Rosa 'NOVALIS'® shrub rose / fairy tale rose (Kordes)

Apparently most of rose breeders took up the challenge of breeding a blue rose a couple of decades ago. So far the bluest flower is achieved by soaking the cut rose stems with blue ink. However, without jokes or cheating some breeders celebrate great success with their results. Just like Kordes from Germany. In 2010 they introduced a rose named Novalis which has a unique colour combining pale lilac with soft violet colour. The flowers are up to 10 cm across and have a slight tea-hybrid perfume. On top of that the plant is absolutely healthy and was awarded ADR in 2013. Another interesting feature is that it performs well, or possibly best, in partial shade, not demanding all-day sun. Stems are strong and upright forming a neat bush or a nice rose tree. It blooms in flushes from June until September.

Planting instructions: Prepare a hole of size 30x30 cm. Put your rose in the way that the grafting point is 3 cm deep in the soil. Water well and cover new shoots with soil or bark mulch about 15 cm high. Roses tolerate wide range of soils but thrive in deep, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun. During the flowering season regular feeding is recommended.

Pruning: Regular deadheading during the flowering season will enhance production of new flower buds - remove stems with spent flowers above the first leaf with 5 leaflets where the stem is strong and does not bend. Hard prune the whole shrub in early spring after frosts to 3-5 live buds above the ground.

Last update: 20-07-2017