“What is your favourite rose?”

That’s the question I’ve been asked time and time again throughout my career working with roses. And for just as long, my answer has remained the same: “It changes every day. With so many remarkable roses, how could I possibly pick just one?”

Until now.

When I first observed this rose performing in our novelty testing fields, I felt something different—an excitement I couldn’t contain. There was something truly special about this variety. As the weeks passed, my initial instincts were confirmed: this rose was going to be exceptional.

Let me try to describe why.

The growth habit is beautifully upright, reaching around 2 meters in height, with dark green, healthy foliage. Each stem is well-balanced—not too thick—and typically carries a single bloom, which allows the flower to stand out in all its elegance.

And then there’s the colour: a radiant salmon-orange softened by a silvery-cream edging that highlights each outer petal. This bi-coloured contrast is simply captivating. The blooms start as proud, globular buds whilst the sepals are still closed, these transform into amazingly attractive pointed buds as they start showing colour, evolving into classically shaped pointed Hybrid Tea blooms before finally opening into lush, nostalgic peony-style flowers.

They are not only stunning to look at—they’re fragrant. And the stems? Thornless.

Yes, thornless.

In all honesty, I never thought I would say this, but I finally have an answer to that persistent question: “What is your favourite rose?”

This one.

Perfection, if I may say so myself.