In 2025, fourteen new roses earned the Excellence Roses label in the joint Dutch-Belgian trials. These new selections come from breeders in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, bringing the total Excellence Roses assortment to 104 varieties.
Excellence Roses are known for their strength, abundant flowering and long bloom period. They perform well in both private gardens and public green spaces without the need for crop protection products, which makes them especially attractive for sustainable planting schemes. The roses assessed this year were planted in the winter of 2022 to 2023, with a total of 27 varieties entering the final evaluation phase. Over the course of the year, judges assess the roses at four different moments, looking closely at plant health, vigour, flowering performance, fragrance and hip formation. Varieties that achieve the required minimum score after three years are awarded the Excellence Roses designation.
New Excellence Roses
One of the new Excellence Roses is Caroline's Heart, breeding code 'Vel6dsipo', developed by Lens Roses. This is a broadly upright shrub rose with semi-double, soft pink flowers and striking yellow stamens. After flowering, it produces egg-shaped hips that change from green to orange in autumn, adding seasonal interest. Depending on the trial location, the plants reached a height ranging from 70 to 140 centimetres.
© Excellence Roses
Caroline's heart
Cayenne ('Koroutofko'): A shrub rose by Kordes with semi-double, deep velvet red flowers. The yellow stamens contrast beautifully with the dark flower color. The flowers have a light fragrance and cleanse well. Reaches a height of 80 to 140 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Cayenne
Desiree ('Tan10898'): A narrowly upright tea hybrid from Rosen Tantau. The pink, fully double flowers have a light fragrance and cleanse well. Reached a height of 80 to 130 cm at various locations.
© Excellence Roses
Desiree
Dornburger Schlossrose ('Tan16633'): A broadly upright tea hybrid from Rosen Tantau. The buds are dark pink in color, from which semi-double, pink with slightly orange flowers appear. Light hip formation; flattened and yellow-orange. The height is 80 to 150 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Dornburger Schlossrose
Eternal Passion/Passion for Ever ('Viskavepas'): A broadly upright floribunda rose from Viva International. The pink, fully double flowers emit a pleasant fragrance. After blooming, sparse, large hips appear that turn orange in autumn. Reaches a height of 70 to 120 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Eternal Passion
Enjoy ('Korfruisala'): A floribunda rose from Kordes with a broadly upright growth habit. The semi-double flowers have shades of pink, white, and light orange with dark salmon pink edges. They have a light fragrance. The height is between 70 and 120 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Enjoy
Für Elise ('Korelifur'): A narrowly upright floribunda rose from Kordes. The fully double flowers have a deep purple magenta color. The height is 50 to 110 cm, with outliers up to 140 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Für Elise
Loki ('Tan16512'): A bushy-growing floribunda rose from Rosen Tantau. The bright pink, single flowers have a white heart and striking, dark yellow stamens. They have a light fragrance and cleanse well. In autumn, round hips appear that change from green to orange. Height between 50 and 100 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Loki
Mauritia ('Tan15539'): The light pink, fully double flowers of this broadly upright tea hybrid from Rosen Tantau have a light fragrance. The height at the locations varied between 40 and 130 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Mauritia
Nervia ('Vismofau'): Although this rose from Viva International is classified as a ground-covering rose/shrub rose, the height varied between 60 and 130 cm at various locations. The hard-pink, slightly filled flowers change to lilac pink. The striking yellow stamens provide a beautiful contrast, and the calyces of the faded flowers remain visually prominent. After blooming, small hips form that remain green for a long time and later turn orange.
© Excellence Roses
Nervia
Ohara ('Vissegam'): A shrub rose from Viva International. The small, single flowers are bright pink in color with a white heart in which the yellow stamens stand out. The flowers change to old pink and cleanse well. After blooming, green hips form that turn orange in autumn. Reaches a height of 80 to 125 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Ohara
Speedway ('Boruispewi'): A compact shrub rose of De Ruiter Innovations and Boot & Dart Nurseries. The pink single flowers with a yellow heart have a light fragrance and cleanse well. The rose is almost thornless. In summer, green hips appear that later turn red. Reaches a height between 50 and 100 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Speedway
Sternenhimmel ('Korhubkah'): This patio rose from Kordes scored the highest number of points among the new Excellence Roses. The flower buds are lilac/pink, and the single flowers are light pink, changing to white. The striking dark yellow stamens add extra ornamental value. The flowers cleanse well. After blooming, green hips appear, which later turn to orange-red. The height is 30 to 55 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Sternenhimmel
Xenia ('Korelpusch'): A broadly upright floribunda rose from Kordes. The flowers have pink color tones that fade to cream. They appear in large clusters and are fully double. After blooming, green hips form that later turn orange. At the locations, the height varied from 50 to 140 cm.
© Excellence Roses
Xenia
For the current planting season, breeders from the Netherlands and abroad have submitted 26 rose varieties for evaluation. These roses have been planted at six official trial locations, namely the Rosarium in Boskoop, the Rozenhof in Lottum and the Rosarium in Winschoten in the Netherlands, as well as the Vrijbroekpark in Mechelen, Plantentuin De Kleine Boerderij in Merksplas and Plantentuin Meise in Belgium. Together, these locations provide a broad range of growing conditions, allowing the roses to be assessed under both garden and public green space situations.
The Excellence Roses trials are overseen by the Cultuurgroep for Roses and Rose Rootstocks, operating under the Anthos secretariat. The Royal General Association for Bulb Culture, KVBC, coordinates the trials and is responsible for collecting and processing all results. Once approved, all Excellence Roses will be presented on the KVBC website, where growers, landscapers and garden professionals can easily find detailed information on the full assortment.
For more information:
Excellence Roses
www.kvbc.nl
