Alexander™ HARlex – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own‑root propagation material
Alexander is a proven hybrid tea rose for premium container production, combining award-backed flower quality with dependable garden performance for professional nursery and wholesale programmes. Its vivid orange-red blooms and pronounced high-centred form support an exclusive finished-product positioning for retail and reseller channels, while own-root tray material offers a stable, renewable base for nursery propagation beds and 5–7 L grow-on lines. You can integrate this cultivar into high-volume networks and public-realm supply chains expecting reliable winter resilience in conditions comparable to Northern Britain and Scotland, and moderate disease tolerance that remains manageable under standard plant protection. The upright, shrub-like structure with 3–5 framework canes develops from Year 1 roots to Year 2 framework and Year 3 full ornamental value, giving predictable scheduling and strong visual impact at sale. NEONATAL material’s homogeneous own-root stands reduce replacement and simplify long-term planning for nurseries, integrators and collection-specimen projects.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L hybrid tea feature – Own-root, bush-trained plants in 5–7 L pots with multiple framework canes and abundant orange-red, high-centred blooms, positioned as an exclusive hybrid tea highlight in retail bench mixes – retail / reseller channels.
- Exhibition-cut support stock – Selected NEONATAL plants grown on in containers and used as mother bushes for cutting harvest, exploiting solitary, exhibition-grade blooms and remontant flowering for local cut-stem and show exhibitors – specialist cut-flower partners.
- Thematic rose-garden specimen – Upright, 145–195 cm own-root shrubs in 15–40 L containers for direct planting into named cultivar beds, leveraging awards, colour stability and long-term identity for curated show and collection gardens – public and institutional projects.
- Park feature group line – Robust, medium-maintenance plants supplied in 7–10 L pots for small groups or linear accents in parks, using their height, repeat flowering and dependable hardiness to deliver colour structure in landscape schemes – municipal and landscape contractors.
- Large-format 40–50 L hero plant – Step-up own-root stock into 40–50 L containers as tall, exclusive focal points with intense orange-red flowering and durable framework, supporting premium point-of-sale statements and high-value project planting – high-end garden centres and specifiers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea / shrub rose, registered as HARlex, traded as Alexander™ Hybrid tea rose HARlex; ARS approved exhibition name Alexander; commercial type hybrid tea rose for premium use. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Jack L. Harkness, R. Harkness Roses & Co. Ltd. (UK), from ‘Tropicana’ × (‘Ann Elizabeth’ × ‘Allgold’); introduced and registered in 1972 in the United Kingdom. |
| Awards and recognition |
RNRS Certificate of Merit 1972; ADR classification 1974; Hamburg Gold Medal 1973; Belfast Gold Medal 1974; Best Hybrid Tea 1974; New Zealand Certificate of Merit 1974; RNRS James Mason Gold Medal 1987; RHS/RNRS Award of Garden Merit 1993. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous, upright shrub reaching about 145–195 cm high and 85–115 cm wide, moderately dense light green foliage, densely thorned shoots; bush-trained as 3–5 strong framework canes in finished production. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, double (26–39 petals) high-centred, cupped solitary blooms; remontant with abundant second flush; flower size typically 1.5–2.75 inches, suited to cut, specimen and exhibition uses. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Vivid orange-red with subtle vermilion tone; buds deep orange-red; newly opened flowers bright orange-red; colour holds very well, slowly softening to a slightly salmon-orange pastel towards the end of flowering. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Mild, soft, delicately scented rose fragrance of subtle character; ornamental emphasis is primarily on colour and flower form rather than strong scent, suitable where fragrance is secondary. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose hip set generally limited by double flower form; when present, produces occasional ovoid, orange-red hips around 12–18 mm in diameter, with decorative but minor contribution. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Moderate overall disease resistance; resistant to powdery mildew and black spot, moderate rust; hardiness around -21 to -18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b); moderate heat and drought tolerance needing regular watering in prolonged dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best for premium containers, flower beds, cut flowers, specimen and park use; medium maintenance with occasional plant protection; self-cleaning weak so deadheading recommended for quality-focused production and display. |
Alexander™ HARlex, as own-root NEONATAL material, combines award-backed flower quality, reliable hardiness and flexible container scaling with long-lived, predictable stands, making it a sound candidate to discuss capacity, timing and range integration.
