PIERRE CARDIN® – pink hybrid tea rose – Meilland
Imagine afternoon tea under an arbour where velvety pink blooms lend effortless romance to the scene: Pierre Cardin® is a bushy hybrid tea rose with a fragrance reminiscent of classic old roses, wrapped in a refined, high-centred flower form. This own-root plant is bred for reassuring resilience, settling well even in breezier gardens and coping calmly when your borders face strong wind and passing coastal showers. In an average family garden it offers reliable flowering with generous repeat flushes, yet demands little more than basic watering and occasional pruning to look composed. Over the seasons its moderate height and dense foliage provide excellent structure for cottage-style borders, while the long, straight stems suit indoor vases and add elegance to your table.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Romantic focal point near a seating area |
The very strong, garden-filling scent and refined, high-centred flowers make Pierre Cardin® perfect beside a bench or patio, where you can appreciate its perfume at close quarters and enjoy classic hybrid tea form with minimal upkeep for busy urban gardeners |
| Cottage-style mixed border in a family garden |
The bushy habit, dense mid-green foliage and repeat flowering create a stable vertical accent that blends naturally with perennials and herbs, giving that “storybook” cottage look without constant deadheading or spraying for traditional-style homeowners |
| Cut-flower rows in the kitchen garden |
Long, high-centred stems with XL blooms in graduated pink tones provide reliable material for vases; the remontant nature means multiple flushes through the season, so you can harvest blooms while the shrub still looks full outdoors for home flower arrangers |
| Containers and large terrace pots |
The compact, upright form and good disease resistance make it well suited to a large pot of at least 40–50 litres, where own-root resilience helps the plant recover from any stress and continue flowering steadily for balcony and terrace owners |
| Low-maintenance structure in small front gardens |
With a height around 90–130 cm and moderate spread, Pierre Cardin® fits narrow beds yet still reads clearly from the street, providing dependable structure and colour without complex pruning, ideal where you want neat impact from time-poor householders |
| Long-lived feature planting for family plots |
As an own-root rose it rebuilds from the base if damaged, maintaining ornamental value over many years; roots establish first, then top growth, and by the third year it reaches its full decorative potential for forward-planning garden owners |
| Roses in breezier or more exposed sites |
Its sturdy bushy habit and strong framework help it stay upright and flower well even where beds are open to wind and regular rain, giving dependable colour when other plants might sulk for coastal and open-plot gardeners |
| Informal hedging or repeated rhythm along paths |
Recommended spacings allow you to create a soft, perfumed line of shrubs; identical plants in sequence give a harmonious rhythm, while the repeat bloom ensures ongoing interest with only light annual shaping for design-conscious home gardeners |
Styling ideas
- Tea-rose terrace – Plant Pierre Cardin® in 50–70 litre containers with loose gravel mulch and simple metal obelisks to frame a bistro set – ideal for fragrance lovers who entertain outdoors.
- Cottage ribbon – Repeat three to five shrubs along a path, underplant with lavender and catmint to soften the edges – for those seeking a traditional cottage feel with clear structure.
- Kitchen posy row – Line a sunny kitchen-garden bed with roses and interplant with dill and chives, cutting stems for jugs indoors – suited to home cooks who enjoy arranging their own flowers.
- Romantic front welcome – Flank your front door with paired shrubs, backed by clipped box or low yew for formality – perfect for homeowners wanting polished kerb appeal with minimal fuss.
- Storybook arbour – Place Pierre Cardin® at each end of a bench-side arbour, filling the space with scent and soft pink tones while climbers weave above – for families creating a dreamy reading corner.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as MEIlolipo, marketed as Pierre Cardin® Hybrid tea rose MEIlolipo; ARS exhibition name Pierre Cardin, part of the hybrid tea rose collection. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Alain Meilland in France in 2008, introduced after 2010 by Meilland International, registered in 2010; parentage not publicly disclosed by the breeder. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy shrub reaching about 90–130 cm high and 60–85 cm wide, with dense mid-green, slightly glossy foliage and moderate prickliness, forming a well-filled, upright garden bush. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double, high-centred hybrid tea blooms with 26–39 petals on mainly solitary stems; classic pointed buds open to exhibition-style flowers with generous repeat flushes. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Mid-pink with darker speckling and silvery-pink edging, ARS PB, RHS 62C outer and 62A inner; colour softens to lighter silvery pink as blooms age and spotting becomes less pronounced. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, garden-filling scent reminiscent of old roses with a spicy note; double blooms with partly exposed stamens offer moderate pollinator appeal despite the fuller flower form. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces moderate numbers of ornamental, ovoid hips, around 10–15 mm in diameter, red RHS 40A; useful for subtle autumn and winter interest if spent flowers are left uncut. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated H7 with approximate cold tolerance to about –21 to –18 °C, showing resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust under normal garden conditions in suitable climates. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny positions for borders, specimens, hedging, large containers and cutting; low maintenance needs with simple pruning and standard feeding at recommended spacings for each use. |
PIERRE CARDIN® offers intensely scented, repeat-flowering pink blooms on a resilient own-root shrub that builds long-term structure with comparatively low maintenance; consider it if you want a refined yet practical centrepiece for your garden.
