CHRYSLER IMPERIAL – dark red hybrid tea rose
Bring a touch of classic luxury to your Irish garden with ‘Chrysler Imperial’, a velvety dark-red hybrid tea bred for showpiece blooms yet easy enough for busy home gardeners. The large, high-centred flowers open one per stem, perfect for cutting, while filling the air with a deep, old-rose fragrance that lingers after rain. Its upright habit fits neatly into smaller cottage borders and Dublin front gardens, even where summers are short and damp and you must cope with frequent showers and heavy soil. As an own-root plant it builds strength slowly but steadily, rewarding you as roots establish, then shoots develop, and by the third year it shows its full ornamental character. Medium disease tolerance means you can enjoy generous flowering with only occasional care, especially if you plant with good drainage and mulch around the base. Planted near a front door or terrace, its enduring colour and scent create a daily sense of relaxed contentment.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Feature rose beside front door |
Placed near an entrance, the intense, velvety dark-red flowers appear one per stem, so every bloom reads clearly from the path and pairs well with simple evergreen shrubs, ideal for a welcoming focal point for the fragrance-loving homeowner. |
| Cutting bed in a sunny border |
As a classic exhibition-type hybrid tea with extra-large, high-centred blooms, this variety is made for vases; regular cutting encourages fresh shoots and repeat flowers through the season, appealing to the home-cut-flower enthusiast. |
| Romantic cottage-garden mix |
The rich burgundy-red tones knit beautifully with soft pinks, creams and blues in an informal Irish cottage scheme, giving a traditional, romantic note without demanding expert pruning, perfect for the relaxed cottage-garden beginner. |
| Statement rose in a large container |
In a 40–50 litre pot with good compost and drainage, its upright habit and single-bloomed stems create a tidy, formal accent on terraces or balconies, suiting the style-conscious but time-poor urban gardener. |
| Specimen rose in a small lawn island |
Planted alone with a neat mulch ring, the strong colour and XL blooms stand out against grass, while own-root vigour helps the plant mature steadily over the years with modest care, ideal for the low-maintenance-focused family. |
| Mixed shrub and perennial border |
Set among hardy perennials, its medium height and upright structure add vertical emphasis; surrounding plants shade the soil, support drainage and help balance its medium disease resistance in showery, changeable Irish weather, supporting the nature-aware gardener. |
| Perfumed seating area or patio edge |
The very strong, long-lasting scent carries well around a bench or patio, especially on still evenings, so even a single plant can provide a luxurious sensory experience for the fragrance-seeking city-dweller. |
| Partially shaded side garden |
Tolerating partial shade, it can brighten side paths or narrower plots where sun is limited, provided the soil drains reasonably and you keep up light pruning and deadheading, a reassuring choice for space-constrained beginners. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage Charm – weave through foxgloves, campanulas and soft grasses for a loose, storybook Irish cottage feel – ideal for romantic, informal gardeners
- City Showcase – one rose in a 50 litre pot flanked by clipped box or dwarf yew for a smart, compact entrance display – perfect for small-frontage urban homeowners
- Scarlet Focus – place as a single specimen in a gravel circle with low lavender edging to highlight its velvety blooms – suited to busy gardeners wanting impact
- Evening Scent – combine with white roses and pale perennials near seating so colour and perfume glow at dusk – appealing to fragrance-led garden relaxers
- Cut-Flower Corner – group three plants in a sunny strip with easy fillers like gypsophila for regular home bouquets – great for practical, creative flower lovers
Technical cultivar profile
| Characteristic | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose ‘Chrysler Imperial’, trade name identical; ARS exhibition name ‘Chrysler Imperial’. Group: hybrid tea; commercial type and use: garden and cut-flower, own-root 2-litre container. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Walter Edward Lammerts, Armstrong Nurseries, California, USA, from ‘Charlotte Armstrong’ × ‘Mirandy’; introduced 1952 by Germain Seed & Plant Co. as a premium dark-red hybrid tea. |
| Awards and recognition |
Portland Gold Medal 1951; All-America Rose Selections 1953; American Rose Society National Gold Medal Certificate 1956; John Cook Medal 1964; James Alexander Gamble Fragrance Medal 1965. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright hybrid tea with medium-dense dark-green foliage, densely thorned stems; height around 100–140 cm, spread 70–110 cm; self-cleaning weak, so regular deadheading improves appearance and flowering. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, 40+ petalled, high-centred, pointed-budded blooms of exhibition type; solitary flowers on long stems, XL size (10 cm+); remontant habit with a notable second flush in suitable conditions. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Deep, velvety dark-red with ruby undertones; ARS code DR, RHS 53A–60A. Buds dark ruby with blackened sheen; colour stable with slight blueing as blooms age, and very good overall sun resistance. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, enduring perfume with deep, classic rose character, suitable for lovers of traditional scent; fragrance rated highly enough to receive the James Alexander Gamble Fragrance Medal in 1965. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set generally low due to very double flowers and pruning; where present, ellipsoidal red hips about 10–14 mm in diameter, offering modest seasonal interest late in the year. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to about −18 to −21 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b, Swedish Zon 3); disease resistance medium overall, with rust resistant but average tolerance to black spot and powdery mildew in humid seasons. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in fertile, well-drained soil with regular watering in drought; allow space: 65 cm for beds, 55 cm hedging, 100 cm as specimen. Own-root form supports long-term garden use with steady care. |
CHRYSLER IMPERIAL offers velvety dark-red, powerfully scented blooms on a refined hybrid tea shrub whose own-root form promises long-lived, steadily improving performance in Irish gardens, making it a thoughtful choice when you seek lasting elegance.
