KISS ME KATE® – pink climbing rose – Kordes
Invite a touch of storybook romance into your garden with KISS ME KATE®, a richly scented climbing rose designed for relaxed family spaces rather than high-maintenance show gardens. Its strong, disease-tolerant foliage stands up well to typical British summers, even where gardens face brisk winds and frequent rain, making it reassuringly reliable on arches, pergolas or along a sunny fence. Large, rosette blooms in soft, mid-pink repeat generously through the season, filling the air with a very strong citrus–apple perfume that enhances afternoon tea on the patio. Supplied as a 2‑litre own‑root plant, it settles in steadily, rewarding you as roots establish in year one, shoots build in year two and full decorative impact appears by year three, supporting a long-lived garden structure. With low routine care, simple pruning and minimal deadheading, this climber is well suited to busy households who still want a romantic cottage-garden feature that matures gracefully over time. For large containers, choose a generously sized 40–50 litre pot with good drainage, so the glossy dark foliage and cascading flowers can create an intimate corner on balconies, terraces or compact town gardens.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Traditional rose arch at a garden entrance |
Ideal for training over a rose arch, its 2–3,3 m height and dense, glossy foliage quickly create a romantic tunnel of mid‑pink rosette blooms. Strong fragrance welcomes visitors, while low maintenance suits those preferring simple seasonal tasks, perfect for the beginner. |
| Pergola for afternoon seating or outdoor dining |
Repeated waves of very double flowers and a garden‑filling scent make this climber perfect over a pergola, where the perfume can be enjoyed at head height. Reliable disease resistance means less spraying and more time to relax beneath the blooms, especially valued by the busy. |
| Clothing a sunny house wall in a family garden |
On a warm, south- or west-facing wall, KISS ME KATE® forms a long-lived vertical feature with dark green foliage and repeat flushes of pink. Own‑root vigour means it regenerates well over the years and copes with routine family life, appreciated by the homeowner. |
| Cottage-style mixed border with perennials |
The romantic rosette flowers pair beautifully with foxgloves and airy grasses in an English cottage-style border. Its remontant habit extends colour well into late summer, while sturdy growth copes with blustery, rain-lashed spells common in many regions, attractive to the cottage-lover. |
| Screening an unsightly fence in a small to medium garden |
This variety’s 0,9–1,6 m spread and repeat flowering make it a good choice to soften a bare fence with an elegant, fragrant screen. Long-lived own‑root plants anchor well, giving a stable backdrop of foliage and flowers with only light seasonal pruning, appealing to the practical. |
| Feature rose for large containers on terraces or patios |
In a high-quality 40–50 litre container with good drainage, it offers vertical colour and scent where planting space is limited. Regular watering and light feeding are usually sufficient, while its romantic look transforms small terraces into intimate retreats, valued by the urban-gardener. |
| Cut flowers for the house from a garden climber |
As an exhibition-standard climbing rose with large, very double blooms, it provides luxurious, strongly scented stems for indoor vases. Continuous repeat flowering means you can cut generously without stripping the display outdoors, making it rewarding for the home‑floristry enthusiast. |
| Low-intervention family garden with simple pruning |
With low maintenance requirements and strong resistance to major rose diseases, this climber fits gardens where time and expertise are limited. Basic annual pruning to shape and occasional deadheading keep it looking good, giving confidence to the hesitant but hopeful novice. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage Archway – Train KISS ME KATE® over a metal or wooden arch, underplant with foxgloves and catmint for a layered, pastel entrance – ideal for romantic cottage-garden admirers.
- Perfumed Pergola – Use pairs of plants at pergola posts, interplanted with white clematis for contrast, creating a scented roof for afternoon tea – suited to families who entertain outdoors.
- Kitchen-Garden Edge – Let the climber dress the boundary beside a kitchen garden, pairing with herbs and ornamental grasses to soften vegetable beds – perfect for practical kitchen-garden owners.
- Townhouse Screen – In narrow gardens, grow it flat against a fence with simple horizontal wires, adding shade-tolerant perennials at ground level – good for urban households needing privacy.
- Patio Statement – Plant in a 50 litre half-barrel with a sturdy obelisk, combining with trailing thyme and violas to frame a seating corner – attractive for balcony and patio gardeners.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Climbing rose cultivar KORnagelio, marketed as KISS ME KATE® Klettermaxe®, exhibition large-flowered climber and cut rose; ARS exhibition name ‘Kiss Me Kate’, registered 2019 (US PP 30 810). |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Wilhelm-Alexander Kordes (W. Kordes’ Söhne, Germany); parentage ‘DELeri’ (Nahéma) × (‘KORgosumu’ × ‘KORvanaber’), introduced after 2019 by W. Kordes’ Söhne Rosenschulen GmbH & Co KG. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated fragrance climber: Kortrijk Fragrance Award and Gold Medal 2016, Tokyo Silver Medal 2016, Le Roeulx Fragrance Award 2017, La Tacita First Prize 2017, Lyon Jury Special Prize 2017, Glasgow Gold Medal 2020. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous climber 2–3,3 m high, 0,9–1,6 m spread; dense, dark green glossy foliage (RHS 147A), moderately thorny canes, weak self-cleaning so some spent blooms may require removal for best appearance. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very double, rosette-shaped blooms with 40+ petals, borne mainly in clusters; remontant with particularly abundant second flush, suitable for both garden display and cutting for indoor arrangements. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Medium-bright pink (ARS Mp; RHS 64B outer, 62C inner); buds deep pink, opening pure pink, then fading to pale pink with a silvery sheen; colour lasts longer in cool conditions, fading faster in strong sun. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, garden-filling perfume with fresh citrus and apple notes; bred as a scented ornamental rather than for pollinator value, as tightly filled flowers largely conceal stamens and nectar sources. |
| Hip characteristics |
Very double flowers set few hips; any produced are small, typically 0–4 mm in diameter, so ornamental rose-hip effect is minimal and does not significantly influence autumn or winter garden character. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Robust foliage rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; winter hardy to approximately –26 to –23 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 4, USDA 5b) with moderate heat and drought tolerance needing regular watering in dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil; recommended for pergolas, arches, fences, walls and as a cut flower source, spacing 1,4–2,25 m depending on use and allowing support for trained canes. |
KISS ME KATE® offers richly scented repeat blooms, reliable disease resistance and long-lived own-root resilience for arches, pergolas or walls, making it a graceful, enduring choice for your cottage-style family garden.
