Rose Rosanna

‘Rosanna’, is a salmon-pink large-flowered climber that was released as a part of Kordes’ ‘Klettermaxe’ climber series and quickly earned awards in Europe. Its prominence comes from its vigorous habit, free-flowering nature, and outstanding health - these qualities have made ‘Rosanna’ a popular choice for home gardeners seeking a hardy, low-maintenance climber.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWERING

The distinct appearance of its flowers in the first place earned a wide popularity to this rose. They are large to very large in size, with the diameter of about 10 - 11 cm (4 - 4.5 inches). They start from a large globular buds as a rounded, deeply cupped, later opening to a slightly quartered rosette, the very outer petals sometimes curl out. The flowers are full to very full, Kordes reports a very high petal count - up to 75 petals per flower.

The colour of rose variety ‘Rosanna’ truly stands out this rose, it is of a very pleasant brilliant salmon-pink colour often with slightly darker edges. The colour is very resistant and fades very slightly closer to the end of the flowering, becoming more pink. Under normal growing conditions no variegation of colour is observed on the flowers of this rose. The flowers have very good self cleaning qualities, the petals normally drop off cleaning, leaving the plant clean and tidy. Although it is recommended to deadhead spent blooms as it improves repeat flowering and it directs the plant’s energy from forming rose hips to more abundant repeat flowering. The flowers also have good lastiness, they last on the plant of about 6 - 8 days, and are suitable for cutting.

The flowers of the rose variety ‘Rosanna’ appear on the flowering stems singly or in small clusters of several flowers that open successively, usually about 3 to 8 blooms together, and the plant reblooms continuously from late spring through frost in warm regions. This rose variety tends to bloom at the end of the long basal or lateral canes, therefore self pegging or spreading canes horizontally will improve flowering. For exhibition use, some growers disbud to one flower per stem; for garden display.

The fragrance of the rose variety ‘Rosanna’ is rather weak, generally referred to as mild or slight.

PLANT

The rose variety ‘Rosanna’ is classified as a Large Flowered climber. It has vigorous and powerful growth habit, forms bushy, strong and upright climbing plans with thick and long canes. The mature and well established plants have a height of about 250 - 300 cm (8’ - 10’) and of about 100 cm (3’5”) in spread. It is suitable for training as a climber along hedges, pillars, arches or large walls. It also can be trained as a large shrub in more tempered climates as the strong canes of this rose can easily support its flowers.

‘Rosanna’ prefers full sun in a sheltered site. A sturdy support (trellis, fence, or arbor) should be in place beforehand. In the first season, allow canes to grow up; tie new shoots loosely as they lengthen. In the second season, bend and tie the main canes horizontally with about 15 - 20 cm spacing to stimulate laterals and more abundant flower production. It thrives in average garden soils. It dislikes waterlogged conditions; ensure the crown is well-drained. Mulch and organic matter improve moisture retention. During establishment and dry spells, water deeply weekly. Once established, ‘Rosanna’ is moderately drought-tolerant but blooms best with regular watering.

It is recommended to prune ‘Rosanna’ in late winter or in early spring, just before new growth. Remove any weak, crossing or dead canes, retaining 3 - 5 strong canes. Shorten side laterals by about two-thirds and leave 4 - 5 buds.

Foliage:

There is an abundant quantity of the foliage on the plants of rose variety ‘Rosanna’. The foliage is as large, glossy, medium-to-dark green. The new leaves and canes have reddish shade, later maturing to dark green. Leaves are typical pinnate rose leaves, often remaining clean due to high disease tolerance. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5 to 7, but most often 7, including the terminal leaflet. The shape of the leaflets is pointed oval, the shape of the leaflet tip is acuminate and the base shape is rounded. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is small and single.

New canes are strong and somewhat woodier than many hybrid teas; they are usually not very flexible, so training is done by tying vertical or semi-horizontal supports. There are from normal to somewhat large quantities of prickles on the main canes of this rose, on the laterals from the main cans there is normal quantity to few prickles. The prickles are strong, have pyramidal shape and rather large, especially on the main canes.

Disease resistance:

‘Rosanna’ is noted for exceptional health. Kordes gives it 4/5 ratings for both powdery mildew and blackspot tolerance. Gardeners often report it is absolutely healthy and resistant to insects and diseases. In trials and extensions, it shows strong resistance to black spot and mildew relative to most hybrid-tea climbers.

Cold hardiness is good, is it suitable for growing in climates similar to USDA Zone 5 - 9, but in zone 5 it requires winter protection. In the UK and in Europe it is hardy in Zone H5 where minimal winter protection is needed. In warm continental or Mediterranean areas, provide afternoon shade or extra irrigation during heatwaves. ‘Rosanna’ does well in heat, but afternoon shade in >30 °C can prevent flower fade quickly.

The cultivar name ‘Rosanna’ is a trade name coined by Kordes, but its precise etymology is not documented. It is registered under multiple synonyms in different markets. The breeder’s code KO 93-2046-01 refers to its selection batch. In official registries, its registration name is Korhokhel, and it was introduced in Germany simply as ‘Rosanna’ in 2002. In France, the cultivar is sold under the name Rosa “La Vanoise Parc National”, reflecting the French Vanoise National Park.

Climbing Max

Gold Medal, Roma, Italy, 2003;

Bronze Medal, Baden-Baden, Germany, 2003;

Gold Medal, Geneva, Switzerland, 2003;

Gold Medal, Lyon, France, 2004;

Certificate of Merit, Orléans, France, 2005;

Gold Medal, The Hague, 2006;

Silver Medal, Kortrijk, Belgium, 2006;

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

The rose variety ‘Korhokhel’ / ‘Rosanna’ was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany from a cross made in 1993. It was introduced to commerce in 2002 by W. Kordes’ Söhne in Germany. Official sources give its parentage as “undisclosed”, Kordes did not reveal the exact parent varieties.

USDA 6