MOONLIGHT ® – yellow climbing rose – Kordes
Step outside to MOONLIGHT®, where soft golden blooms turn a grey Irish day into gentle cheerfulness. This Kordes-bred climber clothes walls, pergolas and arches with clusters of luminous, semi-double flowers, releasing a rich, fruity fragrance that lingers in the evening air. Its repeat-flowering habit keeps colour coming in generous flushes through our shorter summers, while its good heat tolerance means it copes well with rare hot spells and the more usual cool, damp spells and gusty showers. Grown on its own roots, it offers reassuring longevity, steady reliability, and the ability to regenerate if cut back hard or nipped by weather, giving you a stable decorative structure on arches or cottage-style facades. Plant once, keep the soil nicely drained and mulched, and enjoy its romantic moonlit charm deepening year after year as roots establish, shoots strengthen and the display reaches full grandeur.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| House wall or sunny Dublin terrace frontage |
Perfect for clothing a south- or west-facing house wall with a vertical curtain of golden-yellow flowers, bringing cottage-garden romance to compact city plots with very little ground space needed; ideal for the busy urban homeowner who loves beauty. |
| Arbour or garden arch in a family garden |
Its tall, flexible climbing growth and medium spread make it excellent for training over arches and arbours, creating a scented tunnel children and adults can walk beneath in summer; suited to families wanting easy drama with impact. |
| Pergola above a seating or dining area |
The rich, fruity scent and generous repeat flowering are made for pergolas, where blooms hang overhead and release fragrance in the evening, giving you that “short walk under raindrops” feeling even on calm nights; perfect for fragrance-loving gardeners. |
| Traditional Irish cottage garden scheme |
Warm golden-yellow, semi-double flowers blend beautifully with herbs and perennials, evoking a soft, old-fashioned charm that suits stone cottages and rural boundaries without looking fussy; a lovely choice for romantic cottage-garden enthusiasts. |
| Long-term feature rose in a new-build garden |
As an own-root climber, it forms a durable framework that can be renewed from the base after pruning or winter damage, giving years of dependable structure and display once established; reassuring for long-term-minded homeowners. |
| Clay soil garden with improved drainage |
Once you’ve loosened heavy clay and added grit or organic matter for drainage, its robust root system settles in reliably and copes well with our damp spells and gusty Atlantic breezes, rewarding simple care; suitable for practically minded beginners. |
| Feature rose in a medium to large container |
Can be grown in a 40–50 litre or larger container with a sturdy trellis, ideal for rented homes or paved courtyards; with regular watering and feeding it will still give a strong, fragrant display; attractive to flexible, space-conscious gardeners. |
| Planned three-year garden makeover |
Its own-root form supports a natural progression: first year root-building, second year stronger shoots and framework, third year giving the full, curtain-like ornamental effect you imagined; perfect for patient, design-focused planners. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-porch welcome – Train MOONLIGHT® around a cottage-style front door with Nepeta x faassenii at the base for a soft blue carpet – for lovers of storybook entrances.
- Golden-moon arch – Let it drape over a simple metal arch, underplanted with Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ for a fiery contrast beneath the gentle yellow blooms – for those who enjoy bold colour pairings.
- Courtyard vertical – In a 50 litre pot against a sunny wall, combine with low thyme and gravel for a low-maintenance Mediterranean feel – for busy urban dwellers wanting easy elegance.
- Evening-scent pergola – Mix it with white or pale pink climbers over a seating pergola so its rich fragrance and glowing colour stand out at dusk – for evening relaxers and hosts.
- Soft-hedge screen – Plant along a boundary fence at recommended spacing, interweaving stems to form a flowering screen – for families seeking privacy without heavy structures.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Climbing rose from the Klettermaxe® collection; registered as KORklemol, traded as Moonlight ® Klettermaxe® KORklemol; exhibition name Moonlight®, large-flowered climber, Rós dreapadó. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tim-Hermann Kordes, W. Kordes’ Söhne, Germany; seedling of (unknown × ‘Lichtkönigin Lucia’) × unknown; bred 1995, registered 2006, introduced commercially after 2006. |
| Awards and recognition |
Recognised at major international trials: Tokyo Bronze Medal (2005), Belfast Gold Medal (2007) and The Hague International Rose Trials Bronze Certificate (2012), confirming reliable garden and exhibition value. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Strong climbing habit 200–320 cm high, 70–120 cm spread, medium-density, glossy mid-green foliage and moderate prickles; self-cleaning is partial, so occasional deadheading improves appearance and repeat flowering. |
| Flower morphology |
Semi-double, cupped blooms with 13–25 petals, large 7–10 cm flowers in clusters; remontant with a very good second flush, making it suitable for long-season decorative coverage on arches and walls. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Warm golden-yellow base with soft copper sheen; buds deep yellow with orange tinge, ageing to pastel yellow with a slight pink edge; colour lightens after opening, overall medium retention but always softly luminous. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Rich, fruity scent rated strong and long-lasting, especially noticeable in still evening air and under sheltering structures like pergolas, providing a sensory focal point as well as a decorative climbing presence. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose hips form only sparsely due to the semi-double flower form; when present they are small, spherical, orange-red, about 8–12 mm in diameter, and have limited ornamental impact compared with the repeat flowers. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to roughly −26 to −23 °C (H7, USDA 5b, Swedish Zone 4); good heat tolerance but needs water in prolonged drought; disease resistance medium, with some susceptibility to powdery mildew and moderate black spot and rust. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun, sheltered if possible; space 100–180 cm depending on use, density 0.8–1.0 plants/m²; improve heavy clay with drainage, mulch annually, and provide plant protection only in extremely humid, high-disease seasons. |
MOONLIGHT ® rewards you with rich fragrance, long-season golden blooms and a durable own-root framework that matures gracefully over years, making it a thoughtful choice for transforming walls or arches in your garden.
