Rosa 'Kiss Me Kate' -Climbing Rose

The 'Kiss Me Kate' rose bush is a beautiful novelty in the Climbing Max rose series, developed in Germany by the rose breeder Kordes. This rose possesses the charm of yesteryear, the reblooming capabilities of modern roses, and excellent disease resistance. Its large, fully double corollas in a tender pink are delightfully fragrant and nostalgically charming. Choose this rose bush for its generosity and complex fragrance, dominated by citrus and fruit notes. It will climb romantic arches and trellises in a few years or enhance a large flowering hedge.

This 'Kiss Me Kate' rose bush (KORnagelio) was introduced in 2016 on the European market. This wonderful modern hybrid represents all the patient work and soulless selection of the renowned Kordes house, known for its particularly hardy, floriferous, and disease-resistant creations. The Climbing Max roses transform the garden into a fabulous floral parade. With their fantastic colours, these versatile climbers look their best when most of their long stems are trained horizontally.

With its climbing habit, 'Kiss Me Kate' reaches an average height of 2m (7ft) with a spread of 1m (3ft), depending on the growing conditions. Its long stems are covered in numerous thorns and have a glossy medium green foliage. The flowers form in June-July, then in successive waves until October. They emerge on short shoots from the second year as bright pink buds. When they open, the flowers are slightly turbinated and then unfold in the style of English roses in globular cups before blooming into large, very double cups, 9cm (4in) in diameter, composed of quarters of small, plicate, antique pink petals that fade to pale pink at the edges. They create a beautiful bouquet-like effect on the plant in a delicate range of shades. They emit a fairly pronounced, exquisite fragrance, described as follows: "With soft and floral aspects, this rose presents a note of freshly grated lemon zest. This citric note is complemented by the aroma of a green apple. A ripe, slightly soapy aspect of rose dominates the heart note, which is sometimes mixed with a touch of sweet raspberry. This aroma is underlined by a discreet and spicy impression of myrrh in the base note" (ref. Kordes Rosen).

'Kiss Me Kate' is a rose bush that will appeal to lovers of old roses and romantic gardens where the scent of flowers reigns. Like other large roses, such as 'Mme Caroline Testout', 'Rose de Mai' or 'Penny Lane' with which it pairs so well, it is incomparable for giving a touch of abandonment planted above overly strict flowerbeds. It is an ideal companion for an old fruit tree, a small pillar, and charming little cabins. Trained on an arch near the terrace, it will create a poetic and fragrant passage. When allowed to grow freely, without being pruned or trained on a support, it forms a very beautiful bush that can be placed, for example, at the back of a perennial flowerbed or in a large flowering hedge. Pink roses go well with white or mauve lilacs and buddleias ranging from white to purple. Blue-flowered clematis (C.jackmanii, Arabella, Blue Light) are also good companions for their plump flowers.