SIMPLY GORGEOUS™ – lavender tea-hybrid rose - Ford
Stroll past SIMPLY GORGEOUS™ on a soft, rainy afternoon and you are met with a haze of lavender blooms and a sweet perfume that feels both nostalgic and luxuriously modern. This compact, upright hybrid tea settles happily into Irish cottage borders or neat Dublin front gardens, coping calmly with our breezy showers and ensuring good performance even when humidity brings higher fungal pressure in summer. Its own-root build means reassuring longevity, steady recovery after any winter knockbacks and reliable shape year after year, making it an easy choice when you want hybrid-tea glamour without fuss. Plant it once, mulch and water well, and watch it move from careful establishment to confident repeat flowering over the next few seasons, while the XL high-centred blooms bring genuine impact both in the garden and in vases indoors.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Feature rose near a front door or path |
The XL, high‑centred blooms create an instant focal point in small spaces, giving classic hybrid‑tea form where you will see it every day. Ideal for those who want a standout welcome without redesigning the whole garden for the busy urban owner. |
| Cutting patch or dedicated rose bed |
Long, straight stems and solitary, exhibition‑style flowers make this an excellent choice for home cutting, so you can enjoy its colour and perfume indoors. Best for gardeners who like to gather their own bouquets as a treat for the fragrance lover. |
| Cottage‑style mixed border |
The bushy, upright habit and dense foliage weave easily among perennials, soft grasses and cottage favourites, giving structure without taking over. Well suited to relaxed borders that still need some order, perfect for the nature‑oriented gardener. |
| Small family garden focal point |
Its moderate mature size fits comfortably in average suburban plots, offering presence without overwhelming play space or seating areas. A good option for households wanting beauty with room left for everyday life for the family homeowner. |
| Own-root, long-term planting in heavy Irish soils |
The own‑root form builds a permanent framework that regrows steadily after winter or pruning, keeping ornamental value stable over many years, while coping well even when damp, heavier soils increase disease pressure for the low-maintenance seeker. |
| Season-long colour in short Irish summers |
Reliable remontant flowering brings a generous second flush, so even cooler, shorter seasons still deliver weeks of bloom. This makes it reassuring for gardeners who want dependable colour without complex pruning plans for the time-poor beginner. |
| Large container on patio or terrace (40–50 L+) |
In a substantial pot with good drainage and regular feeding, its upright outline and large, showy flowers provide a smart vertical accent that works well on balconies or paved areas, especially where ground planting is limited for the city balcony owner. |
| Fragrance point by seating or windows |
The strong, sweet scent carries beautifully in still evening air, so placing it close to a bench or window lets you enjoy the perfume daily even in changeable Atlantic weather, adding a quiet pleasure for the scent-focused gardener. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Romantic Drift – Thread SIMPLY GORGEOUS™ through loose drifts of cranesbills and soft grasses to play up its lavender colour and bushy habit – ideal for relaxed Irish cottage borders and country-front gardens.
- Front-Door Focus – Flank a path or small gate with two or three plants at specimen spacing to create a welcoming, high-impact entrance – perfect for compact Dublin terraces needing one easy-care signature rose.
- Patio-Showpiece Pot – Grow one rose in a 50‑litre clay or faux-stone container with free‑draining compost to showcase its XL blooms right beside outdoor seating – suited to busy homeowners who prefer container gardening.
- Cutting-Row Elegance – Line a sunny fence with evenly spaced plants to produce straight stems and repeat flowers for vases indoors – attractive for hobby florists who enjoy arranging their own scented stems.
- Structured-Mixed Border – Use single specimens as vertical accents among lavender and ornamental grasses, letting the upright form anchor softer planting – good for nature‑oriented gardeners wanting order without formality.
Technical cultivar profile
| Property |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as FORmaui, marketed as Simply Gorgeous™ Hybrid tea rose FORmaui, premium gold garden merit rating, suitable for exhibition and cut-flower use in private gardens. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by John Ford of Ford Roses in Palmerston North, New Zealand, introduced to the market in 2014 via Style Roses in the United Kingdom, with parentage officially recorded as unknown. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright, bushy shrub typically 80–110 cm tall and 60–85 cm wide, with dense, slightly glossy foliage that emerges bronzy-red and matures to mid-green, and only slight thorniness on the stems. |
| Flower morphology |
Very large, 10 cm+ double blooms with 26–39 petals, high‑centred pointed buds borne mainly solitary on stems, repeating well through the season with a generous second flush after the initial display. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Flowers open deep lavender-purple with bronze tones, then fade to silvery lavender with creamy rose-brown centres; overall effect is a powdery lavender-lilac with delicate mauve shading, ARS code m, RHS 76A and 76D. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, sweet rose fragrance of classic character, noticeable around the plant and especially on warm, still days; valued for scented garden corners and for cut stems brought indoors to perfume rooms. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional small spherical hips, 10–14 mm across, in an orange-red RHS 34A shade, not produced in large quantities and mainly of incidental ornamental interest rather than a primary display feature. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to around –15 to –12 °C (RHS H6, Swedish Zone 2, USDA 7b), with moderate tolerance of powdery mildew, black spot and rust, benefitting from good air circulation and standard preventative care. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil; space 50–90 cm depending on use, provide 2.8–3.2 plants/m² in mass plantings, and give regular feeding with mulching to support repeat flowering. |
SIMPLY GORGEOUS™ rewards you with strongly scented, XL lavender blooms, an upright compact habit and dependable repeat flowering on its own roots, making it an elegant, long-term choice I would warmly recommend considering.
