Fourteen outdoor roses awarded Excellence Roses status

NEWS

PLANT SELECTION

Hein van Iersel, Sunday 21 December 2025

163 sec

In 2025, fourteen new roses earned the Excellence Roses designation in the Dutch-Belgian trials. They originate from breeders in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. This brings the total Excellence Roses assortment to 104 varieties.

Excellence Roses are all robust, richly and long-flowering roses that perform well in gardens and public green spaces without the use of plant protection products. The roses that underwent final evaluation this year were planted in the winter of 2022/2023. There were 27 in total. Judges assess the roses four times a year on criteria including health, growth vigour, flowering abundance, fragrance, and hip formation. Roses that achieve a minimum score after three years earn the Excellence Roses designation.

Caroline's heart ('Vel6dsipo'):

Broadly upright shrub rose from Lens Roses. The semi-double, light pink flowers have striking yellow stamens. After flowering, egg-shaped hips form that change from green to orange in autumn. Reached a height of 70 to 140 cm at the different locations.

Cayenne ('Koroutofko')

Shrub rose from Kordes with semi-double, deep velvety red flowers. The yellow stamens contrast nicely with the dark flower colour. The flowers have a light fragrance and self-clean well. Reaches a height of 80 to 140 cm.

Desiree ('Tan10898')

Narrowly upright hybrid tea rose from Rosen Tantau. The pink, fully double flowers are lightly fragrant and self-clean well. Reached a height of 80 to 130 cm at the trial locations.

Dornburger Schlossrose ('Tan16633')

Broadly upright hybrid tea rose from Rosen Tantau. The buds are dark pink, opening into semi-double pink flowers with a hint of orange. Light hip formation; flattened and yellow-orange. Height ranges from 80 to 150 cm.

Eeuwige Passie/Eternal passion/passion for ever ('Viskavepas')

Broadly upright floribunda rose from Viva International. The pink, fully double flowers have a pleasant fragrance. After flowering, a small number of large hips appear, turning orange in autumn. Reaches a height of 70 to 120 cm.

Enjoy ('Korfruisala')

Floribunda rose from Kordes with a broadly upright growth habit. The semi-double flowers show a colour blend of pink, white, and light orange with dark salmon-pink edges. Lightly fragrant. Height between 70 and 120 cm.

Für Elise ('Korelifur')

Narrowly upright floribunda rose from Kordes. The double flowers have a deep purple-magenta colour. Height ranges from 50 to 110 cm, with peaks up to 140 cm.

Loki ('Tan16512')

Loki ('Tan16512'): Bushy-growing floribunda rose from Rosen Tantau. The bright pink, single flowers have a white centre and striking dark yellow stamens. Lightly fragrant and self-cleaning. In autumn, round hips appear that change from green to orange. Height between 50 and 100 cm.

Mauritia ('Tan15539')

The light pink, fully double flowers of this broadly upright hybrid tea rose from Rosen Tantau are lightly fragrant. Height at the locations ranged between 40 and 130 cm.

Nervia ('Vismofau')

Although this rose from Viva International is classified as a ground cover rose/shrub rose, the height at different locations ranged from 60 to 130 cm. The deep pink, slightly double flowers fade to lilac-pink. The striking yellow stamens provide strong contrast, and the calyxes of the spent flowers remain visually prominent. After flowering, small hips develop that stay green for a long time and later turn orange.

Ohara ('Vissegam')

Ohara ('Vissegam'):

Shrub rose from Viva International. The small, single flowers are bright pink with a white centre and prominent yellow stamens. The flowers fade to an old pink shade and self-clean well. After flowering, small green hips form that turn orange in autumn. Reaches a height of 80 to 125 cm.

Speedway ('Boruispewi')

Compact shrub rose from De Ruiter Innovations and Boot & Dart Boomkwekerijen. The pink single flowers with a yellow centre are lightly fragrant and self-clean well. The rose is almost thornless. In summer, green hips appear that later turn red. Reaches a height between 50 and 100 cm.

Sternenhimmel ('Korhubkah')

This patio rose from Kordes achieved the highest number of points among the new Excellence Roses. The flower buds are lilac/pink, and the single flowers are light pink, fading to white. The striking dark yellow stamens add ornamental value. Flowers self-clean well. After flowering, green hips form that later turn orange-red. Height is 30 to 55 cm.

Xenia ('Korelpusch')

Broadly upright floribunda rose from Kordes. The flowers show pink tones that fade to cream. They appear in large clusters and are fully double. After flowering, green hips form that later turn orange. At the locations, height ranged from 50 to 140 cm.

New entries

For this planting season, breeders from the Netherlands and abroad submitted 26 rose varieties for the trials. They are planted at six trial locations:
• The rosarium in Boskoop (the Netherlands);
• De Rozenhof in Lottum (the Netherlands);
• The rosarium in Winschoten (the Netherlands);
• Vrijbroekpark in Mechelen (Belgium);
• Plantentuin 'De Kleine Boerderij' in Merksplas (Belgium);
• Plantentuin Meise (Belgium).

The Cultivation Group for Roses and Rose Rootstocks under the Anthos secretariat oversees the Excellence Roses trials. The Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society (KVBC) coordinates the trials and processes the results.

This article was previously published on 21 December 2025 on the Boom
In Business website.

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