Rose Gebrüder Grimm

'Gebrüder Grimm' is a vigorous, repeatedly flowering Floribunda with unusually animated contrast of warm orange-red upper petal surfaces and yellow to yellow-orange reverses. As the flowers mature, the fiery colouring softens toward salmon, coral and pink, so that a mature plant often carries several colour stages simultaneously. Its rounded, nostalgic-looking flowers are set against dense, dark green foliage of notably high disease resistance, one of the main qualities for which the cultivar has been recognised. The plant combines the mass-flowering usefulness of a Floribunda with a somewhat more substantial, bushy character, making it suitable not only in beds but also as a specimen, in mixed borders and in large containers. Above all, 'Gebrüder Grimm' is vigorous, adaptable, exceptionally healthy, tolerant of some partial shade, and capable of flowering from early summer well into autumn.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Kordes places 'Gebrüder Grimm' within the MärchenRosen, or Fairy Tale Roses, collection, a group selected for the combination of romantic, old-fashioned looking flower forms with modern repeat flowering, robust growth and strong foliage health. In that context 'Gebrüder Grimm' is especially distinctive because it departs from the quieter cream, blush and pastel palette often associated with nostalgic roses: its flowers are bright, luminous, combining fire-orange and red with a golden-yellow reverse. In a fertile garden with a long growing season, 'Gebrüder Grimm' commonly develops into a more substantial Floribunda than the compact bedding roses of earlier generations.

Its special ornamental effect lies in the interaction between flower shape and colour. Although its warm colours are modern and vivid, the flower itself has a rounded, somewhat rosette nostalgic. The petals become increasingly relaxed as the flower opens, eventually producing a flattened, irregularly rounded bloom, sometimes with the central stamens visible in advanced maturity. Colour is never entirely static. Weather, temperature and flower age influence the balance of orange, red, yellow and pink, and Kordes specifically notes that climatic conditions can cause colour variation. This variability is one of the cultivar’s defining garden qualities: a flowering shrub may simultaneously display yellow-orange buds, brilliant orange-red young flowers and older coral-pink blooms.

FLOWERING

Rose 'Gebrüder Grimm' has a very strong repeat flowering character, almost continuous, with a season extending from late spring or early summer until frost. Usually it demonstrates a powerful first flush followed by recurring flushes, rather than literally equal flower density every week. Mature plants that are watered and fed adequately can bridge these major flushes with scattered intermediate clusters, giving a long season of colour.

The first flowering is normally the most dramatic because many shoots terminate nearly simultaneously in clusters. Later flowering depends on maturity, culture and regularity of the deadheading. Deadheading is therefore useful where continuous ornamental display is desired, although leaving some late flowers allows the plant to complete its natural reproductive cycle. In climates with warm autumns the variety can continue producing flowers surprisingly late, while in cold continental climates the final flush is naturally shortened by frost.

Flower bud:

The bud in the longitudinal section has a broadly ovate shape. Sepals have lanceolate shape, averaged approximately 2.5 cm (about 1 in) in length and carried only weak extensions. The colour of the sepals is medium green strongly suffused with purple red, especially towards the edges. When the sepals start to divide the dark orange petals start to show transitioning to crimson red towards the edges and to bright yellow orange closer to the base. As the opening progresses and petals continue to unfurl the reverse side of the petals transition to lighter, more uniform yellow-orange colour strongly suffused with red and purple shades while the upper surface displays bright orange red transitioning to darker red to the base.

Opening is relatively broad: the compact bud expands into a cup and subsequently into the cultivar’s more relaxed, rounded flower. Because the reverse of the petals is considerably more yellow than the inner face, partly opened buds are especially attractive; the folded petals expose both colours at once and create a flame-like mixture of gold, orange and scarlet.

The receptacle is medium to small in size, chalice shaped and has dark green colour with very strong purple red anthocyanin. The flower pedicel is stiff and strong, dark green in colour with strong purple red anthocyanin, especially from the sunny side, and may have few glandular hairs or prickles.

