South Seas™ – coral-pink hybrid tea rose – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
Premium own-root South Seas™ provides a stable propagation base for nursery and wholesale programmes focused on cut flower quality and exhibition appeal, with bush-trained material forming 3–5 strong framework canes ideal for a container route into 5–7 L pots. Its remontant flowering delivers large, very full, solitary blooms in a vivid coral-pink with good colour retention, supporting reliable scheduling of exclusive finished stock. Medium-strength fruity, rose-scented fragrance and verified cultivar authenticity fit premium-gold quality expectations, while own-root longevity underpins homogeneous stands and predictable capacity. Over three seasons the roots establish, then shoot structure consolidates, and by the third year full ornamental value is typically realised, with hardiness aligned to demanding UK sites where winter and wind exposure are significant factors. This reliable hybrid tea aligns well with exclusive retail and reseller collections targeting flower form and colour.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 6 L coral-pink hybrid tea feature – Finished in 5–7 L containers from bush-trained NEONATAL stock, highlighting large, very full, colour-stable blooms and low maintenance needs – target audience/channel: premium retail / reseller benches.
- Exhibition-look hybrid tea collector line – Small batch, label-focused range emphasising exhibition hybrid tea status, fragrance and verified authenticity, produced from own-root NEONATAL plants – target audience/channel: specialist rose retailers and mail-order resellers.
- Fragrant terrace rose in 7 L pots – Scent-led SKU combining medium-strength fruity fragrance with upright, dense foliage form, grown on as a premium container specimen – target audience/channel: garden centres with fragrance-themed promotions.
- Hybrid tea cut-and-display concept – Dual-use product promoted for garden enjoyment and home cutting, built on remontant flowering and strong flower form from NEONATAL-derived plants – target audience/channel: retail chains and independent resellers.
- Low-input hybrid tea collection bed pack – Multi-unit offer for project and show gardens, using disease-resistant, low-maintenance, own-root plants to form cohesive display beds – target audience/channel: wholesalers serving public-realm and institutional clients via resellers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
South Seas™ is a hybrid tea rose (South Seas) with ARS exhibition approval; registered in 1962 under US plant patent PP 2184 and used commercially as a premium hybrid tea. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Dennison Harlow Morey from ‘Rapture’ × unknown seedling, introduced and initially distributed by Jackson & Perkins Co. (USA) in 1962, reflecting classic mid‑20th‑century hybrid tea breeding. |
| Awards and recognition |
not provided |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Forms an upright bush 70–90 cm high and 65–85 cm wide, with moderately thorny shoots and dense, slightly glossy dark green foliage, offering a coherent, structurally strong framework for container or bed use. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very full, cup-shaped solitary blooms with 40+ petals on upright stems; remontant with an abundant second flowering, ideal for feature display, cutting and premium hybrid tea presentation in beds or containers. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Coral-pink with a slight orange hue (RHS 40B outer, 40C inner); vivid buds open to uniform coral pink, then gently fade to pale coral-pink while retaining the main tone, supporting consistent visual impact over time. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength, noticeably fruity, rose-scented fragrance provides a distinct yet not overpowering scent profile, supporting use in fragrance-led ranges alongside visual display, both in gardens and cut-flower contexts. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces spherical orange-red hips, around 10–14 mm in diameter, in moderate quantities; hips add seasonal interest but do not generally dominate the plant’s appearance in ornamental or production settings. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to approximately -21–-18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b), with moderate heat tolerance requiring regular watering during extended dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Recommended for flower beds, cut-flower production and specimen use; low maintenance with generally good disease resistance; best routed as a premium container product from bush-trained own-root material with 3–5 framework canes. |
South Seas™ offers remontant, colour-stable, fragrant hybrid tea blooms on disease-resistant, own-root plants that build long-lived, predictable stands; please contact us to discuss capacity planning and scheduling for your programmes.