LONG ISLAND – pink climbing rose – Parfums de Lyon ®
Step outside to LONG ISLAND’s warm porcelain-pink blooms and fragrance wraps your walk in sweet, classic rose scent that carries on the breeze, even across a small Irish garden. This exhibition-grade climber offers generous flowering on graceful rosette clusters, its XL blooms softening from vivid pink to pastel tones that suit cottage walls and city terraces alike. Bred for medium maintenance, it copes reliably with wet Irish spells and carefully managed drainage in heavier clay soils, keeping healthy, glossy foliage shining behind the flowers. On its own roots, it promises reassuring longevity and the ability to regenerate from the base after pruning or weather damage, giving a stable display over time with minimal fuss. Think of it as a gentle, own-root investment: in the first year it concentrates on roots, the second on stronger shoots, and by the third year you enjoy its full ornamental impact in a settled, easy-going companion to family life outdoors.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Terraced-house front wall or railings |
LONG ISLAND’s XL rosette blooms and very strong scent turn even a narrow Dublin frontage into a welcoming, softly coloured façade, without needing fussy pruning. Medium maintenance and own-root resilience suit busy urban homeowners who want reliable results, especially beginners. |
| Irish cottage garden pergola |
Trained over a low pergola, its warm porcelain-pink clusters and classic perfume create a romantic, “girly” garden walk that repeats well through the short Irish summer. With steady structural growth and good remontancy, it rewards simple tying-in and basic feeding for many years, ideal for hobby-gardeners. |
| Family seating area or patio arch |
The very strong, classic rose scent carries around seating areas, so you enjoy a perfumed cuppa even on overcast days. Medium vigour and a 220–350 cm habit make it easy to keep above head height yet covered in bloom, suiting space-conscious homeowners. |
| Container on balcony or small courtyard |
Grown in a minimum 40–50 litre pot with good drainage, LONG ISLAND offers climbing colour where soil is limited. Its own-root form gives long-term stability in containers, responding well to occasional renewal pruning and feeding for fragrance-loving urban gardeners. |
| Specimen rose on a sunny gable or garage |
Where a single statement rose is needed, the very full, exhibition-style blooms and dark, glossy foliage give everyday elegance with moderate care. The plant’s height range allows coverage of a one- or two-storey wall without being unmanageable, which suits time-poor families. |
| Fence or trellis boundary in family garden |
LONG ISLAND’s repeat flowering and dense foliage help soften boundaries, adding privacy and colour at child-friendly eye level. Though its stamens are hidden and pollinator value is modest, its ornamental reliability through showery spells appeals to nature-leaning owners. |
| Cut-flower corner near the house |
The XL, very full blooms and strong scent make superb cut flowers for kitchen or hallway vases. Training some stems vertically and some laterally encourages long, straight, flower-laden canes, yet maintenance stays manageable for beginners. |
| Wind-sheltered coastal or suburban garden |
In a spot protected from the strongest Atlantic gusts, its medium hardiness and own-root stamina give a dependable vertical accent that copes with cool, damp Irish conditions and carefully managed heavier clay soils, reassuring long-term focused buyers. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-porch romance – Train LONG ISLAND around a cottage porch with white-painted timber, underplanting with soft pink astrantias for a storybook entrance – perfect for fragrance-oriented homeowners.
- City-terrace flourish – Use a slim obelisk in a 50-litre container against brick, combining LONG ISLAND with trailing ivy-leaved pelargoniums – ideal for style-conscious urban gardeners.
- Soft-privacy screen – Interweave it along a timber fence with evergreen climbers for year-round structure and summer perfume – suitable for young families seeking gentle screening.
- Romantic pergola walk – Pair with light purple Clematis viticella weaving through the canes for layered bloom and scent over a gravel path – appealing to cottage-garden enthusiasts.
- Elegant wall feature – Fan-train across a sunny gable, underplant with lavender and low catmint to frame the glossy foliage and porcelain-pink flowers – great for low-fuss style seekers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Property |
Data |
| Name and registration |
LONG ISLAND – pink climbing rose; Parfums de Lyon collection. Registered cultivar ORAlinco; ORA 151-905. Large-flowered climber for exhibition and garden use, commercial group Rós dreapadó. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Pierre Orard, Roseraies Orard, Feyzin, France. Breeding year 2020, introduced and registered in 2022. Parentage not disclosed; selected for flower size, perfume and ornamental impact. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous climbing habit, 220–350 cm high with 80–130 cm spread. Dense, dark green, glossy foliage and moderately thorny canes. Needs support and tying-in to walls, fences, arches or pergolas. |
| Flower morphology |
Very full, rosette-shaped blooms with 40+ petals, XL size over 10 cm across. Flowers carried in clusters on strong stems, with good remontancy and a second flush that is also abundantly flowering. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Warm porcelain pink overall; RHS 55B outer and 62A inner petals. Buds pale pink with silvery tone, fading through soft pastel to almost white outer petals as blooms age, giving a multi-tonal display. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strongly scented climbing rose with a sweet, classic rose perfume perceptible from a distance. Ideal for planting near paths, doors and seating areas where its fragrance can be fully appreciated. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional spherical hips, 6–10 mm diameter, red RHS 42A. Decorative but not produced in large quantities because of very double flowers, and of limited wildlife or culinary interest. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated to approximately –21 to –18 °C; RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b. Moderate tolerance to heat and short drought with watering. Disease resistance moderate to black spot, mildew and rust. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Prefers sunny, well-drained sites; avoid waterlogging, especially on clay. Space 140–230 cm depending on use. Medium maintenance: seasonal feeding, tying-in and deadheading, with occasional pest control. |
LONG ISLAND offers very strong fragrance, generous repeat flowering and graceful height on a long-lived own-root climber, making it a thoughtful choice for those ready to enjoy years of scented colour.