Bloom:

The flowers of 'Gebrüder Grimm' are medium to moderately large as for a Floribunda. The average diameter of the flowers are typically within the 7 - 8 cm (2.8 - 3.1 in) range, while formal comparative trials recorded an average of 9.4 cm (3.7 in), illustrating the larger dimensions attainable under favourable trial conditions. The flowers are double to very double, commonly have approximately 26 - 40 petals. No single exact petal number should be treated as immutable; it is best regarded as a substantially double Floribunda whose apparent fullness varies with climate and flower stage.

When the flower is viewed from above the shape is irregularly rounded. In profile, the upper portion is flattened-convex and the lower portion concave, producing a shallow cup that becomes flatter with age. Young flowers may look compact and rosette while mature ones become more informally arranged, sometimes revealing golden stamens.

The colouring on the inner surface, the middle portion of a petal is in the orange-red to red range near RHS group 32A to 40A, with the marginal zone near vivid reddish orange (RHS group 40A). A medium to large basal spot is yellow, approximately RHS group 7A. By contrast, the reverse is mainly yellow-orange, around RHS group 18A, with the outer marginal area ranging from yellow-orange to orange, toward RHS 18A/24D and has a yellow basal spot. This explains the famous and bright two-sided effect seen when the petals curve or move in wind. With age, heat and strong sunlight, the red-orange pigments soften and the flower moves through coral and salmon toward pink. The mature colour therefore mainly may be perceived as pink. The resulting multicoloured effect is particularly pronounced during a heavy flush, because each cluster contains flowers at different stages of development.

Flowers appear predominantly in small clusters, of three to nine blooms together. This relatively restrained cluster size contributes to the impression of large individual flowers while still creating the massed flowering expected from a Floribunda.

Petals:

Petals are medium-sized and sufficiently substantial to retain their rounded shape through much of the flower’s life. Their margins show weak to medium reflexing and weak to medium undulation. The reverse differs dramatically from the upper surface, and this bicoloured petal structure is one of the cultivar’s formal distinguishing characteristics. As the flower matures and the margins relax, the yellow reverse becomes increasingly visible around the orange-red upper side of the petal.

The weather resistance is respectable but should not be overstated: the flowers are moderately heat resistant, although the plant itself is notably robust and heat tolerant. Very heavy prolonged rain can therefore blemish or weigh down fully opened flowers, particularly when cool weather causes them to remain densely closed for longer, though they rarely tend to get damaged by the rain. The foliage generally remains much less affected by difficult weather than the blooms themselves.

Fragrance:

Fragrance is not the principal merit of 'Gebrüder Grimm', it is weak, delicate.

Reproductive parts:

The outer staminal filaments are predominantly yellow, giving an attractive golden centre when the mature flower opens sufficiently to expose them. Styles are also predominantly yellow, with the stigmas positioned below the level of the anthers. The seed vessel at petal fall is small to medium, and the resulting hip was described as pitcher-shaped in the longitudinal section.

PLANT

Rose 'Gebrüder Grimm' is classified as Floribunda rose, but one with enough vigour and substance to function as a small landscape shrub. The plants of this rose have an upright, bushy, quite spreading and outwardly growth habit, with mature and well-established plants capable of reaching approximately to 60 - 100 cm (2 - 3.3ft) high and 50 - 100 cm (1.5 - 3.3 ft) wide, depending on climate and cultivation. The overall character is vigorous, densely branched and leafy.

In the garden it is particularly stunning in groups of three or more, where repeated flowers create a broad band of warm colour. It is equally suitable for a mixed border, a low informal hedge, a large container or as a single specimen, particularly when surrounded by quieter plants in blue, violet, cream or silver foliage. Also it is suitable for partial shade, it is also useful where a rose receives strong morning light followed by some afternoon protection. In hot climates that position may actually prolong the richer orange-red stages of the flowers.

