SAMMETGLUT® – dark red bedding Floribunda rose – Kordes
Imagine late-summer afternoons when SAMMETGLUT® glows like embers along a cottage-style path, its velvety, dark red clusters creating a richly romantic backdrop for family life. This robust floribunda builds a quietly reliable structure in the border: bushy, upright growth to around chest height, self-cleaning flowers that drop neatly, and medium care needs that suit busy gardeners. Own-root plants mean strong regrowth, long life and steady performance even after harder pruning, ideal where windy, more exposed sites call for a well-anchored shrub. Large, double blooms appear in generous flushes, with a warm, spicy fragrance that suits an evening stroll through a “girly”, English country garden. In a 40–50 litre or larger pot on a terrace, its glowing colour can be enjoyed up close; planted in groups, it forms a storybook hedge that matures gently over time as roots establish, shoots strengthen, then the full ornamental display unfolds.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Romantic feature shrub near a seating area |
The large, double, velvety blooms and warm, spicy scent create a focal point beside a bench or arbour, perfect for afternoon tea or evening unwinding without demanding complex care from the gardener homeowners |
| Cottage-style hedging along a path or boundary |
Bushy, upright growth and good height allow SAMMETGLUT® to form an informal, storybook hedge; recommended spacings make it straightforward to line drives, paths or vegetable garden edges with repeat colour through summer traditionalists |
| Low-maintenance family flowerbed or mixed border |
Good self-cleaning means many spent flowers fall away on their own, keeping borders tidy with fewer deadheading rounds, while medium maintenance needs suit those who want impact without constant gardening tasks busy-gardeners |
| Roses for partially shaded town or village gardens |
Its tolerance of partial shade helps it flower reliably where fences, sheds or nearby houses cast longer shadows, allowing classic red roses even in constrained, urban or village plots that lack all-day sun urban-owners |
| Containers on terraces, courtyards and small patios |
A strong, upright framework and good drought and heat tolerance make it suitable for large planters of at least 40–50 litres, where regular watering is simpler than complex pruning or intensive spraying routines beginners |
| Structure-giving rose in clay or heavier soils |
On its own roots, the shrub builds a durable framework that copes with typical British heavier soils when planted into improved, free-draining ground, remaining stable and well anchored even in wind-prone, more open gardens family-buyers |
| Long-term planting for durable garden frameworks |
As an established floribunda from 1952, this own-root plant offers reassuring longevity, with reliable regrowth after pruning and an enduring presence that underpins cottage borders and hedges for many years with consistent form long-term-planners |
| Seasonal colour accent in traditional cottage schemes |
The distinctive colour journey from velvety dark red through scarlet to brick red brings depth and movement to soft cottage palettes, remaining effective even during unsettled coastal weather with wind and rain exposure cottage-lovers |
Styling ideas
- Kitchen-border – Thread SAMMETGLUT® along a kitchen garden fence, underplanted with herbs and low lavender, to bridge practical beds and ornamental space – ideal for cottage-vegetable gardeners
- Ember-hedge – Create a loose hedge of three to five shrubs, weaving between old fruit trees for a nostalgic, orchard-edge feel – suited to families wanting soft structure
- Velvet-duo – Pair with Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ and Knautia ‘Red Knight’ for layered red tones and airy texture – appealing to colour-conscious enthusiasts
- Court-yard – Grow in a single large 50-litre pot by a bistro set, combining with trailing thyme and white diascia – perfect for compact urban terraces
- Story-arch – Use two or three plants either side of a simple metal arch, letting their upright habit frame a gravel path – recommended for romantic, book-inspired gardens
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
SAMMETGLUT® dark red bedding Floribunda rose; registered as Scharlachglut, floribunda bed rose group, shrub exhibition category; ARS exhibition name Scharlachglut, unregistered cultivar in formal registration terms. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Wilhelm J. H. Kordes II in Germany in 1943 from ‘Poinsettia’ × ‘Alika’; introduced by W. Kordes’ Söhne in 1952, continuing the firm’s tradition of robust, landscape-suitable floribunda roses. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, upright shrub to about 110–150 cm high and 85–115 cm wide, moderately thorny, with moderately dense, dark green, slightly glossy foliage that builds a solid, medium-height framework in beds and borders. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, cup-shaped, double flowers with 26–39 petals, produced in clusters; remontant habit with a strong second flush, delivering generous displays across the season on a self-cleaning, repeat-flowering shrub. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Dark red blooms, RHS 53A outer and 60A inner; opening as velvety dark red, warming to orange-tinged scarlet, then dulling toward matt brick red, offering layered colour interest as each cluster matures. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Noticeable, medium-strength perfume with a warm, spicy character that suits evening seating areas; double flowers have limited pollinator appeal, so the variety is primarily ornamental rather than wildlife-focused. |
| Hip characteristics |
Forms small numbers of spherical rose hips, around 8–12 mm diameter, coloured orange-red (RHS 40A); hips add a modest seasonal accent in late season without significantly altering the plant’s overall appearance. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated to approximately −26 to −23 °C (H7, USDA 5b, Swedish zone 4); medium resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust; tolerates heat and moderate drought but benefits from watering in extended dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suitable as specimen, hedge, park or urban landscape rose, even in partial shade; medium maintenance with occasional pest and disease checks; for mass planting use 100 cm spacing, hedging 90 cm, solitary 170 cm. |
SAMMETGLUT® offers velvety repeat-flowering, self-cleaning clusters on a durable, own-root shrub that suits today’s time-pressed cottage gardeners; consider it where you want lasting red romance with manageable care.
