MOONLIGHT ® – yellow climbing rose - Kordes
Bring a touch of storybook romance to your garden with Moonlight®, a richly scented climbing rose that drapes walls, pergolas and arbours in softly glowing, golden blooms. Its semi-double, cupped flowers open in generous clusters, creating a luminous vertical curtain that feels perfect for afternoon tea beneath an arbour, even where gardens are exposed to salt-laden breezes and brisk coastal winds. Vigorous yet well-behaved, it covers 2–3 m supports without overwhelming a small family plot, while its reliable repeat-flowering habit keeps the display continuous from early summer onwards. As an own-root plant it knits in securely, builds strength year after year, and shrugs off minor setbacks for a long-lived, dependable structure. With moderate maintenance needs, simple pruning choices and a forgiving growth habit, Moonlight® suits busy households wanting a romantic, cottage-style feature without complex upkeep, rewarding patient gardeners as roots establish, shoots strengthen and the full ornamental impact unfolds over the seasons.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Family pergola for afternoon tea |
Ideal where you want a romantic overhead canopy without fussy care: Moonlight® climbs strongly to about 2–3 m, clothing a pergola with glowing yellow clusters and rich fragrance all summer, suiting those who prefer simple tasks and relaxed charm for busy beginners. |
| Arbour or rose arch by a seating area |
The strong, fruity perfume and generous cluster-flowering make passing under this rose a sensory highlight, while moderate thorniness and manageable spread keep it practical near paths and benches, appealing to those seeking classic scent and welcome shade for cottage romantics. |
| Small to medium front garden focal point |
Its climbing habit creates height and drama in limited space, giving a cottage-garden look without taking over borders; own-root robustness supports long-term structure and stable flowering, fitting homeowners who want lasting impact from a single planting for family gardens. |
| Decorative house wall or garage facade |
Moonlight® is heat-tolerant and copes well with reflected warmth from brick or stone, needing only basic watering in longer dry spells; repeat flowering ensures the wall stays dressed for months, suiting practical gardeners who want colour with modest effort for time-poor owners. |
| Coastal or wind-exposed garden corner |
A resilient framework and good anchoring make it a solid choice where lighter climbers struggle, providing vertical colour and cover even in brisk, salty air and unsettled weather, appealing to those near the sea wanting romance without constant replacement for seaside gardeners. |
| Informal cottage border with kitchen-garden feel |
The warm golden-yellow flowers blend beautifully with herbs and traditional perennials, while remontant flowering keeps the scene lively right through the picking season; moderate care needs suit mixed borders where vegetables and flowers share space for kitchen-plot keepers. |
| Long-term garden structure on an arbour |
Own-root plants age gracefully, rebuilding from the base if canes are damaged and preserving a stable framework; over the first years roots deepen, shoots strengthen and display intensifies, ideal for those planning a garden that matures slowly but surely for long-view planners. |
| Large container on terrace or courtyard (with support) |
In a 40–50 litre pot with a sturdy obelisk or arch, Moonlight® offers vertical colour and scent where soil is poor or paved, though regular watering and feeding are needed; this suits urban spaces wanting a showpiece climber in confined conditions for city balcony-owners. |
Styling ideas
- Storybook Arbour – Train Moonlight® over a simple wooden arbour, underplant with lavender and catmint to echo the yellow blooms and perfume, perfect for cottage romantics seeking a dreamy seat in a family garden.
- Golden Kitchen Walk – Let it arch over a path between vegetable beds, paired with herbs and soft grasses to frame a productive plot, ideal for kitchen-plot keepers who like a traditional, working garden with charm.
- Coastal Welcome – Grow it along a front-garden fence or porch in breezier sites, mixing with hardy perennials like nepeta for movement and resilience, suiting seaside gardeners wanting warmth and romance at the entrance.
- Courtyard Vertical – In a large 40–50 litre container with a metal obelisk, combine with terracotta pots of thyme and rosemary, appealing to city balcony-owners craving height, colour and scent above paving.
- Evening Glow – Place an arch of Moonlight® by a terrace, with soft white bedding and lanterns beneath so the yellow flowers shine at dusk, ideal for busy beginners who unwind outdoors after work.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Climbing rose, large-flowered climber from the Klettermaxe® collection; registered as KORklemol, marketed as Moonlight ® Klettermaxe®; exhibition name Moonlight® for show and competition entries. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred in Germany in 1995 by Tim-Hermann Kordes for W. Kordes’ Söhne; seedling from (unknown × ‘Lichtkönigin Lucia’) crossed with unknown pollen; introduced commercially after 2006. |
| Awards and recognition |
Bronze Medal, Tokyo 2005 for ornamental quality; Gold Medal, Belfast 2007 for garden performance; Bronze Certificate, The Hague 2012 confirming sustained decorative value in varied climates. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous climbing habit, typically 200–320 cm high with 70–120 cm spread; moderately thorny, medium-density, glossy mid-green foliage; best on supports such as walls, pergolas, arches and arbours. |
| Flower morphology |
Semi-double, cupped blooms with 13–25 petals, large size around 7–10 cm; borne in clusters on repeat-flowering stems; some spent blooms persist so light deadheading maintains the clean display. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Warm golden-yellow with a copper sheen when opening, bud tips deep yellow with orange; softens to pastel lemon with slight pink edges; colour holds moderately before fading, with a long flowering season. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Rich, fruity fragrance of strong intensity, notable both on the plant and when cut; scent is long-lasting in still evening air, making it especially effective beside seating or paths used later in the day. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose hips form only occasionally due to well-filled flowers; where present they are small, spherical, orange-red, roughly 8–12 mm in diameter, adding a light decorative touch late in the season. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −26 to −23 °C (RHS H7, USDA 5b, Swedish Zone 4); heat-tolerant but appreciates water in prolonged drought; disease resistance medium, needing protection in very humid summers. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with free-draining soil; spacing 100–180 cm depending on use; plant 0.8–1 plants/m² for coverage; tie in new shoots, prune flexibly, and use moderate plant protection in high disease-pressure areas. |
MOONLIGHT ® – yellow climbing rose - Kordes offers scented repeat-flowering, graceful vertical coverage and durable own-root growth; a thoughtful choice if you would like a long-lived, romantic feature for your garden.
