Last Saturday, on the 2nd of July, the 60th International Rose Trials in the Westbroekpark in The Hague took place, with one competitor ending up head and shoulders above the competition. With a total of 15 prizes won, a number never before seen in the competition's history, German rose grower Kordes was by far the big winner of the event this year, having bested 350 other roses at the event.
On the left, Alexander Kordes with the Golden Rose, and breeder Thomas Proll with Fragrance and Public Awards on the right
The grower's garden roses were well liked by both the jury and the public alike, taking home three of the big awards;
- The Fragrance Award for 'Kiss me Kate,' a pink climbing rose with a delightful odor that reaches heights of around 3 meters.
- The Public Award for their 'Better Times', a yellow/pink, large-flowered rose with beautiful bright colors and can reach heights of around 70 centimeters.
- And the competition's grand prize, the coveted Golden Rose for their 'Coral Lions Rose', a deep pink spray rose that wowed the jury and reaches a height of around 70 centimeters.
On top, de Coral Lion: bottom right, Better Times; en bottom left, Kiss me Kate. Pictures: Marco van Tol
According to Thomas Proll, the secret to growing roses is patience. "Growing roses takes time. It's an extensive process. I spend many hours in the field and horticultural companies. But, if you can successfully grow roses in the ever rainy Germany, they can be grown in any climate."
With all of this combined, there is one thing of which we can be sure, next year's competition will be a tough one.
60 years 'Internationale Rozenconcours Den Haag'
All three varieties are commercially available.
For more information
Kordes Roses
www.kordes-rosen.com