Spring pruning should maintain the naturally bushy framework rather than reduce every cane indiscriminately to the same level. Dead, damaged, very weak and inward-growing shoots are removed first; the remaining vigorous canes can normally be shortened by roughly one-third to one-half, with older stems gradually renewed at the base when necessary. In very cold districts pruning is best delayed until the danger of severe winter temperatures has passed and buds begin to swell. Deadheading back to a strong leaf after each major flush encourages prompt lateral regrowth and repeated flowering.

Foliage:

There is abundant and lush foliage on the plants of the rose 'Gebrüder Grimm'. The foliage is medium-sized, dark green, exceptionally healthy and glossy. The dense leaves provide a strong dark background for the brilliant flowers and also help the plant remain decorative between flowering cycles. The foliage is generally coarser and visually more substantial than that of delicate old roses. In temperate climates it remains effective late in the season if disease pressure is controlled by the cultivar’s inherent resistance.

Leaflets:

The leaves of this rose are pinnately compound, usually carrying five leaflets, with occasional variation to 7 closer to the base and of 3 closer to the flowering cluster, including the terminal leaflet. The leaflets have a flat cross-section with weak to medium marginal undulation. The terminal leaflet is medium to long, averaging to about 5.5 cm (2.18 in) in length and 3.3 cm (1.27 in) in width. The shape of the leaflet is obtuse with an acute tip and rounded base, the edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and medium sized.

Wood:

Young shoots of the 'Gebrüder Grimm' show weak to medium anthocyanin pigmentation, with a reddish-brown shade, the bark is smooth. The mature canes form an upright but branching framework, producing a bushy to broad and outwardly growing plant. The variety is vigorous and capable of producing substantial replacement canes from the base of the plant, particularly in rich soils.

Prickles:

The prickles are present but not exceptionally numerous, there are few to medium quantities of prickles having a concave shape. This moderate armature is enough to require gloves during pruning. The young prickles are dark purple red in colour and mature to brown tan.

Small prickles:

Under the normal growing conditions the small prickles are not observed on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose. On the peduncles there are few small prickles and glandular hairs or the purple red colour.

Disease resistance and stress tolerance:

The disease resistance is very good and one of the strongest reasons for the continued horticultural importance of 'Gebrüder Grimm'. The cultivar received the ADR designation in 2002, and the ADR historical record gives it an overall trial score of 72.1 with a health component of 27.1. ADR testing is particularly meaningful because varieties are evaluated at multiple German locations under differing conditions, with emphasis on garden performance and foliage health rather than dependence on routine fungicide protection.

It has excellent resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and resistance to rust is good enough for the plant to regenerate well from its own vigour. This does not make it biologically immune: severe local disease pressure, prolonged leaf wetness, poor air circulation or stressed roots can still produce infection. Nevertheless, its record is considerably stronger than that of many colourful Floribundas introduced in earlier decades.

Heat tolerance is good, and the variety’s repeat-flowering behaviour generally remains good in warm summers if soil moisture is maintained. The plant tolerates a wide range of ordinary garden soils and it accepts both exposed and sheltered positions, but fertile, humus-rich, moist yet well-drained soil remains preferable. In windy places the plant itself is sufficiently sturdy, though individual open flowers may suffer abrasion or shortened longevity.

Winter hardiness is good for Floribunda, and according to RHS it is rated as H5, corresponding to approximately -23.3 to -17.8 °C (-10 to 0 °F). Therefore it is considered to be suitable for growing in climates similar to USDA Zone 6. In colder continental gardens, especially around USDA zone 4 - 5 and below, autumn mounding of the crown with soil or compost, protection of the graft union, cessation of late nitrogen feeding and the insulating with the reliable snow cover considerably reduce risk of damages in winter.

The name 'Gebrüder Grimm' literally means “Brothers Grimm” and honours the German scholars and folklorists Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm, whose Kinder- und Hausmärchen - the collection generally known in English as Grimm’s Fairy Tales became one of the most influential bodies of European folk literature. The association was particularly suitable for a cultivar incorporated into Kordes’ MärchenRosen®, or Fairy Tale Roses, collection, whose marketing deliberately links romantic flower form with the imagery of traditional tales.

