Rosa 'Cocktail' - Climbing Rose

The Rose 'Cocktail' Meimick is a French creation by Meilland that is unique: while it truly climbs only in hot climates, elsewhere, it forms a beautiful bush with a loose habit dressed in very healthy glossy foliage that blooms continuously and abundantly from June until autumn. Its flowers are simple and deliciously scented, radiant in geranium red, enhanced by a primrose yellow heart. This remarkable bush did not receive the "world's favourite rose" title by chance in 2015. Discover it!

The 'Cocktail Rose' is a creation by Francis Meilland in 1957. It results from cross-breeding with the famous multiflora rose Phyllis Bide and another variety whose parents are 'Independance' and 'Orange Triumph'. It is currently classified in the floribunda category. Robust, resistant and accommodating, 'Cocktail' will form a beautiful bush measuring 1.50 m (5ft) in all directions in cooler regions but will climb up to 2 m (7ft), or even more, in hot climates.

The flowering of this rose is abundant and almost uninterrupted from June until October if the soil remains somewhat moist. In hot and dry regions, the plant will go dormant in July-August, at the height of summer. The flowers are grouped in clusters at the end of straight stems. They are simple, composed of 5 petals, averaging 5.5 cm (2in) in diameter, light and vivid red, arranged in a flat cup around the primrose yellow heart surrounded by a very pale halo. At full bloom, the roses turn crimson red. They emit a light, complex and very pleasant fragrance, fruity and spicy simultaneously. The deciduous foliage is composed of spiny leaves, glossy green in colour. It is moderately resistant to diseases, especially in humid climates and still quite sensitive to severe frosts. 

The Cocktail rose is a fantastic, easy-to-grow modern rose that should be seen more often in gardens. It deserves to be adopted in many regions, particularly successful in hot climates, where many other roses suffer throughout the summer. It can be trained against an east-facing wall, on an arch, or leaned against a fence. It also thrives in a shrub bed or a free or wild hedge, accompanied by Rosa complicata, which is easy to grow, the rose Hansa, Rosa rubiginosa (the sweetbriar) or Rosa rubrifolia with purple leaves. The colour of its flowering, with great vivacity, can be difficult to match: choose white or soft yellow flowers to accompany it or use it alone to brighten up a grey, somewhat sad wall. Finally, its flowers have excellent vase life.