Colette Rose

The Colette rose is a great looking and smelling pink climber.  It brings a lot of the old fashioned look to a plant that’s tough in the garden.  Find out more about its history and some tips for working with it.

It’s another nice looking Meilland rose that was released in 1994.  It’s currently being marketing in the US under Conard Pyle as one of its Star Roses.  It’s parentage are the Friesia, Fiona, and Prairie Princess.  You’ll also see it called the Rosa Meiroupis, and occasionally as the John Keats.  It also falls under the Romantica group as well, the source of many of its traits of disease resistance and big blooms.

The Colette has a great soft pink look to it.  It also has an outstanding sweet fragrance, although some people consider it more of a spicy musk like tea or even closer to a damask.  It will bloom continuously from May all the way until the first freezing of the season.  The big blooms and numerous frills give it a great antique look.  It will grow from about 3 feet to 7 feet, with some specimens reaching 8 or more feet.  The huge blooms and great scent make it great for an arrangement as well.  It looks outstanding on arbors, arches, and trellises.  The smell and look will attract insects and wildlife, so be on the lookout for that!

I’ve seen the Colette listed as good down to zone 5.  Most Romanticas are generally OK in a cold weather environment.  In reality, it seems to be really more of a warm weather flower, probably zone 7 and above.  Thanks to the Meilland breeding, its very tough against disease though.  Its also best planted in a spot with full sun to get the best of its traits.  It also tends to need a fair amount of watering.