Dolce Taste of Love® BOZREKA023 – cyclamen-red edible shrub rose
If you imagine a small Irish front garden glowing in cyclamen-red, Dolce Taste of Love® brings that soft, cheerful mood with edible petals you can scatter over salads or desserts. This compact shrub settles happily into typical Irish conditions, even where summers are cool and breezy with frequent rainfall. Its very double rosette blooms repeat generously, so beds and borders feel naturally playful from early summer well into autumn, while the mildly fruity fragrance adds a whisper of freshness rather than an overpowering scent. Bees still find their way to the partially open centres, so your garden feels quietly alive as petals are harvested for the kitchen. Planted on its own roots in the pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2‑litre container, it makes a reliable start for beginners: roots establish in the first year, shoots fill out with more flowers in the second, and by the third year you enjoy full ornamental and culinary abundance, supported by glossy dark foliage that keeps the whole plant looking healthy and well-kept with only modest care.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Front garden edging for Dublin terraces |
Its compact 40–60 cm height and upright, tidy habit make a neat low edging that frames small paths and steps without overwhelming them. Repeating cyclamen-red clusters provide colour for much of the season with minimal shaping, ideal for time-pressed homeowners. |
| Romantic cottage-style flower beds |
Very double, rosette-style blooms in vivid cyclamen-red bring classic cottage charm, pairing easily with soft pinks, whites and blues. Glossy, dark green foliage gives a refined backdrop, so beds look full and romantic even when other plants pause, pleasing cottage-gardeners. |
| Edible-ornamental salad and dessert corner |
Edible petals hold their colour well during processing and look beautiful scattered over rocket salads or summer desserts. Plant near the kitchen or patio for easy picking; own-root plants regrow reliably after harvesting, reassuring cautious beginners. |
| Pollinator-friendly family garden border |
Despite its very double form, Dolce’s open centres reveal stamens that bees can reach, offering nectar throughout its strong repeat-flowering season. Combined with other pollinator plants, it helps create a quietly productive, wildlife-aware space valued by nature-oriented families. |
| Sunny mixed bed in breezy, rainy sites |
Good heat tolerance and solid shrub structure cope well with exposed, damp gardens, making it suitable where coastal breezes and frequent showers meet heavier Irish soils with careful drainage, reassuring practically minded gardeners. |
| Long-season colour focus near seating areas |
Strong repeat blooming ensures the second flush is also abundant, so you enjoy colour beside patios and seating areas from early summer to autumn. As the own-root shrub matures, flowering becomes denser each year, pleasing relaxed outdoor entertainers. |
| Container planting on small patios and balconies |
In a generously sized pot of at least 40–50 litres with good drainage, Dolce offers high-impact colour and light fragrance in small spaces. Own-root resilience and medium maintenance needs suit those who may occasionally forget tasks, supporting busy urban residents. |
| Low, colourful flowering hedge |
With recommended hedging spacing around 25 cm, plants knit into a low, brightly coloured line that defines paths or driveways. Moderate disease resistance and steady regrowth from the rootstock help the hedge stay attractive for years, reassuring long-term planning buyers. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Romantic Row – Line a cottage path with Dolce and soft blue hardy geraniums for a storybook look – ideal for lovers of relaxed, romantic borders.
- Kitchen-Plate Border – Combine Dolce with herbs and salad leaves near the back door so petals and greens can be picked together – perfect for home cooks who value fresh, edible colour.
- City-Face Refresh – In a small Dublin front garden, underplant Dolce with fragrant Geranium macrorrhizum to soften hard edges – suited to terraced-house owners wanting charm with low effort.
- Four-Season Framework – Pair Dolce with Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea' and Potentilla fruticosa for winter stems, long-flowering shrubs and summer rose colour – great for planners seeking year-round structure.
- Patio Jewel Pot – Grow one or three Dolce in a 50-litre container with trailing thyme around the rim – perfect for balcony or courtyard gardeners needing compact impact.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Trade name Dolce Taste of Love® BOZREKA023, registered as BOZREKA023, medium-sized edible shrub rose, bedding floribunda type within the Taste of Love® collection, exhibition category shrub rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Biljana Božanić Tanjga at PhenoGeno Roses, Serbia; parentage not disclosed. Introduced after 2023, with EU plant variety protection granted in 2023 under CPVO 64789, distributed by PhenoGeno Roses. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Compact, upright shrub around 40–60 cm high and 40–55 cm wide, moderately dense, glossy, dark green foliage and moderate prickliness. Suited to edging, low hedges, containers and mixed beds in small to medium gardens. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, rosette-style clustered blooms, typically 4–7 cm across with over 40 petals. Strong repeat flowering, with a particularly abundant second flush providing sustained display in beds, hedges and containers through the season. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Vivid cyclamen-red flowers with slightly purplish tone; paler edges and softer pinkish tinge as blooms age. Colour remains decorative on the plant and during culinary use, providing a stable, eye-catching feature in ornamental plantings. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Mild, fresh fruity scent, noticeable at close range without dominating nearby seating areas. Suitable for family gardens where a gentle background fragrance is preferred and can contribute subtle notes in edible-petal presentations. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces moderately abundant, small spherical orange-red hips about 5–8 mm in diameter, adding discrete seasonal interest in late summer to autumn and extending its ornamental role after the main flowering period has finished. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C (H7, USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3). Shows moderate resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, needing routine but not intensive care, and tolerates heat with watering during prolonged dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny positions with well-drained soil; plant 30 cm apart in beds, 25 cm for hedges, 50 cm as solitary. Medium maintenance, occasional plant protection advised; edible petals recommended for salads and other culinary decorations. |
Dolce Taste of Love® BOZREKA023 offers long-season cyclamen-red blooms, edible petals, pollinator appeal and own-root reliability; consider it if you would like a graceful, long-lived rose that works hard in a family garden.
