Rose Acapella

A richly fragrant Hybrid Tea rose from Germany, ‘Acapella’ is celebrated for its huge, bicolour blooms of deep cherry-pink with a shimmering silver reverse. It boasts exceptional vigour, a strong, upright growth habit, and a classic, powerful fruity scent, making it a superb choice for garden display and as a commanding cut flower.

FLOWERING

The flowers of ‘Acapella’ are its crowning glory, presenting both immense size and a dramatic colour contrast. Each bloom can reach a very large diameter of about 14 - 15 cm (up to 6 inches), possessing a full, high-centred form classic to the Hybrid Tea roses. The buds are long and pointed, unfurling to reveal between 26 and 40 broad petals forming very double flowers.

The most striking feature is the bicolour effect: the inside of the petals is a rich, deep cherry-pink, verging on pale crimson, while the reverse of each petal is a clean, bright, silvery-white or silver-pink. This contrast creates a dynamic, shimmering display as the blooms open and the petals reflex. The flowers are borne mostly solitary on long, strong stems, typical for exhibition-style roses.

The fragrance is surprisingly strong, powerful, and intensely fruity. This robust scent is a key attribute, making ‘Acapella’ a favourite for fragrant gardens and indoor arrangements. The variety is a reliable repeat-bloomer, providing flowers in successive flushes throughout the growing season from summer to autumn, ensuring a long period of interest.

Its blooms are noted to be rain tolerant, and they have an excellent vase life, holding their form and colour well when cut. While not a modern exhibition staple, its sheer size and colour have earned it the exhibition name 'Charlies Rose'.

PLANT

‘Acapella’ is classified as a Hybrid Tea rose. It is a plant of exceptional vigour, forming a tall, upright, and bushy shrub. Mature plants can reach a significant height of 100 to 185 cm (39 inches to 6 ft), with a width of approximately 100 cm (3.3 ft).

The canes of this rose are strong and armed with numerous prickles. The foliage is large, dark green, and semi-glossy, providing a healthy and robust frame for the spectacular flowers.

The variety is known for its general good health and vigour. It is hardy, though in colder climates may require winter protection and will benefit from a hard spring pruning to remove any dieback and encourage strong new growth. In warmer regions, a lighter pruning, removing about one-third of the growth, is sufficient.

‘Acapella’ thrives in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Its tall, upright habit makes it an excellent choice for the back of a border, as a standalone specimen, or for creating a bold statement in a dedicated rose bed. Its strong stems also make it perfect for a cutting garden. Companion plants could include silver-leafed perennials like Artemisia 'Silver Queen' or blue-flowering Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' to complement the silver reverse of the blooms.

It was named ‘Charlie Dimmock’ (and ‘Charlies Rose’) after the popular British television gardener Charlotte "Charlie" Dimmock.

In Australia, it was introduced as ‘Love You Rose’, a name with broad commercial appeal.

Le Roeulx Gold Medal & Fragrance Award - Belgium, 1998;

Baden b. Wien/Vienna 1st Prize, 1999;

Silver, The Hague, Netherlands, 2007;

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Bred by the celebrated German rose hybridizer Hans Jürgen Evers (1940-2007) for the firm Rosen Tantau in 1994, this variety is registered under the code ‘TANallepa’. The parentage is officially listed as a seedling crossed with another seedling, a common practice for protecting commercial breeding lines.

It was introduced in Germany by Rosen Tantau in 1994 under the name ‘Acapella’. It was later introduced to the United Kingdom by Eurosa in 1998, and in Australia by Knight's Roses in 2015.

USDA 6