GARDEN OF ROSES® – apricot bedding floribunda rose - Kordes
Step into the balance and calm of a compact front garden with GARDEN OF ROSES®, an apricot floribunda bred by Kordes for dependable, low-effort performance. This neat, bushy rose carries clusters of pastel peach rosette blooms throughout the season, keeping your planting beds and containers quietly luminous from early summer to autumn with very little maintenance. Its ADR-level disease resistance and RHS Award of Garden Merit backing make it a reassuring choice where time and gardening space are both limited yet you still want reliable flowering. Own-root and container-grown, it settles in steadily so roots establish in year one, top growth builds in year two, and by year three it reaches full ornamental value in an easy, long-lived rhythm. Ideal for London-style terraces and rain-conscious urban plots, it copes well with cool, exposed streets where wind, rain and heavy garden soils demand resilient structure. In modestly sized beds or 40–50 litre pots, its dark glossy foliage frames the apricot tones beautifully, giving a composed, “girly” front-garden accent that feels soft, sustainable and quietly enduring.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Small front garden bed by the pavement |
The compact, bushy habit stays within its 45–70 cm height, keeping paths and pavements clear while still delivering a generous, well-ordered mass of bloom. Low intervention needs make it ideal for busy homeowners. |
| Rainwater-conscious terrace or urban border |
Works well where soils can be heavy and seasonally wet, giving reliable structure and flower colour while you focus on improving drainage and slowing run-off with underplanting. Own-root resilience suits sustainability-minded gardeners. |
| Low-maintenance family flower bed |
Outstanding disease resistance and modest deadheading needs mean less spraying and fuss, yet plants still look tidy and healthy around play areas and seating. A practical choice for time-poor parents. |
| Compact hedge or edging strip |
Regular spacing at 50–60 cm creates a soft, apricot-coloured edging that reads as a continuous band in summer, helping define driveways or front boundaries without harsh lines, suiting design-conscious neighbours. |
| Large container (40–50 litre) on balcony or patio |
The controlled spread and dense foliage suit generous pots, where roots have space yet the top stays neat. Easy to water with saved rainwater and move if needed, ideal for flexible-space balcony-owners. |
| Mixed pastel bedding with perennials |
Clustered, very double blooms in soft peach and cream blend smoothly with cottage-style perennials, toning down hard surfaces and adding a “girly” softness that appeals to colour-loving beginners. |
| Urban green space or communal planting |
ADR-level health and RHS Award of Garden Merit give confidence for unsupervised sites, where reliability and long life matter more than close-up detail, suiting facilities teams and shared-space residents. |
| Cutting corner for small arrangements |
Medium-sized, very double rosettes on branching stems provide charming stems for small vases, offering a gentle, slightly sweet fragrance indoors for creative home-floristry enthusiasts. |
Styling ideas
- Pastel-Ribbon – edge a narrow front bed with GARDEN OF ROSES® and soft pink hardy geraniums to create a low, romantic band of colour – ideal for terrace-house owners wanting gentle kerb appeal.
- Urban-Classical – plant in a 50 litre clay pot with trailing ivy and silver-leaved sage to frame a front door in restrained, elegant tones – for professionals seeking a smart, low-fuss entrance.
- Rain-Garden – combine with blue globe thistle and ornamental grasses in a free-draining bed that receives downpipe water, for texture that copes with showers – suited to eco-conscious city gardeners.
- Family-Border – weave plants through a mixed border of nepeta, lavender and dwarf grasses to soften play-lawn edges with scent and movement – good for families who want beauty without high upkeep.
- Soft-Hedge – run a loose single-species line along a drive, underplanted with low thyme or chamomile, for a fragrant, apricot-toned boundary – perfect for homeowners replacing hard surfaces with planting.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Floribunda bedding rose; registered as KORfloci01, marketed as Garden of Roses® bedding rose; ARS exhibition name Garden of Roses®; group: bed rose, exhibition floribunda. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tim-Hermann Kordes (Germany) from ‘Bernstein-Rose’ × seedling; bred 1997, introduced and registered 2006 by W. Kordes’ Söhne in Germany as a modern floribunda. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated rose: ADR certification Germany 2009, Rose of the Year UK 2011, RHS Award of Garden Merit 2012, plus medals at Le Roeulx, Nagasaki and Glasgow trials. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Compact, bushy shrub to about 45–70 cm tall and 50–80 cm wide, with dense, dark glossy foliage and moderate prickles; forms a neat mound well suited to bedding and low hedging. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, rosette-type blooms with 40+ petals, carried in clusters on floribunda-style trusses; medium flower size around 4–7 cm, repeating strongly with abundant second flushes. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Peach to pastel cream blooms; buds cream-white with rosy-peach tips; newly opened flowers peach-pink with cream edges, then soft peach and cream, edges paling in sun yet richer in cool weather. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Gently perfumed variety with a mild, slightly sweet scent noticeable at close range; primarily grown for colour effect and garden structure rather than for strong fragrance or perfumery use. |
| Hip characteristics |
Due to very double flowers, hip set is sparse; occasional small spherical hips 10–14 mm across may develop, coloured red-orange (RHS 40A), adding discreet seasonal interest in late season. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Very good health, showing resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to about −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3) with good heat tolerance given watering in drought. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to beds, borders, containers and urban green spaces; low maintenance with little pruning beyond light shaping; plant 50–60 cm apart, 2.8–3.2 plants/m² for bedding; tolerates partial shade well. |
GARDEN OF ROSES® brings compact, award-backed reliability, long-season pastel flowering and durable own-root vigour to small gardens and terraces, making it a thoughtful choice if you prefer beauty that quietly looks after itself.
