Grand Siècle™ – pink hybrid tea rose – DELegran
Fragrance and flower quality define Grand Siècle™ as a premium own‑root starting point for producers focused on high‑value hybrid tea lines, particularly where exhibition potential and cut‑flower stems support retail and reseller margins. As a bush‑trained, 3–5‑cane pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting, it integrates smoothly into premium container programmes in the 5–7 L range, building towards 40–50 L statement pieces for thematic rose gardens and curated collections. Its bushy, well‑foliaged habit, remontant flowering and strong, sweet, fruity‑rose scent provide a reliable base for exclusive finished products where colour nuance and bloom form are critical. Own‑root production helps secure long‑term stand stability and regeneration, supporting homogeneous batches, predictable capacity and reduced replacement across nursery and integrator networks. With winter tolerance suited to cooler UK regions and exposed schemes, it offers confident scheduling from young trays through to finished stock, following the natural arc from Year 1 roots, Year 2 shoots and Year 3 full ornamental impact.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L scented hybrid tea – Own‑root, bush‑trained plants in 5–7 L pots, emphasising strong fragrance and flower quality for border and specimen use – target: specialist retail and premium garden centres.
- Exhibition and florist selection – Carefully graded plants from NEONATAL stock grown on for strong, straight flowering canes and solitary blooms, supporting cut‑flower and exhibition markets – target: florist wholesalers and show exhibitors.
- Collection‑label heritage hybrid tea – Branded containers highlighting the Grand Siècle™ story, colour transitions and scent, built from uniform NEONATAL propagation – target: thematic rose gardens and collection‑oriented resellers.
- Large 40–50 L feature specimen – Mature, own‑root bushes with dense foliage and abundant remontant flowering in 40–50 L containers for high‑impact placements – target: hospitality, corporate and public‑realm contractors.
- Own‑root mother block starter pack – Consistent NEONATAL batches dedicated to establishing mother rows, leveraging hardiness and own‑root stability for ongoing cutting supply – target: nurseries and integrator propagation hubs.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as DELegran, marketed as Grand Siècle™ Highly Scented DELegran; also known in exhibition circles as Great Century, classified in the hybrid tea commercial group. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Georges Delbard in France (breeding year 1976) from a complex multi‑generation cross involving Queen Elizabeth, Provence, Michèle Meilland, Bayadère and others; introduced commercially by Georges Delbard SA in 1977. |
| Awards and recognition |
Awarded a Gold Medal at the Concours International de Roses Nouvelles de Bagatelle in 1976, supporting its positioning as an exhibition‑grade, flower‑quality‑focused hybrid tea cultivar in premium ranges. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy plants 75–105 cm tall with a 60–90 cm spread, dark green, slightly glossy dense foliage and moderate prickliness; supplied bush‑trained with 3–5 framework canes, suitable for borders, containers and specimen use. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium‑sized, fully double, cup‑ to chalice‑shaped solitary blooms with 26–39 petals; remontant flowering with an abundant second flush, delivering ongoing ornamental and cut‑flower value across the season. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pale pearlescent pink with a creamy tone; buds light cream with pink tints, opening to pastel pink with creamy reflexes, then fading to near‑cream with faint pink; ARS PB, RHS 65D outer and 62C inner colour codes recorded. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, sweet, fruity‑rose fragrance clearly noticeable from a distance, prioritised for ornamental and cut‑flower applications; the full, double bloom form reduces pollinator access, so usage is decorative rather than ecological. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional ovoid, egg‑shaped hips, approximately 12–18 mm in diameter, maturing to an orange‑red colour; hips are secondary to the main ornamental role centred on flowers and fragrance. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Moderate overall disease resistance, notably resistant to powdery mildew and black spot, with moderate rust susceptibility; hardy to about −21 to −18 °C, rated RHS H7 and Swedish Zone 3, broadly aligning with USDA Zone 6b. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to borders, cut‑flower production, containers and specimen use; medium maintenance, with occasional pest and disease control; best routed via premium containers from bush‑trained NEONATAL own‑root cuttings. |
Grand Siècle™ offers strongly scented, exhibition‑grade hybrid tea blooms on hardy, own‑root plants that support long‑lived, predictable stands, making it a sound option for exclusive ranges where it is worth aligning on volumes and timing.
