CHEVREUSE – apricot climbing rose – Kordes
Let the apricot blooms of CHEVREUSE frame your pergola with an inviting sense of romance and relaxed elegance, bringing a soft, storybook mood to everyday family life. This Kordes-bred climber clothes arches, fences and cottage-style boundaries with glossy dark foliage and generously repeating clusters of double, cup-shaped flowers in warm peach and creamy apricot shades. As an own-root rose, it develops steadily into a long-lived, reliable feature that bounces back well from pruning and winter weather, gradually building a strong, bushy framework. It settles well even where coastal breezes and frequent showers meet heavier soils, provided you improve drainage or use a simple raised bed. Use it to soften boundaries around a kitchen garden, or to create a private corner for afternoon tea beneath an arbour, knowing that its medium maintenance needs and forgiving structure leave room for genuine ease, gentle indulgence and lasting character.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Arch or arbour over a seating area |
CHEVREUSE forms strong, upright shoots that are easy to train over an arch or arbour, giving a romantic, shaded nook for afternoon tea as the apricot flowers repeat through summer; well suited to homeowners seeking relaxed charm, especially beginners. |
| Clothed fence or boundary in a family garden |
The dense, dark green foliage and repeat-flowering clusters quickly dress a plain fence, creating privacy and a soft backdrop to play areas or a kitchen garden without demanding intricate pruning; ideal for busy families and time-pressed gardeners. |
| Cottage-style mixed border with vertical accent |
Its bushy climber habit offers height without becoming lanky, adding a vertical accent among perennials and shrubs while the warm peach tones blend effortlessly with cottage-style palettes; appealing to lovers of traditional, romantic borders. |
| Large container or half-barrel near the house |
In a 40–50 litre container with good compost and drainage, CHEVREUSE will anchor a patio or balcony, giving height and colour close to doors and windows while remaining manageable to prune; perfect for small plots and compact urban spaces. |
| Feature rose at the entrance or along a path |
The softly shifting tones from apricot to creamy yellow create a welcoming focal point by a gate or front path, offering dependable repeat flowering from a single well-sited plant; suited to homeowners who value tidy, long-lived planting. |
| Raised bed on heavier or clay-based soils |
Planted into a simple raised bed with improved drainage, this own-root climber establishes a robust framework that copes gracefully where wet spells and heavier ground can challenge grafted roses; reassuring for those gardening on typical British clay. |
| Long-term structure on pergolas and tall supports |
The own-root habit supports a long lifespan and reliable regrowth from the base, so trained plants can mature into enduring garden structures without losing character over time; attractive for gardeners planning stable, low-fuss garden frameworks. |
| Relaxed, low-precision pruning schemes |
With its bushy, upright growth and repeat flowering, CHEVREUSE responds well to straightforward annual trimming rather than complex pruning, suiting those who prefer simple seasonal tasks over constant tweaking; ideal for practically minded home owners. |
Styling ideas
- Arbour-retreat – Train CHEVREUSE over a wooden arbour with a small bistro set beneath, pairing it with lavender and catmint for scent and soft underplanting – for couples creating a romantic, storybook seating corner.
- Cottage-fence – Let it scramble along a picket or post-and-rail fence with foxgloves, hardy geraniums and lady’s mantle at the base – for families wanting a classic English countryside boundary.
- Kitchen-edge – Use CHEVREUSE on a simple wire support beside raised vegetable beds, with herbs and sweet peas weaving through its stems – for gardeners who like ornament and productivity side by side.
- Patio-pillar – Grow it in a 50 litre half-barrel with an obelisk or slim trellis, underplanting with dwarf grasses and violas – for small-garden owners seeking an easy vertical accent near the house.
- Warm-border – Combine its peach blooms with soft yellows, creams and bronze foliage shrubs in a mixed border – for those curating a cohesive, gentle colour scheme without complex maintenance.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Climbing rose, large-flowered climber; registered as KORplavi, marketed as Chevreuse Climbing rose KORplavi, with Westfalenpark® as the ARS approved exhibition name. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Reimer Kordes, W. Kordes’ Söhne, Germany, from an unknown parent crossed with ‘Las Vegas’; breeding completed and the cultivar registered in 1986. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Strong, bushy climber with upright shoots, typically 160–240 cm high and 120–200 cm spread; moderately thorny, with dense, healthy-looking, dark green, glossy foliage on mature plants. |
| Flower morphology |
Double, cup-shaped blooms with 26–30 petals, large flower size in loose clusters; repeat flowers well through the season, with the second flush also notably abundant under average care. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Warm pastel peach-yellow with a delicate yellowish tint; buds light apricot-orange, ageing through peach and butter-yellow to creamy peach tones, showing good overall colour retention in garden conditions. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Mild but discernible scent with a fresh, fruity character; suitable where a gentle background fragrance is preferred over intense perfume, and where colour and form are the main design focus. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces few hips due to double flowers; small spherical fruits about 8–12 mm, orange-red (RHS 33A), forming occasionally and adding discreet seasonal interest rather than a dominant feature. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated to approximately −21 to −18 °C, RHS H7 and Swedish Zone 3; moderate resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, usually manageable with standard, timely garden care. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Plant 140–150 cm apart for hedging or mass plantings, or around 240 cm as a specimen; typical density 0.4–0.5 plants/m²; medium maintenance, with occasional pest and disease checks advisable. |
CHEVREUSE – apricot climbing rose – Kordes offers romantic repeat flowering, space-efficient vertical impact and enduring own-root reliability; a thoughtful choice if you would like a graceful structure that matures gently with your garden.
