Rosa Martin Luther Rose - Floribunda Rose

Martin Luther Rose® bush rose is recognisable by its clusters whose colour changes as the flowers open. The buds open in a soft apricot shade, then the petals fade to creamy white. Several shades can therefore be seen together on the same bush. Its dense, regular growth fits easily into a bed. Undemanding and highly disease-resistant, this repeat-flowering rose is particularly suited to gardeners who prefer to avoid treatments.

'Martin Luther Rose' belongs to the group of cluster-flowered bush roses, also known as floribundas. It is the cultivar 'TAN05415', bred in Germany by Hans Jürgen Evers for the Rosen Tantau nursery. This variety was first distributed under the name Sirius® in 2013. It is also known as Dronning Dorothea in Denmark and Ljubljana in Slovenia. The name Martin Luther Rose® was given to it when it was launched in 2017, the year of the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. Tantau presented it as a charity rose supporting a social school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The bush has an upright habit and branches from the base. It reaches 60 to 80 cm in height and 50 to 70 cm in width. In rich soil, in a favourable climate and with light pruning, it can grow larger and approach 1 m. German ADR trials even recorded stronger plants, proving that this variety is not a true dwarf rose despite its compact habit. Its flowers measure 6 to 8 cm in diameter. Double without being excessively full of petals, they open sufficiently for their stamens to be visible, and are visited by pollinating insects. They are borne in generous clusters that renew themselves from June to October, in several successive flushes. Their fragrance is light: it is more noticeable in mild, warm weather. The faded petals drop fairly easily, helping the bush to retain a neat appearance between flowering periods. The dense, slightly glossy foliage remains attractive throughout the flowering period. Its resistance to powdery mildew and black spot is one of the main qualities of this variety. It received the ADR rating in 2013 after several years of trials without fungicide treatment, then received various European awards, including the Golden Rose of The Hague in 2016. 

This Martin Luther Rose® bush rose can form a large flowering border or a small low hedge, planting one young plant every 45 to 50 cm. In a bed, three plants grouped together quickly form a full, well-filled display. It can be paired with Patio Rose ‘Baby Iceberg’, hardy geranium ‘Orion’, Penstemon ‘Husker Red’ and Aster ‘Little Carlow’, for example. These plants, like it, appreciate sun and fertile soil that remains slightly moist in summer. In a deep container at least 40 to 50 cm wide, this rose can also flower for several years with regular applications of water and feed.