. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces relatively few hips because of the fully double blooms; where formed, hips are spherical, 12–18 mm across, red when ripe, adding a light decorative effect in late season without seeding prolifically. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b, Swedish Zone 3); black spot resistant, with moderate susceptibility to powdery mildew and rust; benefits from regular watering in prolonged heat. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Prefers a sunny position with well-prepared soil; spacing 40–80 cm depending on use; maintenance medium, with periodic protection and deadheading advised; suitable for beds, specimens, hedging and containers. |
RECONCILIATION® – apricot-pink hybrid tea rose HARtillery offers strong fragrance, compact upright growth and long-lived own-root reliability for relaxed coastal or urban gardens, making it a thoughtful choice when planning your next planting.
