COLORAMA® – red-yellow hybrid tea rose – MEIrigalu
Premium own-root pharmaROSA® NEONATAL material for COLORAMA® gives professional growers a stable base for cut and exhibition-oriented production, with bush-trained, 3–5 cane structure ideal for container finishing in 5–7 L premium lines. The vivid red–yellow bicolour flowers, medium-sized and high-centred, support an exclusive finished product positioning where flower quality and form are central. Reliable remontant flowering with a plentiful second flush enhances programming of colour-focused ranges for retail and reseller partners. Own-root plants provide renewable growth and long lifespan for homogeneous stock, aligning well with UK nursery networks that must balance display impact with disease-resilient, low-intervention stands for public and private projects in climates where winter and wind exposure are routine considerations. The development arc from root establishment in year one, structural shoots in year two and full ornamental value by year three supports long-term planning of border, specimen and show garden concepts and ensures predictable capacity and low replacement over repeated production cycles.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L bicolour hybrid tea – Upright, bush-trained plants in 5–7 L pots, highlighting vivid red–yellow flowers and low maintenance; ideal as an exclusive, flower-quality led hybrid tea item – retail/reseller premium benches.
- Fragrant exhibition-feature container – 5–7 L specimen containers selected for strong form and medium fragrance, positioned as exhibition-capable hybrid teas with reliable remontant performance – specialist garden centres and rose collections.
- Border and specimen duo pack – Coordinated pair offer for borders and focal points, using compact habit and disease resistance to promise reliable performance with limited aftercare – landscape-oriented retailers and project suppliers.
- Cut-and-display hybrid tea line – Container-grown plants promoted for both garden use and cutting, leveraging upright stems with solitary, high-centred flowers and own-root durability – independent retailers targeting enthusiasts.
- Collection-label Colorama® feature – Named cultivar with verified identity, colour-play description and breeding background, grown in 5–7 L as a signature piece within thematic or breeder-focused ranges – show gardens and rose-collection partners.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid Tea group cultivar registered as MEIrigalu, marketed as Colorama® Hybrid tea rose MEIrigalu, with American Rose Society exhibition name Colorama; commercial type and group both hybrid tea rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred in France in 1967 by Marie-Louise Meilland from ‘Suspense’ × ‘Confidence’; introduced 1979 in France by URS - Meilland, with registration recorded in 1968 under Meilland International. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright bush form, typically 70–100 cm high and 50–70 cm spread, medium-density dark green foliage (RHS 137A), moderately thorny shoots; bush-trained for 3–5 strong framework canes in production. |
| Flower morphology |
Double, high-centred hybrid tea blooms with 26–39 petals, medium flower size around 1.5–2.75 inches, mainly solitary on stems, remontant with a plentiful second flush supporting repeat flowering schedules. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Red-yellow bicolour: vivid red inner petal surfaces and pale yellow reverse; colour shifts from bright red and creamy yellow to coral and brick red tones, with reverse fading towards cream and near off-white as blooms age. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength, clearly perceptible sweet fragrance typical of hybrid tea roses; double, high-centred form limits stamen access, so ornamental and sensory value outweighs pollinator interest in most plantings. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip formation generally slight because of double flowers; any hips produced are ellipsoidal, around 8–12 mm in diameter, coloured orange-red (RHS 40A), with limited visual impact in standard production settings. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, enabling lower intervention production; hardy approximately to -15–-12 °C (RHS H6, Swedish zone 2, USDA 7b), supporting outdoor culture in many UK nursery regions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to borders, cut flower use, specimen and container production; recommended as low-maintenance with good disease resistance, finished as bush-trained 3–5 cane plants, ideally in premium 5–7 L container programmes. |
COLORAMA® – red-yellow hybrid tea rose MEIrigalu offers vivid flower presentation, disease resilience and long-lived, predictable own-root stands, making it a logical candidate for discussion on schedules, volumes and integration into your premium rose range.
