ELINA ® – creamy-yellow hybrid tea rose - Dickson & Dickson
With its softly glowing creamy-yellow blooms and upright, elegant shape, ELINA ® brings a sense of balance and calm structure to compact London front gardens and shared family spaces, even where humidity and summer showers are frequent companions to coastal winds. Bred by Dickson in Northern Ireland, this celebrated hybrid tea is known for its reliable, remontant flowering and long-lived framework, making it a reassuringly durable choice for busy homeowners who want impact rather than intricate maintenance. As an own-root rose in the pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre container, it settles gradually and securely, with Year 1 focused on root establishment, Year 2 on stronger shoots, and by Year 3 showing its full ornamental presence in the garden scene. The dense, glossy dark green foliage offers a richly textured backdrop for the large, high-centred blooms, while the variety’s proven disease resistance and good heat tolerance help support a more sustainable, low-intervention garden that partners well with permeable surfaces and rainwater-wise planting.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Front garden focal point |
Planted as a single specimen near a path or doorstep, ELINA ® gives tall, upright structure and large, creamy-yellow blooms that read clearly from the pavement, bringing order and balance without visual clutter – ideal for a low-maintenance homeowner. |
| Classic cut-flower corner |
The XL, high-centred hybrid tea blooms with long, straight stems are perfect for cutting, providing repeat flushes of elegant, exhibition-style flowers throughout the season for simple, home-grown arrangements – a pleasure for the mindful gardener. |
| Sunny mixed bed with perennials |
In a small to medium family garden, ELINA ® slots neatly into a mixed border with lavender, sage or nepeta, its calm creamy colouring softening bolder tones while the dense, glossy foliage adds year-round structure for the relaxed planner. |
| Rainwater-aware urban front garden |
Its good heat and moderate drought tolerance, together with low maintenance needs, make ELINA ® a strong candidate beside permeable gravel or brick, where rainwater is allowed to soak away slowly rather than running to the street – supporting the urban custodian. |
| Long-lived structural planting |
As an own-root rose, ELINA ® builds strength from the base, regenerating reliably after pruning or weather damage and maintaining a stable shape and flowering performance over many years, reducing the need for frequent replacements for the patient beginner. |
| Small formal rose bed |
Planted at recommended spacings in a compact rectangular bed, ELINA ® forms a calm, uniform display of upright bushes with matching bloom colour, suitable for period terraces or neat front gardens that need order rather than complexity for the style-conscious urbanite. |
| Container on paved terrace (large pot) |
In a 40–50 litre (or larger) container with good drainage, ELINA ® offers vertical interest and generous blooms on patios or balconies where soil is limited, its dense foliage and repeat flowering giving a long season of interest for the space-poor city-dweller. |
| Low-intervention family border |
With proven disease resistance and only occasional need for plant protection, ELINA ® fits into borders where time is short, coping well with typical British showers and breezes while keeping foliage presentable for the busy-family gardener. |
Styling ideas
- Terraced-elegance – Repeat-plant ELINA ® along a short front fence with gravel mulch and a clipped evergreen such as box or dwarf honeysuckle – for homeowners wanting a tidy, classic entrance with little fuss.
- Soft-partnership – Underplant with lavender, nepeta and soft grasses to blur edges and echo the creamy blooms, using permeable paths to manage rainwater – for urban gardeners favouring relaxed, sustainable planting.
- Balcony-feature – Grow one plant in a generous 50-litre pot with a simple steel obelisk for height, mulched with pale gravel to highlight the flowers – for flat-dwellers seeking a single, elegant statement rose.
- Family-rosewalk – Space a short row beside a path, interplanted with low herbs like thyme and sage to soften the base and add scent at ground level – for families enjoying everyday strolls through their garden.
- Evening-calm – Combine ELINA ® with white gaura and pale hardy ice plant for a light-reflecting palette that glows after rain and at dusk – for those who unwind outdoors after work with minimal maintenance.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid Tea group; registered as DICjana, marketed as Elina ® creamy-yellow hybrid tea rose; ARS exhibition name ‘Elina’; own-root, container-grown pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre form. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Patrick and Colin Dickson, Dickson Nurseries Ltd, Northern Ireland; cross of ‘Nana Mouskouri’ × ‘Lolita’; bred 1981, registered 1984, introduced after 1984 in the United Kingdom. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated rose: RNRS Certificate of Merit (1983); ADR Germany (1987); Gold Star of the South Pacific (1987); Belfast Golden Rose (1987); Glasgow Silver Medal (1991); WFRS Hall of Fame (2006). |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright hybrid tea bush, around 110–140 cm tall and 80–100 cm wide; moderately thorny stems with dense, glossy, dark green foliage; forms a clear, vertical accent suitable for beds and specimen use. |
| Flower morphology |
Large XL blooms, high-centred and pointed in classic cut-rose form; double with 26–39 petals; mainly solitary on stems; remontant with a strong second flush, offering long seasonal flowering for cutting. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cream-yellow flowers (RHS 11D outside, 8C inside); pastel lemon buds open to creamy-yellow, then fade towards creamy white with a pale golden centre; overall effect is soft, even and refined in mixed plantings. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Mild fragrance of rosy character; not overpowering, but noticeable at close range when blooms are freshly opened; suitable near seating where a gentle, unobtrusive scent is preferred over intense perfume. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set usually sparse due to double flowers; occasional small, ovoid orange-red hips about 10–14 mm may develop, adding minor seasonal interest without significantly affecting flowering performance. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Good general disease resistance with strong black spot and rust tolerance, moderate for powdery mildew; RHS H7, hardy to approximately –21 to –18 °C; suitable for most UK gardens with normal winter protection. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun; plant 55–65 cm apart for hedges or massing, up to 100 cm as specimens; low maintenance with occasional deadheading and pruning; water regularly in dry spells, especially in larger containers. |
ELINA ® offers elegant creamy-yellow blooms, reliable repeat flowering and long-lived own-root resilience, making it a thoughtful, low-effort upgrade for your front garden or terrace planting.
