MAGIA NERA™ – dark red hybrid tea rose - Combe
Step outside after a shower of rain and let MAGIA NERA™ wrap your small Irish garden in a mood of soft green light and quiet contentment. This classic hybrid tea brings large, high‑centred blooms in an unusually deep, velvety colour, with outer petals that verge on black and inner petals glowing dark red. Each flower carries a strong, traditional rose fragrance that feels luxurious yet familiar, perfect for cutting and bringing indoors. Bushy, dark, glossy foliage and sparse thorns make it easy to enjoy up close, while its reliable, remontant repeats mean you can look forward to flush after flush of blooms through our shorter summers. Bred for good resistance, it copes well with damp, fungus‑prone conditions and regular Atlantic showers. As an own‑root plant it offers reassuring longevity and stable beauty, quietly regenerating after pruning or harsh weather. Think of its development as a gentle arc: first year roots, second year strong shoots, third year the full, dramatic display you imagined when you chose it.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Cottage-style mixed flower bed |
Large, velvety dark-red blooms give a romantic focal point among informal perennials, suiting the relaxed charm of an Irish cottage-style bed while needing only modest care once established – ideal for the beginner. |
| Dublin terraced-house front garden |
The upright, bushy habit and strong colour create instant kerb appeal in narrow front plots; a single plant near the door reads as deliberate and elegant, with minimal space or maintenance demands – perfect for the busy homeowner. |
| Cutting patch for home bouquets |
High-centred hybrid-tea blooms on long stems are made for vases; repeat flowering provides a steady supply of dramatic stems from summer onwards, turning a small border into your own cutting garden – a pleasure for the fragrance-loving gardener. |
| Feature rose in a lawn or gravel circle |
Plant as a single specimen at 90 cm spacing to showcase the near-black buds against glossy foliage; the semi-double, strongly scented flowers draw the eye and nose without demanding elaborate care – ideal for the low-maintenance planner. |
| Small rose hedge or boundary line |
At 50–70 cm spread and repeat flowering, a short line of plants forms a dense, dark hedge that flowers for months, offering structure and privacy while staying manageable in family gardens – suitable for the practical owner. |
| Large container on patio or balcony |
In a 40–50 litre pot with good drainage, MAGIA NERA™ performs well, its own-root vigour and disease resistance helping it cope with urban conditions and intermittent care – reassuring for the time-poor urbanite. |
| Pollinator-friendly cottage corner |
Semi-double flowers moderately attract bees, especially when paired with catmint or scabious, giving both beauty and light wildlife value in a cosy, “girly” cottage corner – a thoughtful choice for the nature-oriented buyer. |
| Weather-resilient family garden border |
Good disease resistance and strong colour that scarcely fades make this rose reliable in showery, fungus-prone Irish weather with regular Atlantic breezes and rainfall, so it keeps looking smart with little intervention – perfect for the busy family. |
Styling ideas
- Front-door glamour – Flank a path with two specimens underplanted with pale pink geraniums to set off the dark blooms – perfect for style-conscious city terrace owners.
- Cottage romance – Mix with Nepeta x faassenii and soft grasses for a hazy, pollinator-friendly cottage bed – suited to nature-loving beginners.
- Evening drama – Combine with white foxgloves and silver foliage so the near-black buds glow at dusk – ideal for those who entertain outdoors.
- Cutting corner – Plant a small row with Knautia macedonica ‘Red Knight’ to create a rich cutting palette in burgundy tones – great for home florists.
- Patio statement – One plant in a generous 50 litre terracotta pot with trailing thyme softens hard paving – ideal for small, paved urban gardens.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as COMsor, traded as Magia Nera™ Hybrid tea rose COMsor, exhibition name Norita; part of the Rós taehibride commercial group for garden and cutting use. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Maurice Combe in France from ‘Charles Mallerin’ × unknown seedling; introduced 1966 by Vilmorin-Andrieux, later distributed by Kern Rose Nursery, Treloar Roses and Rose Barni internationally. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy shrub 80–110 cm high, 50–70 cm spread, with dense, glossy, dark green foliage and sparse thorns; spent blooms usually need deadheading as self-cleaning is weak to moderate. |
| Flower morphology |
Very large, solitary, high-centred hybrid-tea blooms over 10 cm across; semi-double with around 13–25 petals, classic pointed buds and strong remontant habit producing abundant repeat flushes. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Deep dark-red flowers with blackish tones; buds blackish-burgundy, nearly black outer petals and dark red inner sheen; colour holds strongly with minimal fading, ageing towards dark burgundy-purple shades. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, clearly noticeable fragrance of classic rose character, especially evident in still, mild air; ideal for cutting and placing indoors where its deep, traditional scent can be appreciated. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces moderate numbers of spherical orange-red hips, around 10–14 mm diameter; ornamentally useful in late season where spent blooms are left on the plant. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Good resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust; hardy to about −21 to −18 °C (USDA 6b, RHS H7, Swedish Zone 3), tolerates moderate heat with watering and some protection from scorching. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny positions with well-drained soil; space 50–90 cm depending on use, 2.8–3.2 plants/m² for mass planting; maintain by deadheading and regular watering in dry periods for optimum flowering. |
MAGIA NERA™ offers dramatic velvety colour, strong classic fragrance and repeat flowering on a long-lived own-root plant, an elegant choice if you would like a quietly reliable focal rose.
