CHARLES MALLERIN – deep red hybrid tea rose – Meilland & Meilland
With its historically proven heritage, rich fragrance and premium flower presentation, Charles Mallerin provides a reliable own-root propagation base for UK nurseries focused on exhibition-quality hybrid tea output. The dense, upright habit and dark, glossy foliage support visually strong, sale-ready plants in the recommended 5–7 L premium container route, while its recognised awards credentials and exclusive finished-product positioning add commercial weight for high-end retail and reseller channels. On own roots it builds a stable, renewable framework well suited to nursery propagation beds and container grow-on for thematic rose collections, also aligning with projects in cooler regions where dependable winter hardiness is required in exposed sites. Strong, remontant blooming with abundant second flowering underpins cut-flower and specimen use, and over a natural progression of roots in year one, structural shoots in year two and full ornamental value in year three, it offers a predictable, long-term investment for professional rose production programmes.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L exhibition bush – Own-root, bush-trained plants with 3–5 framework canes in 5–7 L pots, showcasing large, solitary deep-red blooms and strong fragrance as an exclusive hybrid tea highlight – target audience/channel: Retail / reseller
- Fragrance hero container line – Strongly scented, deep-red, disease-resilient bushes grouped as a dedicated fragrance collection, grown on in premium containers for feature merchandising – target audience/channel: Retail / reseller
- Thematic heritage collection SKU – Historically bred, award-recognised cultivar supplied as a named, own-root premium container item within curated rose collections for show and thematic gardens – target audience/channel: Retail / reseller
- Cut-and-garden dual-purpose rose – Upright, bushy plants in 5–7 L pots promoted for both garden display and home cutting, leveraging exhibition-grade flower form and remontant blooming – target audience/channel: Retail / reseller
- Cold-hardy premium feature plant – Hardy, dense-foliaged bushes selected for sites with colder winters, offered as exclusive deep-red feature plants in larger premium containers from 7 L upwards – target audience/channel: Retail / reseller
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose cultivar MEItroni, marketed as Charles Mallerin Hybrid tea rose MEItroni, with American Rose Society exhibition name Charles Mallerin; commercial group hybrid tea rose, unregistered variety. |
| Origin and breeding |
Hybrid Tea bred in France in 1947 by Francis and Alain Meilland from complex parentage including ‘Rome Glory’, ‘Congo’, ‘Tassin’, Tanrowisa, Meimalyna and Harkuly; introduced 1947 and 2006 by Meilland and partners. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holds ADR Germany 2008 and All-America Rose Selections 2013, plus Biltmore Pauline Merrell Award 2014, Portland Rose Society Gold Medal and several European breeding and fragrance awards between 2006 and 2012. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, upright shrub reaching around 85–115 cm high and 70–95 cm spread, moderately thorny, with dense, dark green, slightly glossy foliage creating a solid framework suited to bush training and specimen use. |
| Flower morphology |
Double, large-flowered hybrid tea blooms, generally solitary, with 26–39 petals; cup-shaped with a pronounced raised centre, remontant with abundant second flowering, produced on strong stems suitable for cutting. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Deep velvety burgundy to ruby-red flowers, ARS colour DR, RHS 60A outer and 60B inner; buds deep red to blackish, good colour retention in cooler conditions, with some fading in strong sun yet remaining decoratively effective. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strongly scented hybrid tea, fragrance clearly noticeable from a distance, with a richly spicy, nostalgically citrus character that supports fragrance-led positioning and enhances perceived value in premium plant ranges. |
| Hip characteristics |
Due to fully double blooms, hip set is limited; occasionally forms small spherical orange-red hips about 10–14 mm diameter, so fruit effect is minor and does not dominate ornamental display or production considerations. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Shows resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, with moderate heat and drought tolerance requiring regular watering; hardy to approximately -21 to -18 °C, RHS H7, suitable for USDA zone 6b and Swedish zone 3 regions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Recommended as a low-maintenance, good disease-resistance rose for flower beds, cut-flower use and specimen planting; released as bush-trained with 3–5 framework canes, best marketed in premium containers of around 5–7 litres. |
Charles Mallerin Hybrid tea rose MEItroni combines award-backed flower quality, strong fragrance and hardy, disease-resilient, own-root reliability for predictable long-term stands; please contact us to align capacities and scheduling for your premium programmes.