SUSAN MASSU® – yellow-pink hybrid tea rose - Kordes
Step outside after a shower and you can imagine SUSAN MASSU® glowing softly in the garden, tall and graceful, its buttery blooms edged with pink catching the sunlight that follows Irish rain. Bred by Kordes, this hybrid tea brings large, exhibition-style flowers with a sweet perfume, yet it stays reassuringly manageable for everyday family gardens. On its own roots it settles in reliably, building strength for the long term and coping well even where soil is heavy, as long as you give it sensible drainage against prolonged wetness. Over time you will notice the quiet rhythm of its development – first strong roots, then confident shoots, and by the third year a fully formed presence that feels as if it has always belonged in your front border or cottage-style plot.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Feature rose near the front door |
The tall, upright habit and extra-large, high-centred blooms make Susan Massu® ideal as a welcoming focal point by a path or entrance, offering an elegant look without needing complex pruning, especially suited to a fragrance-loving beginner. |
| Irish cottage garden border |
Classic hybrid tea form and yellow-pink tones blend well with informal cottage perennials, while own-root planting ensures stable shape and easy recovery if stems are damaged, reassuring for a relaxed, nature-oriented homeowner. |
| Dublin terraced-house front garden |
Its upright, relatively narrow spread fits compact front plots, giving generous, repeat waves of flowers from a single plant; with simple deadheading and feeding, it offers reliable ornament for busy urban gardeners. |
| Cutting bed for home bouquets |
The solitary, long-stemmed, high-centred blooms are bred for cutting, providing impressive, fragrant stems for indoor vases throughout summer from just a few well-placed plants, attractive to creative, display-minded enthusiasts. |
| Scented seating area or patio edge |
Medium-strength, pleasantly sweet fragrance is best enjoyed up close, so planting beside a bench or patio gives you everyday access to both scent and colour without needing a large planting, ideal for compact, relaxation-focused spaces. |
| Mixed border on heavy Irish clay |
Once established, the own-root system offers long-term resilience and steady regrowth, provided you improve drainage with organic matter and mulch to buffer persistent rain, giving confidence to those managing challenging-soil plots. |
| Single-specimen planting in lawn |
Planted alone at the recommended wider spacing, Susan Massu® develops into a strong, long-lived shrub with dense, glossy foliage that frames the flowers, rewarding patient care over many years for traditional rose-loving families. |
| Informal hedge or repeated accent line |
Regular spacing allows a loose, flowering line that repeats colour and form along a path or boundary; own-root plants maintain uniformity and can be rejuvenated gradually without gaps, particularly helpful for low-fuss garden designers. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Romantic Border – Combine Susan Massu® with compact sage, dwarf oregano and horned violas for a soft, old-world palette and textured foliage – perfect for lovers of traditional cottage charm.
- Elegant Front Approach – Plant one or three roses along a front path, underplanted with low evergreen groundcover, to create a tall, welcoming line of scented blooms – ideal for Dublin terraces seeking kerb appeal.
- Cutting-Garden Nook – Arrange a short row at 65 cm intervals with easy annuals in front, giving a dedicated source of long-stemmed, exhibition-type roses – suited to home florists who enjoy arranging.
- Scented Seating Pocket – Position a single specimen near a bench with soft grasses behind to catch the light and frame the flowers – for those who want a quiet, sensory corner without complex maintenance.
- Lawn Island Feature – Create a small circular bed in grass with Susan Massu® at the centre and a ring of low perennials, allowing the tall blooms to rise above – appealing to families wanting a simple yet striking focal point.
Technical cultivar profile
| Property |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose Susan Massu® (registered as KORad), commercial type hybrid tea, ARS exhibition name Susan Massu, part of the Rós taehibride group, bred and sold for both garden and cutting use. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Reimer Kordes, W. Kordes' Söhne, Germany, from the cross ‘Colour Wonder’ × ‘Liberty Bell’, introduced and registered in 1970, continuing the classic German hybrid tea breeding tradition. |
| Awards and recognition |
No major international awards are recorded for this cultivar, yet it maintains a premium silver merit rating and ongoing appreciation among gardeners who value its colour harmony and reliable hybrid tea form. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright, medium-tall habit 130–170 cm high and 75–105 cm wide, with dense, dark green, glossy foliage and moderate prickliness; forms a well-filled shrub suitable as a specimen or in mixed borders and informal lines. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, high-centred, pointed-budded blooms in solitary form, typically over 10 cm across; classic exhibition-style hybrid tea flowers requiring occasional deadheading, with good suitability for cutting and display. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Vivid sun-yellow base with salmon-pink edging; buds blush pink over golden yellow, then open lemon-yellow with coral edges, before lightening in strong sun, producing harmonious two-tone effects across successive flower stages. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength, pleasantly sweet scent noticeable at close range, particularly from freshly opened blooms; fragrance makes it well suited to seating areas, entrances and cutting gardens where flowers can be enjoyed daily. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is generally low due to very double flowers, though occasional small ovoid hips 10–14 mm may form, coloured orange-red; ornamental impact is modest, with the main focus remaining on the repeat floral display. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Classed as medium disease resistance with good tolerance to powdery mildew and black spot, moderate rust sensitivity, hardy to about −21 to −18 °C (H7, USDA 6b), requiring regular watering during extended summer droughts. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Prefers a sunny site with fertile, well-drained soil; allow 55–100 cm spacing depending on use. Own-root plants suit borders, specimens and scented gardens; for containers choose at least 40–50 litre volume for stability. |
Susan Massu® offers large, sweetly scented exhibition blooms, reliable repeat flowering and long-lived own-root strength for Irish family gardens; consider it if you would like a graceful yet undemanding hybrid tea.
