CAPRICIA™ – deep red nostalgia rose - Olesen
Like a short stroll in soft rain, CAPRICIA™ wraps your garden in velvet petals and a lingering, room-filling fragrance, offering a mood of gentle romance even on grey days when Atlantic breezes bring damp, cool air and softly filtered light. This nostalgia-style shrub rose flowers on and on through the Irish summer, its deeply coloured blooms holding their character as they darken rather than fade, creating a rich, storybook look for cottages and terraced fronts. On its own roots it builds a reliable framework that matures steadily – roots in year one, fuller shoots in year two, and true garden presence by year three – so you can enjoy lasting confidence and easy-going charm without complicated rose care.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Cottage-style mixed flowerbed near the house |
The XL, very double, rosette blooms and deep nostalgic red tone give a traditional, romantic focal point that fits perfectly with herbaceous perennials and old-fashioned favourites outside kitchen or patio doors, ideal for the fragrance-loving homeowner. |
| Front garden statement shrub in a terraced street |
A bushy, upright habit with dense, glossy foliage and strong repeat flowering creates an elegant vertical accent in a narrow bed, bringing colour and structure with minimal fuss for the busy urban gardener. |
| Informal scented hedge along a path |
Planted at recommended hedge spacing, CAPRICIA™ forms a continuous, medium-height, scented screen, giving privacy and a romantic walkway effect with manageable upkeep for the family-garden owner. |
| Feature rose in a small lawn island bed |
The shrub’s 110–160 cm height and 70–110 cm spread make it ideal as a single specimen surrounded by low groundcovers, providing long-season structure and colour for the beginner gardener. |
| Roses for cutting and indoor vases |
Very full, XL blooms on strong stems create luxurious cut flowers with powerful, long-lasting scent, giving you home-grown arrangements that feel special yet are easy to harvest for the creative rose enthusiast. |
| Long-term “forever rose” in a settled family garden |
As an own-root shrub it ages gracefully, regrowing from its own base if cut back hard or after weather damage, so its refined look can be enjoyed for many years by the long-view garden planner. |
| Rose border in exposed or damp-prone sites |
Suited to typical Irish gardens where wind and frequent showers meet cool, short summers, it offers dependable flowering and moderate disease tolerance when given decent drainage for the realistic Irish gardener. |
| Large container on a sunny terrace or doorstep |
In a 40–50 litre or larger pot with good drainage and regular watering, this bushy shrub gives an elegant, upright presence and intense scent right where you pass daily, perfect for the space-conscious city dweller. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Romantic Border – Combine CAPRICIA™ with foxgloves, hardy geraniums and soft grasses to echo an Irish cottage scene – ideal for homeowners wanting informal, storybook charm.
- Terraced Front Welcome – Pair one or two shrubs with low lavender or catmint in a narrow bed by the front door – suited to urban gardeners seeking impact in limited space.
- Scented Pathway Hedge – Plant a loose line and underplant with Alchemilla mollis for frothy contrast – perfect for families who enjoy evening strolls in a fragrant garden.
- Lawn Island Feature – Position CAPRICIA™ at the centre of a small circular bed edged with dwarf box or thyme – good for beginners wanting an easy, focal “mini-rose-garden”.
- Container Parlour Rose – Grow in a 50 litre pot with trailing ivy and seasonal bedding for a lush doorstep display – great for balcony and patio gardeners craving luxury colour and scent.
Technical cultivar profile
| Feature |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Shrub rose, nostalgia type; registered as POUlren024, marketed as Capricia™ Renaissance®; romantic garden rose suitable for fragrant shrub displays and cut flower use. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Mogens Nyegaard Olesen, Poulsen Roser A/S, Denmark, from unnamed seedlings; bred 2006, introduced after 2013, registered 2013 in EU and 2016 in USA (PP 26 792). |
| Awards and recognition |
Winner of the Tollcross Fragrance Prize at the Glasgow International Rose Trials 2016, recognising its very strong, persistent scent and ornamental garden performance. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, upright shrub reaching about 110–160 cm high and 70–110 cm wide; dense, glossy mid-green foliage; moderately thorny stems; prefers sunny positions with reasonable air movement. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, rosette-form blooms with more than 40 petals; extra-large flowers over 10 cm, borne in clusters; strongly remontant, providing generous repeat flowering in suitable seasons. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Deep, velvety crimson-red with subtle burgundy tones; ARS code DR, RHS 53A outer and 60A inner; colour darkens rather than fades, finishing with a blackish-red, almost blackened effect. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, long-lasting scent, consistently noticeable in the garden and on cut stems; exact fragrance notes unrecorded, but intensity confirmed by fragrance trial awards and observations. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is minimal due to the very double flowers; where present, hips are tiny, around 0–3 mm diameter, so fruit display is negligible and does not influence ornamental effect. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to about -21 to -18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b); moderate resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; occasional plant protection may be useful in humid seasons. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in fertile, well-drained soil, slightly acidic to neutral; space 55–100 cm depending on use; water deeply in dry spells; deadhead and lightly prune to shape; favour sunny, open positions. |
CAPRICIA™ offers deeply romantic colour, strong repeat flowering and powerful scent on long-lived own roots, a refined choice if you would like a dependable, nostalgic shrub rose to enjoy for years.
