Madame Caroline Testout – Hybrid tea rose propagation material
The pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own‑root form of Madame Caroline Testout offers professional producers a stable, remontant flowering Hybrid Tea base for premium container routes, with bush‑trained, 3–5 cane structure suited to 5–7 L containers and onward up‑potting to 40–50 litre landscape formats where required. Dense foliage, upright habit and medium‑large, double, cup‑shaped blooms support exclusive finished‑product positioning for retail and reseller partners focused on flower quality and classic exhibition‑type presentation. Resistant performance against powdery mildew and black spot underpins predictable, low‑intervention nursery production, useful for UK nursery networks operating in cooler, exposed sites where its winter hardiness suits Scottish and northern conditions with reliable winter performance. Own‑root technology supports long‑term longevity and regeneration in propagation beds and collection plantings, helping maintain cultivar identity and homogeneous stands over repeated crop cycles as roots establish in year one, framework shoots consolidate in year two and full ornamental value is typically expressed from year three in finished plantings.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L exhibition Hybrid Tea – own-root, bush-trained plants in 5–7 L pots with solitary, medium-large, double blooms and strong fragrance, positioned as exclusive exhibition-grade stock – specialist rose retailers and reseller partners
- Scented heritage feature rose 20–30 L – up-potted from NEONATAL-based 5–7 L material into 20–30 litre containers as solitary specimens highlighting fragrance, bloom form and historic origin – garden centres and landscape supply channels
- Thematic heritage rose collection line – uniform, own-root 5–7 L plants integrated into curated Hybrid Tea collections for show gardens and thematic beds, leveraging authenticity and good disease resistance – nurseries building private-label ranges
- Park and project Hybrid Tea module – low-maintenance, disease-resistant stock prepared in 7 L and larger containers for public-realm and institutional parks, focusing on remontant flowering and stable framework – municipal and project-based suppliers
- Cut and garden dual-purpose Hybrid Tea – remontant, solitary-flowered plants in 5–7 L premium containers promoted as versatile cut-and-garden roses with strong scent and colour retention – higher-end retail networks and catalogue resellers
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Madame Caroline Testout Hybrid tea rose Pernet-Ducher; Hybrid Tea group, commercial Hybrid Tea; American Rose Society exhibition name Madame Caroline Testout; unregistered cultivar, no former name recorded. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Joseph Pernet-Ducher, Pépinieres Pernet-Ducher, Lyon, France; cross of ‘Madame de Tartas’ × ‘Lady Mary Fitzwilliam’; introduced by Pernet-Ducher in 1890, with breeding year and introduction year both recorded as 1890. |
| Awards and recognition |
not provided |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright bush with dense, mid-green, slightly glossy foliage and moderate prickliness; height around 100–140 cm with 70–110 cm spread; self-cleaning is weak so spent blooms generally need manual removal during production cycles. |
| Flower morphology |
Hybrid Tea flowers of large size on solitary stems; double, 26–39 petals with cup to goblet form; remontant habit with a generous second flush of blooms supporting extended ornamental display in suitable growing conditions. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Medium pink blooms with silky sheen; ARS mp, RHS 62D outer and 62B inner; buds deep vivid pink, opening mid-pink then fading to pale pastel; colour retention good, holding longer in cool conditions and fading faster under strong sun. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Fragrance character not provided, but rated as strong and long-lasting; suitable where scented Hybrid Tea presentation is valued for cut flower and garden use; no specific data on essential oil or cosmetic suitability is available. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip production generally limited due to double flowers; where formed, hips are bright red, globe-shaped and small, about 8–12 mm in diameter; visual interest possible but not a primary production target for this cultivar. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Good overall disease profile: resistant to powdery mildew and black spot, moderate against rust; hardy to approximately −26 to −23 °C, RHS H7, Swedish Zone 4, USDA Zone 5b; moderate heat tolerance, requiring regular water during prolonged dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to flowerbeds, cut-flower use, solitary specimens and park plantings; low maintenance with generally minimal intervention needed; recommended as bush-trained with 3–5 strong framework canes, ideal for premium container production in 5–7 litre pots. |
Madame Caroline Testout Hybrid tea rose Pernet-Ducher offers remontant flowering, good disease resistance and strong fragrance on predictable, long-lived own-root plants, making scheduling and capacity discussions worthwhile for professional production planning.
