CARINA® – pink hybrid tea rose – Meilland – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
Exclusive own-root CARINA® offers a dependable framework for premium, bush-trained production where flower quality and classic exhibition form are central. This hybrid tea cultivar delivers high-centred, solitary blooms with strong fragrance and clear mid-pink colour that holds well through opening, supporting premium container lines and retail / reseller channels focused on visual impact. Its resistant foliage and H7 winter hardiness provide a solid base for nursery propagation beds and container grow-on, integrating smoothly into nursery and integrator systems where reliable-quality propagation material is required at scale. As own-root propagation material, it underpins homogeneous, renewable stands with long-lived, stable ornamental value and low replacement pressure, aligning with thematic rose gardens and collection plantings. Over the first three years it naturally progresses from root establishment, to structural shoot build-up, to full ornamental and flowering expression, matching planning cycles for premium 5–7 L container release, even for exposed projects in cooler UK regions with reliable wind and winter tolerance.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L bush-trained CARINA® – Upright, 3–5 cane framework in 5–7 L containers, showcasing ADR-backed, high-centred pink blooms and strong fragrance for exclusive positioning – target audience/channel: retail / reseller premium ranges.
- Collection-line hybrid tea feature – Own-root NEONATAL CARINA® as a named cultivar within thematic rose collections, leveraging authenticity, disease resistance and stable architecture – target audience/channel: collection-focused nurseries and show gardens.
- Urban park and border specification unit – Low-maintenance, disease-resistant CARINA® grown to a robust 5–7 L format for quick establishment in park beds and urban borders – target audience/channel: municipal and institutional project suppliers.
- Private-label fragrance highlight – CARINA® positioned as the strongly scented mid-pink anchor in a private-label hybrid tea assortment, using own-root reliability to secure repeatable SKUs – target audience/channel: integrator and nursery network programmes.
- Historic ADR showcase planting – Blocks of CARINA® from NEONATAL stock to illustrate ADR-certified, classic hybrid tea form within educational or display plantings – target audience/channel: public gardens, training centres and specialist resellers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea florists rose registered as MEIchim, traded as CARINA® hybrid tea rose MEIchim; ARS approved exhibition name Carina, part of the hybrid tea commercial group. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Alain Meilland, Meilland International, France, from ‘White Knight’ × (‘Happiness’ × ‘Independence’); introduced 1963 with USPTO patent following in 1964 via Conard-Pyle. |
| Awards and recognition |
Genoa First Prize 1966 and ADR certification 1966 underline proven garden and exhibition performance in independent European trials, supporting professional credibility in current production. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright bush habit, 80–110 cm high and 50–70 cm spread with moderately dense dark green foliage and moderate prickliness; moderate self-cleaning needing occasional deadheading for best presentation. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very double, 40+ petalled solitary blooms with high-centred, pointed-bud hybrid tea form; non-remontant once-blooming pattern suited to concentrated seasonal displays and cutting use. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Clear vivid mid-pink flowers, ARS mp, RHS 55B outer and 55C inner; very good colour retention, shifting only to a slightly lighter powder-pink near fading, maintaining a clean, uniform appearance. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, classic rose fragrance clearly noticeable from a distance, supporting high perceived value in premium garden, container and display contexts; not primarily positioned for pollinator attraction. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is generally scarce due to very double blooms; where present, spherical orange-red hips 10–14 mm in diameter may form, offering only minor ornamental contribution in most plantings. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C, RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b, coping well with cool climates given normal professional care. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in flower beds, borders, parks and urban green spaces; low maintenance and generally little intervention needed; supplied bush-trained with 3–5 canes for premium container production, 5–7 L recommended. |
CARINA® combines high-centred pink flower quality, strong fragrance and disease-resistant, hardy performance on a predictable own-root base, offering long-lived, homogeneous stands that merit consideration when planning capacity and scheduling discussions.
