PULLMAN ORIENT EXPRESS ® – yellow-pink hybrid tea rose - Lim & Twomey
If you love classic roses but prefer effortless gardening, PULLMAN ORIENT EXPRESS ® brings refined, high-centred blooms without demanding professional skills. Bred from the legendary ‘Peace’, this tall, upright hybrid tea offers XL flowers on long stems that are ideal for cutting, yet it remains well-behaved in the average Irish family garden. Its dense, glossy, dark-green foliage gives a neat, polished backdrop, while medium fragrance drifts gently on soft air for moments of contentment. With careful breeding behind its AARS and RHS AGM awards, this rose delivers reassuringly reliable performance even where summers are short and the air stays moist after rainfall, helping it to flower on and off over many months. Own-root cultivation means it establishes steadily, keeps its shape for years, and can regenerate from the base if ever damaged, giving long-term confidence. Plant once, mulch the soil, and watch as Year 1 builds roots, Year 2 extends flowering shoots, and Year 3 reveals its full garden presence.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Feature bush in a small front garden |
The tall, upright framework and XL, exhibition-style blooms make this rose a natural focal point beside a path or doorway, giving structure without overpowering a modest Dublin terrace frontage, especially for the beginner homeowner who wants instant impact and gradual, lasting development for the busy urban gardener. |
| Cutting and indoor vase use |
The high-centred, pointed buds and solitary XL flowers were bred for show-bench standards, so stems cut in the early open stage last well in the vase, letting you enjoy their evolving colour indoors with minimal effort from a single, reliable garden plant for the home flower arranger. |
| Romantic cottage-garden bed |
Its yellow-pink, ever-changing blooms pair beautifully with traditional perennials, while the dense, glossy foliage fills gaps so you can keep the rest of the bed informal and low maintenance, creating a gently romantic feel in an Irish cottage-style border for the nature-loving traditionalist. |
| Specimen rose in a lawn or gravel circle |
With a height of up to 170 cm and a spread under 1 m, this rose stands out on its own, giving you a single, easy-to-care-for focal plant instead of a complicated planting scheme, ideal when you want drama from just one hole in the lawn for the time-pressed minimalist. |
| Mixed shrub and rose hedge |
Planted at 50 cm intervals, its upright habit and repeated flushes of large flowers give a luxurious, semi-formal hedge that still fits comfortably in an average family garden, needing only occasional deadheading to stay tidy for the low-maintenance planner. |
| Own-root, long-lived family “heirloom” rose |
The own-root form means any shoots arising from the base stay true to type, so after early establishment it can be lightly pruned and enjoyed for many seasons, gradually building a robust, well-branched framework that matures with the property for the sentimental homeowner. |
| Large container on patio or balcony |
In a 40–50 litre pot with good drainage and regular watering, this upright hybrid tea offers big, colourful flowers close to seating areas, while its medium maintenance needs stay manageable for city dwellers who only have a paved yard or balcony space for the container gardener. |
| Decorative accent in coastal or rainy gardens |
With reasonable tolerance of moist, cool conditions and the ability to keep flowering through changeable weather, it suits exposed Irish plots where breezes and frequent showers are typical, helping the garden feel cheerful even on grey days for the Atlantic-climate resident. |
Styling ideas
- Doorstep Welcome – Plant as a single specimen by the front step with low catmint or hardy geraniums at its feet for a soft, “girly” welcome – ideal for urban terrace owners.
- Cottage Drift – Thread three bushes through a cottage border with foxgloves and campanulas so the XL blooms rise above a pastel haze – perfect for romantic cottage-garden creators.
- Sunset Trio – Combine with Cornus alba ‘Spaethii’ and warm-toned heucheras in a mixed bed so foliage echoes the rose’s yellow-pink glow – suited to colour-focused enthusiasts.
- Patio Showpiece – Grow one plant in a 50 litre half-barrel with trailing ivy to cloak the rim and fine gravel mulch on top – designed for balcony and patio gardeners.
- Elegant Screen – Line a short path or driveway with evenly spaced bushes, underplanted with low lavender or thyme to soften the base – great for structured yet low-fuss front gardens.
Technical cultivar profile
| Characteristic |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as BAIpeace, marketed as Pullman Orient Express ® Hybrid tea rose BAIpeace; also known for exhibition under the name Love & Peace ™. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred in the United States in 1991 by Ping Lim and Jerry F. Twomey, from an unknown seedling crossed with ‘Peace’; introduced and first distributed by Bailey Nurseries in 2002. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holds multiple international honours, including All-America Rose Selections 2002, several People’s Choice awards, and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit for garden performance. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Strong, upright habit 130–170 cm tall and 70–90 cm wide, with dense, dark green, glossy foliage and moderate prickles; weak self-cleaning, so spent blooms benefit from regular deadheading. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, high-centred, pointed-budded blooms with over 40 petals, typically borne singly on stems; XL flowers around 10 cm or more, repeating well with an abundant second flush. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Golden-yellow petals edged with vivid raspberry pink; bud flushed rosy red, opening deep yellow, then softening to yellow-cream as the pink margin broadens, with moderate colour fading in strong sun. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength, pleasantly sweet scent characteristic of well-bred hybrid teas; enough to notice on still days or when used as a cut flower indoors, without becoming overpowering in smaller spaces. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip production is generally sparse due to the very double flower form; where formed, hips are small, ovoid, about 10–14 mm across, and take on an attractive orange-red tone by late season. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated to about -15 to -12 °C (RHS H6), with moderate resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; tolerates heat well but benefits from watering during prolonged drought periods. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to beds, hedging and specimen use, also for cutting; space 50–90 cm depending on effect, in well-drained soil with mulch; medium maintenance, including occasional disease checks and deadheading. |
PULLMAN ORIENT EXPRESS ® rewards you with XL exhibition-style blooms, medium sweet fragrance and dependable repeat flowering on a long-lived own-root plant, making it a thoughtful choice for gardeners seeking lasting elegance with manageable care.