'Gebrüder Grimm' became the principal German trade and exhibition name. 'Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale' is the English-language adaptation used in some markets; 'Eternal Flame' has been used particularly in the UK ; 'Gremlin' and 'Joli Tambour' are additional regional marketing names; and 'Special Gift' was used when South Pacific Roses introduced the cultivar in New Zealand in 2018.

The synonym 'Eternal Flame' requires particular caution in modern rose collections because the same commercial phrase is also used for an unrelated yellow Hybrid Tea marketed by Meilland. A collector identifying old labels or plants should therefore verify the denomination 'KORassenet': an orange-red Floribunda with yellow petal reverses is the Kordes 'Gebrüder Grimm', not the yellow Hybrid Tea sold elsewhere as 'Eternal Flame'.

'Gebrüder Grimm' accumulated an unusually broad series of European recognitions during and shortly after its trial period. A Royal National Rose Society Trial Ground Certificate is recorded for 2001.

In 2001 the selection received a Gold Medal at BUGA Potsdam and a Silver Medal at Kortrijk. World Federation of Rose Societies trial reporting for Le Roeulx in 2001 additionally records a Floribunda Certificate of Merit for the trial code 'KORassenet' / 'Gebrüder Grimm'.

The Rome Bronze Medal was also awarded in 2001.

The most important horticultural distinction came in 2002, when 'Gebrüder Grimm' received the German ADR designation. The official ADR chronology records the cultivar under trial number 9906, breeder Kordes, Floribunda class, with an overall score of 72.1 and a health score of 27.1. This award is especially relevant to modern gardeners because it confirms performance under multi-location German trial conditions rather than judging the flower alone.

Further recognition followed with a Certificate of Merit at Glasgow in 2005 and a certificate at The Hague in the same year, as recorded by Roses UK. Dutch trial records subsequently awarded the cultivar TOPROOS in 2006; Wageningen-associated documentation later lists it as an Excellence Rose in 2013 while explicitly noting the earlier TOPROOS 2006 distinction.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety 'KORassenet' / 'Gebrüder Grimm' originated by Wilhelm Kordes III at W. Kordes’ Söhne in Sparrieshoop, Germany. It arose from a controlled pollination in which the seed parent was 'Bernsteinrose' ('TANeitber', commonly Tantau’s 'Bernstein-Rose') and the pollen parent was a private Kordes breeding selection itself derived from an unnamed seedling crossed with 'KORimro' / 'Immensee'. The pedigree is therefore correctly expressed as:

  'Bernsteinrose' × (unnamed seedling × 'Immensee').

Seedlings from the controlled cross were raised under greenhouse conditions, then evaluated outdoors over several growing seasons. Selection criteria included improved garden-shrub performance, flower colour and the distinctive bicoloured petals. The cultivar proved stable through at least five vegetative generations propagated by shoot cuttings. It was officially introduced by the Kordes in 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

'KORassenet' / 'Gebrüder Grimm' represents a particularly important late-twentieth-century and early-twenty-first-century development within the Floribuda class: the combination of nostalgic flower form to landscape-level health. Kordes’ MärchenRosen concept emphasises precisely this combination - full or romantic-looking flowers, repeated bloom and robust plants capable of performing without the intensive fungicide spraying once considered normal for many garden roses. 'Gebrüder Grimm' occupies the brilliant-colour end of that collection. Its fiery bicolour makes it less subdued than 'Lions-Rose' or many cream and pastel MärchenRosen, yet the rounded form prevents it from looking like a conventional scarlet bedding Floribunda. The cultivar therefore bridges two aesthetic traditions: the dramatic colour impact expected from public-landscape roses and the informal, densely petalled appearance associated with romantic private gardens.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety 'KORassenet' / 'Gebrüder Grimm' is a colourful, vigorous and unusually healthy Floribunda whose lasting value lies in the balance between visual exuberance and practical garden performance. Its rounded orange-red flowers, glowing yellow reverses and progressive fading through salmon and pink create a changing display rather than a rigidly uniform block of colour. The bush is substantial yet manageable, carries dense dark foliage, repeats reliably, and possesses the proven disease resistance associated with its ADR recognition, and incorporated the following unique combination of characteristics:

