Rose of The Moment

When we bought our house seven years ago, we inherited ‘Oskar Kordel’, a Hybrid Perpetual rose that was bred in Germany in 1897. The woman who had previously owned our house was from England, and had excellent taste in her choice of rose bushes. She took many of them with her when she moved away, but I am so pleased that she left ‘Oskar’ for us to enjoy. ‘Oskar Kordel’ has rather perfectly formed blooms of medium true pink, opening with great poise like an old Gallica. Most Hybrid Perpetuals are richly fragrant, and my Rose of The Moment is no exception.

‘Oskar Kordel’ is a rose to grow for its flowers, as it does not grow long stems, and has a dense habit of upright canes, branching above. Like all its kin, it is a compact grower with ample foliage. ‘Oskar’ holds its pretty pink flowers upright and very decoratively on the bush, and has been blooming repeatedly all season. This rose takes little room in the garden, reaching not more than four feet in height. It took me years to learn how to prune and cut ‘Oskar’ minimally, but I think I have finally got it right. I found, over time, that if I cut long stems I will sacrifice many future blooms. So, I no longer cut down at the next five sectioned leaf on the cane when deadheading; I now simply snap off the old bloom at its base. Often, more than one new bud will branch forth from that spot.

For comparison’s sake, a better known Hybrid Perpetual, and one you are more likely to be familiar with, is ‘La Reine’, an important HP parent and longtime favorite. But my “favorite” rose, today, is ‘Oskar Kordel,’which has a very Victorian look, and will fill the need if you have an obsession over the perfection of the individual bloom.

Gail Carpenter 9/23/02