FLORENTINA ® – dark red climbing rose - Kordes
Bring a touch of old-world romance to your Irish garden with Florentina, a richly coloured climbing rose that thrives even where summers are cool and rainfall frequent. Its very double, rosette blooms glow in a deep crimson dark-red, holding their colour well on walls, arches and pergolas for an easy, long-season display. Bred by Kordes for strong health, it offers reliable disease resistance and low-maintenance growth on its own roots, quietly building a long-lived framework of glossy, dark green foliage. Ideal for beginners, it needs little more than sun, decent drainage and support, while the pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre plant settles in gently – roots establishing in year one, taller shoots in year two and full ornamental value by year three – giving you lasting, cottage-garden charm and confident, carefree colour.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Front garden arch by a Dublin terrace gate |
The large, double rosette blooms in vivid dark red create a welcoming focal point over an entrance arch, while the climber’s strong health keeps it looking neat without complicated care, ideal for a busy city-front setting for the beginner. |
| Cottage-style pergola in a family back garden |
Its 2–3 m climbing habit and dense foliage quickly clothe a pergola, giving soft shade and a traditional cottage-garden feel with minimal pruning needs, perfect where you want romance and privacy without high upkeep for the homeowner. |
| Sunny wall or fence with frequent Irish rain |
With proven disease resistance and good performance in cool, damp conditions, this climber copes well with a rainy, Atlantic-influenced garden, provided soil drainage is reasonable, making it a reassuring choice for the urbanite. |
| Feature pillar rose near a seating area |
Trained up an obelisk or pillar, the richly double flowers and glossy, dark foliage give a vertical accent that stays attractive over a long season, with only occasional tidy-up deadheading, suiting those who enjoy impact more than chores for the relaxer. |
| Low-maintenance family play garden boundary |
The strong, healthy growth and dense, thorny canes form a visually rich, moderately protective barrier along a boundary, offering ornamental value with relatively low maintenance once established, convenient for time-pressed families for the parent. |
| Own-root, long-lived backbone plant in a small garden |
Grown on its own roots, this climber builds up gradually into a stable, renewably flowering framework that can be rejuvenated from the base over many years, supporting a long-lived planting plan for the planner. |
| Container-grown climber on a patio or balcony |
In a 40–50 litre pot with good drainage, it offers a vertical splash of rich colour in compact spaces, and its healthy foliage keeps the display smart with only simple watering and feeding, appealing to space-limited gardeners for the balconeer. |
| Romantic mixed border with perennials |
The rich red blooms combine beautifully with foxgloves, peonies and campanulas, while its reliable health and remontant flowering bring structure and repeat colour through the short Irish summer, suiting relaxed, nature-inspired planting for the dreamer. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Arch – Train Florentina over a simple wooden arch, underplant with foxgloves and campanulas, and let the dark red blooms frame your garden path – ideal for romantic cottage-garden enthusiasts.
- Terrace-Welcome – Place a pair of 40–50 litre containers with obelisks either side of a front door and grow Florentina up them for a tidy, impactful entrance – perfect for busy urban homeowners.
- Pergola-Haven – Use Florentina along one side of a pergola, mixing in fragrant peonies at ground level for layered colour and scent with little fuss – suited to families wanting a relaxed seating nook.
- Wall-Tapestry – Fan-train the climber across a sunny wall, weaving its long canes between wires to create a living tapestry of dark foliage and red rosettes – appealing to design-conscious gardeners.
- Boundary-Glow – Combine Florentina with informal shrubs along a fence, letting it climb through supports for a softly structured, low-maintenance screen – ideal for those preferring gentle privacy over rigid hedging.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Large-flowered climbing rose, Rose Group: Large-Flowered Climber; registered as KORtrameilo, trade names Florentina ® Klettermaxe ®, ARS exhibition name Florentina, collection Klettermaxe®. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tim-Hermann Kordes (W. Kordes’ Söhne, Germany) from unnamed seedlings; bred 2002 in Germany, registered 2012, introduced after 2012 via W. Kordes’ Söhne as a premium climbing garden rose. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated: Gold medal Buenos Aires 2012, Silver medal Tokyo International Great Rose Show 2013, ADR certification Germany 2016, and “Best of the Best” La Tacita International Rose Competition 2016. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous climbing habit, typically 200–300 cm high and 70–130 cm wide; densely thorned canes and dark, glossy foliage (RHS NN137A) create a full, structural presence on arches, pergolas, pillars or trained walls. |
| Flower morphology |
Large 7–10 cm rosette blooms, very double with 40+ petals, borne in corymbose clusters; remontant with a strong first flush and lighter repeats later, requiring some deadheading as self-cleaning is only moderate. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Closed buds deep crimson with purplish tinge; freshly opened flowers intense blood-red, full bloom rich deep red with a tiny whitish centre, slowly fading to a pinkish-purple while overall colour retention remains good. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Delicate, mildly rose-scented fragrance that adds a gentle background note rather than a dominant perfume; sufficient for close appreciation near seating or paths without overwhelming smaller, enclosed garden spaces. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose hips are sparse due to very double flowers; when present they are small, spherical, around 10–15 mm, orange-red (RHS 40A), adding occasional late-season interest without significant self-seeding issues. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Excellent disease resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust; winter hardy to about −26 to −23 °C (RHS H7, USDA 5b, Swedish Zone 4), with good heat tolerance if watered during prolonged drought spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with well-drained soil; space 140–250 cm depending on use, 0.4–0.5 plants/m² in mass plantings; ideal for fences, arches, pillars, pergolas and walls, and usable as a dramatic, large-flowered cut flower. |
FLORENTINA ® combines romantic dark red blooms, reliable disease resistance and long-lived own-root vigour, making it a thoughtful choice if you would like an enduring, low-effort climbing rose in your garden.
