DONATELLA® – light pink hybrid tea rose - Richardier
Let DONATELLA® bring a sense of romance to your front garden or cottage border with its XL, pastel-pink blooms and fragrance that lingers on the air even after Irish showers. Its very double, rosette flowers deliver continuous flowering from early summer well into autumn, keeping your space gently colourful in green, soft light. Bred for high resistance to common rose diseases, it keeps glossy dark foliage even when humidity is high and summers are short, shrugging off our damp climate and rainfall that would challenge fussier varieties. On its own roots it promises real longevity, quietly rebuilding and regenerating if stems are damaged, so you can enjoy a stable, mature shrub for many years. With an upright habit that remains compact enough for city plots yet tall enough for elegant cutting stems, it offers superb versatility whether you plant it in a small Dublin terrace front garden, a mixed cottage-style bed, or a large 40–50 litre container by the door, settling in over three seasons as roots establish in year one, top growth builds in year two, and full ornamental impact appears by year three.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Cottage-style mixed border |
DONATELLA® gives a steady run of XL, pastel-pink blooms from early summer to late season, keeping a compact footprint while flowering strongly and repeatedly between perennials in a small family garden; ideal for beginners seeking reliable colour. |
| Front-of-house specimen |
The upright, tidy habit and glossy dark foliage create a neat, welcoming focal point by a path or doorway, with large, very double flowers that read clearly from the street; perfect for homeowners wanting elegant kerb appeal with little effort. |
| Low-maintenance family border |
Strong resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust means fewer sprays, fewer worries and less time spent pruning away damaged growth, even in a damp, breeze-swept Irish garden where many roses struggle; ideal for time-poor gardeners. |
| Own-root long-term planting |
As an own-root shrub it regenerates from the base if stems suffer wind or frost damage, avoiding the issues of grafted suckers and helping it mature into a stable, long-lived rose that repays careful initial planting for many years of enjoyment. |
| Cut-flower and indoor enjoyment |
With very large, full, rosette-shaped blooms on long, straight stems, this hybrid tea is excellent for cutting, bringing its classic, strongly rosy scent and soft colour indoors to echo the calm of the garden in simple vases for relaxed households. |
| Part-shade city garden |
Tolerant of partial shade, it will still produce quality flowers and maintain dense, healthy foliage in a side return, narrow terrace front or courtyard that only gets sun for part of the day, suiting urban gardeners working with tricky aspects. |
| Containers and large pots |
Planting in a 40–50 litre or larger container gives its roots stable moisture and room to develop, encouraging a well-branched, upright shrub that flowers generously and is easy to manage on patios or balconies for space-conscious city dwellers. |
| Weather-resilient family planting |
It copes well with cool, damp summers and frequent showers that would spoil lesser roses, keeping petals neat and foliage attractive in our changeable conditions with regular but simple care, reassuring those who garden where sunshine is limited. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Pastel Border – weave DONATELLA® through airy perennials like catmint and soft pink campion for a relaxed, “girly” Irish cottage feel – for romantically inclined beginners who love soft, continuous flower colour.
- Terrace-Front Welcome – place one shrub each side of a path with low lavender edging to frame the doorway in scent and soft pinks – for city homeowners wanting graceful, low-fuss kerb appeal on compact plots.
- Elegant Cut-Flower Row – plant a short, sunny row solely for cutting, underplanting with silver-leaved herbs to highlight the large blooms – for hobby gardeners who enjoy arranging their own fragrant roses indoors.
- Glossy-Green Backdrop – combine DONATELLA® with Cornus alba ‘Spaethii’ and hostas for a textural mix of gold, green and blush pink – for garden makers seeking a balanced, quietly sophisticated planting scheme.
- Container Romance – set a single plant in a generous 50-litre pot with soft trailing thyme around the base for a moveable, scented focal point – for balcony and patio users wanting maximum effect from one beautiful rose.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, collection Romantica®, registered as MEIkerira, traded as Donatella® Romantica® MEIkerira; exhibition name Donatella, commercial group Rós taehibride, light pink garden and cut-flower cultivar. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Michèle Meilland Richardier, Meilland International SA, France, around 2009; parentage undisclosed; introduced to the market in 2011 via Meilland International as a fragrant, decorative hybrid tea rose. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated exhibition hybrid tea; Gold Medals at Baden-Baden, The Hague and Rome, plus a fragrance award at Roeulx, confirming both ornamental performance and notable scent under international trial conditions. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright, bushy hybrid tea reaching approximately 90–130 cm high and 55–85 cm wide, with dense, dark green glossy foliage and moderate prickles; weak self-cleaning so spent blooms usually need light, regular deadheading. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, rosette-form flowers with more than 40 petals, usually borne in small clusters; extra-large blooms over 10 cm across, strongly remontant with abundant repeat flushes following the main flowering period. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Closed buds mid-pink, opening to a delicate, uniform light pink; colour gently fades through pale silvery-rose as blooms age, with moderate overall colour retention and a soft, pastel effect at all stages of flowering. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strongly scented hybrid tea with a classic rosy perfume of long duration; fragrance is noticeable in the garden and persists well on cut stems indoors, making it suitable for sensory-focused and nostalgic plantings. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set usually slight due to regular deadheading of double blooms; where present, hips are small, about 10–14 mm, egg-shaped and orange-red, adding modest late-season interest without detracting from repeat flowering. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to black spot, powdery mildew and rust; hardy approximately to −21 to −18 °C (USDA 6b, RHS H7, Swedish zone 3), with moderate heat tolerance provided watering continues through extended dry periods. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to borders, specimens, hedging, cut-flower use and large containers; spacing 60 cm in masses, 50 cm for hedges, 90 cm as a solitary plant; prefers well-drained soil with mulch and benefits from deadheading spent flowers. |
DONATELLA® offers large romantic blooms, rich fragrance and dependable repeat flowering on a resilient own-root shrub, making it a thoughtful choice if you want long-lasting beauty with straightforward care.
