Schwarze Madonna™ – Hybrid tea rose – KORschwama
Exclusive own-root Schwarze Madonna™ provides professional growers with tray-rooted propagation material that reliably supports premium container routes and exhibition-grade cut-flower production. Its consistently velvety dark-red colour, refined flower form and upright habit make it well suited to high-end, cultivar-focused ranges for thematic and collection plantings. Dense, glossy foliage, robust disease resistance and low routine maintenance help secure homogeneous nursery beds and predictable 5–7 L crop quality, even where winters are cold and wind exposure is common. As own-root material it delivers a long-term, renewable production base: roots consolidate first, structural shoots follow, and by the third season full ornamental value and stable cut-stem performance are achieved. This supports sustainable stock building, dependable scheduling and attractive margin potential for growers serving retail and reseller channels.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L hybrid tea feature – Own-root, bush-trained plants in 5–7 L premium containers highlighting the velvety dark-red flower and upright habit as an exclusive finished product – target audience/channel: retail and reseller premium benches.
- Exhibition hybrid tea cut-flower block – Dedicated nursery bed from own-root material selected for flower form and colour retention, supplying exhibition-quality stems – target audience/channel: specialist cut-flower and rose society exhibitors.
- Collector-series dark hybrid tea – Branded line within thematic or collection ranges, emphasising stable colour and cultivar authenticity for long-lived own-root plantings – target audience/channel: collection gardens and high-end mail-order resellers.
- Landscape specimen in large containers – Plants stepped up from 5–7 L to 40–50 litre units, using the upright, dense habit and disease resistance to deliver durable feature roses – target audience/channel: public-realm and institutional project suppliers.
- Show-award heritage selection – Curated SKU referencing show successes, built on uniform own-root stock for consistent competition-standard blooms – target audience/channel: nurseries serving enthusiasts and specialist rose retailers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Schwarze Madonna™ hybrid tea rose, ARS exhibition name Schwarze Madonna™, registered as KORschwama, hybrid tea group; commercial type and group hybrid tea rose, collection hybrid tea rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Wilhelm II, Reimer and Werner Kordes from 'Konrad Henkel' × unnamed seedling; W. Kordes’ Söhne, Germany; bred before 1991, registered 1991, introduced 1992 through W. Kordes’ Söhne. |
| Awards and recognition |
Recognised in exhibition circles: Metropolitan Rose Society Show Court of Show / Honor (USA, 1999); Detroit Rose Society Show Queen of Show (1999); Forest City Rose Society Show Queen of Show (2001). |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright hybrid tea with 100–140 cm height, 60–80 cm spread, dense dark green glossy foliage (RHS 139A), moderately thorny shoots; spent blooms persist and usually require manual cleaning after flowering flushes. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double, solitary flowers with 26–39 petals, cup-shaped with a pronounced, medium-high centre; good remontancy with an abundant second flush supports extended ornamental and cutting value in season. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Deep, velvety dark red with purplish sheen; ARS code DR, RHS 187A outer, 187B inner; very good colour retention, dark burgundy buds, colour deepens before fading, only slight lightening under very hot conditions. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Elegant, refined fragrance of mild intensity; subtly scented rather than strongly perfumed, providing a discreet aromatic character that complements, rather than dominates, the visual impact of the blooms. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional ovoid hips, 10–14 mm diameter, orange-red (RHS 40A); not a pronounced feature in standard ornamental or cut-flower use, but present where spent flowers are not removed after blooming. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to approximately -21 to -18 °C (USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3, RHS H7); performs well in warmth but needs regular watering in extended dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to flower beds, cut-flower use, specimen roles and containers; low maintenance with generally little intervention; best presented as bush-trained plants with 3–5 framework canes for premium container production. |
Schwarze Madonna™ offers exhibition-level dark blooms, robust disease resistance and reliable own-root longevity for stable, predictable premium production; please contact us to coordinate capacity and scheduling for your programmes.
