ELINA ® – creamy-yellow hybrid tea rose – Dickson & Dickson
Brought to your garden as an own-root hybrid tea, ELINA ® offers a quietly luxurious focus for relaxed afternoon tea corners and cottage-style borders. Its upright, well-branched habit carries large, high-centred blooms in a soft palette of pastel lemon and creamy ivory, giving a romantic, storybook feel without demanding constant attention. Selected for reliable health and low maintenance, it copes well with exposed UK gardens, even where coastal winds and wet spells can challenge less robust roses. Generous repeat flowering ensures a steady supply of cut stems for the house, while the glossy dark foliage stays attractive between flushes. As an own-root rose it is bred for longevity: once settled, it builds strong roots in the first year, fuller top growth in the second, and by the third season shows its full ornamental value with minimal effort from you.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Small to medium family flowerbed |
The upright, space-efficient structure and dense branching make ELINA ® ideal for typical family borders where every square metre matters, giving height and presence without overwhelming nearby perennials; perfect for time-poor cottage-style enthusiasts and beginners. |
| Feature rose beside a seating area |
The very large, high-centred flowers in soft cream-yellow create a refined focal point near benches or patios, lending a calm, afternoon-tea atmosphere that feels elegant rather than overpowering; well suited to those who value understated romance and homeowners. |
| Cutting patch in a kitchen or cutting garden |
Elongated, pointed buds on strong stems and generous repeat flowering make this hybrid tea an excellent source of exhibition-style stems for vases, allowing regular picking without spoiling the display outdoors; particularly attractive for creative arrangers and hobby-gardeners. |
| Low-maintenance traditional rose border |
Good general disease resistance, especially to black spot and rust, keeps foliage clean with minimal spraying, so the plant maintains its structure and bloom quality even in humid summers, appealing to those who favour simplicity and busy-urban-owners. |
| Sunny, exposed or breezy positions |
Strong wood, firm petals and good tolerance of heat and moderate drought help the plant remain tidy and flowering even where regular winds and rain might batter more delicate varieties, reassuring for those in open plots and coastal-gardeners. |
| Long-lived structural planting in family gardens |
As an own-root rose, ELINA ® regenerates well from the base, avoiding problems with weak graft unions and retaining its named character for many years, which makes it a sound, future-proof choice for settled households and long-term-planners. |
| Large containers and terrace planters |
The upright habit, dense leaf canopy and repeat-flowering performance work well in a substantial pot of at least 40–50 litres, where good drainage supports its resilience to the UK’s changeable wet spells and breezes, suiting balcony-friendly and courtyard-owners. |
| Formal rows, hedging and park-style layouts |
Regular spacing creates a coherent line of identical, creamy-yellow blooms, and the uniform growth makes it easy to prune more strictly or more loosely depending on taste, allowing adaptable designs for traditional gardeners and classic-style-lovers. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Border Focus – Place ELINA ® mid-border with soft pink foxgloves, catmint and lady’s mantle to echo its pastel tones and create a storybook cottage feel – ideal for romantically minded family gardeners.
- Afternoon-Tea Corner – Flank a bistro set or bench with a pair of ELINA ® in large containers, underplanted with white violas or ivy for a calm, creamy palette – suited to those seeking a graceful, low-fuss seating nook.
- Kitchen-Cutting Strip – Run a short row along a path with herbs and annuals, letting ELINA ® supply repeat cut flowers while basil, dill and calendula fill gaps – perfect for home cooks who like bringing the garden indoors.
- Structured Entrance – Use ELINA ® as matching sentinels at a front gate or along a drive, backed by box or low yew for year-round structure and summer blooms – for homeowners wanting a quietly impressive welcome.
- Soft-Sun Terrace – In a large 50-litre pot with free-draining compost, combine ELINA ® with trailing thyme and silver-leaved santolina for a sun-loving, drought-tolerant trio – appealing to busy urban terrace and balcony owners.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as DICjana and marketed as ELINA ® Hybrid tea rose DICjana; ARS exhibition name ‘Elina’, a feminine given name used for this classic variety. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred in the United Kingdom in 1981 by Patrick and Colin Dickson from cross ‘Nana Mouskouri’ × ‘Lolita’; introduced after 1984 by Dickson Nurseries Ltd., which also handled initial distribution. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated garden and exhibition rose: RNRS Certificate of Merit (1983), ADR (1987), Gold Star of the South Pacific, Belfast Golden Rose, Glasgow Silver Medal and WFRS Hall of Fame induction in 2006. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright hybrid tea reaching about 110–140 cm in height and 80–100 cm spread, with dense, glossy dark green foliage and moderate prickliness; spent blooms require deadheading as self-cleaning is weak. |
| Flower morphology |
Very large, high-centred, double flowers with approximately 26–39 petals, solitary on stems, classic exhibition form; remontant habit gives a strong second flush and further flowering through the season. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pale cream-yellow blooms (RHS 11D outer, 8C inner) opening pastel lemon-yellow, then fading to creamy white with a soft golden centre; colour retention is medium, giving gentle, evolving tones on the plant. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Mild, subtly scented bloom with a gentle rosy character rather than a strong perfume; fragrance is noticeable at close range but not overpowering, making it suitable for seating areas and cut arrangements indoors. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is generally poor due to the full double flower form, but occasional small ovoid hips, 10–14 mm across, may develop, colouring orange-red and offering modest late-season ornamental interest. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated H7 and hardy to around –21 to –18 °C (USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3); good heat tolerance with moderate drought endurance if watered, and resistant to black spot and rust with moderate powdery mildew susceptibility. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny sites with free-draining soil; low maintenance with only occasional plant protection needed. Recommended spacings: 65 cm for mass planting, 55 cm for hedging, 100 cm as a specimen, 2.5–2.9 plants/m². |
ELINA ® Hybrid tea rose DICjana offers large creamy-yellow blooms, reliable health and long-lived own-root resilience, making it a thoughtful, low-fuss choice for family gardens and terraces you may wish to consider.