  Brilliant orange-red inner petal surfaces strongly contrasted with yellow to yellow-orange reverses;

  rounded, nostalgic double flowers combined with the repeated flowering habit of a modern Floribunda;

  dense, dark green foliage with proven high resistance to the main fungal diseases of roses;

  vigorous, upright-bushy growth suitable for beds, mixed borders, specimen planting and containers;

The rose variety 'Gebrüder Grimm' can be successfully propagated by shoot cuttings and remained genetically stable through at least five vegetative generations. The hardwood cuttings in autumn and chip budding in summer are also suitable for this rose. Commercial plants are commonly budded or grafted onto suitable rose rootstocks. Own-root propagation by suitably matured cuttings is also biologically appropriate where propagation is legally permitted.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

The direct seed parent, 'Bernsteinrose' ('TANeitber'), is a Floribunda bred by Hans Jürgen Evers for Rosen Tantau and introduced in the late 1980s. 'Gebrüder Grimm' departs from this parental colour by superimposing orange-red to red upper colour of the petals with orange-yellow edges and retaining yellow at the petal bases and over much of the reverse. The seedling transforms the comparatively unified amber-yellow colour of 'Bernsteinrose' into a strongly contrasting bicolour flower. 'Gebrüder Grimm' also forms the more complex orange-red/pink ageing sequence that is one of its main ornamental features.

The direct pollen parent cannot be compared because it was never released and the detailed morphological description was not published. What can be stated confidently is that the rose variety 'Immensee', as a grandparent rather than a direct parent, is itself strikingly different: it is a spreading landscape or ground-cover rose with small, pale pink to nearly white single flowers. Its presence in the pedigree is horticulturally interesting, but it does not justify assuming that the disease resistance, vigour or architecture of 'Gebrüder Grimm' originated from 'Immensee' alone; those traits result from the complete genetic combination and subsequent selection.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

During the formal plant-variety examination, the breeder and qualified examiner selected Floribunda rose ‘Domstadt Fulda’ (‘KORtanken’) as the closest cultivar of common knowledge on the basis of orange-blend flowers and compact shrub growth. ‘Domstadt Fulda’ remains obtainable from European nurseries, so it also satisfies the practical criterion of a commercially accessible comparison.

Both are bushy, repeat-flowering Kordes Floribundas with warm orange-red colouring, but their flowers differ substantially when examined closely. ‘Domstadt Fulda’ has predominantly vivid orange-red inner surfaces and red outer surfaces; 'Gebrüder Grimm', by contrast, possesses the bright yellow-orange reverse that produces its characteristic two-tone appearance. The latter therefore appears brighter and more complex when partly open and changes more visibly toward pink as the bloom ages.

‘Domstadt Fulda’ generallyhad semi-double, rosette to cupped shaped flowers in a clearer, more uniform orange-red palette, whereas 'Gebrüder Grimm' appears fuller and more double nostalgic, especially during cool-weather flushes. The strong colour contrast on each petal gives 'Gebrüder Grimm' a more animated, “flame-like” effect; ‘Domstadt Fulda’ reads from a distance as a more consistent warm red-orange bedding rose.

Plant form overlaps considerably: both form low to medium, broad-bushy Floribunda shrubs. The decisive modern garden difference is foliage health. The ‘Domstadt Fulda’ has relatively poor leaf health, with susceptibility to both powdery mildew and black spot, whereas 'Gebrüder Grimm' was selected and internationally recognised for precisely the opposite quality and received ADR recognition.

USDA 6

USDA Zone 6 - hardiness guide