'Fragrant Cloud' Rose

Overview

'Fragrant Cloud' is a coral-red hybrid tea bred by Mathias Tantau in Germany and introduced in 1963 under the name 'Duftwolke'. Tantau gives its scent the top rating of five stars, the RHS notes the blooms for their intense fragrance, and the World Federation of Rose Societies calls the perfume incredibly powerful. (Rosa 'Fragrant Cloud' (Duftwolke), hybrid tea.)

Origin & Natural Habitat

Tantau's own catalogue and the WFRS both date its introduction to 1963; Tantau lists 'Fragrant Cloud' (UK) and 'Nuage Parfume' (France) as synonyms, and the registration name is TANellis. 'Prima Ballerina' is one parent, according to both Weeks Roses and Wikipedia. Its awards include the Royal National Rose Society's President's International Trophy in 1964, the Portland Gold Medal in 1966 and the James Gamble Fragrance Award in 1970. In 1981 it entered the WFRS Rose Hall of Fame, which Tantau records as "World Rose 1981", and in 2004 it won the scent cup in Geneva.

Appearance

The WFRS describes orange-red blooms slightly flushed with a lavender-grey tint, and Wikipedia notes a purplish hue as the flowers age. Tantau gives open flowers 10-12 cm across on an upright, bushy plant 50-80 cm tall; the RHS describes strong upright growth of about 80-90 cm with dark reddish-green foliage and high-centred blooms. Weeks Roses lists 5 feet for American gardens, and Wikipedia describes the plant as very prickly.

Why People Grow It - Qualities & Benefits

• Five-star fragrance on its breeder's scale
• A coral shade that the WFRS says is found in no other rose
• An early start: Tantau calls it particularly early flowering
• Repeat flowering through summer and autumn, according to the RHS

Care

Light: Full sun in a sheltered, south-, west- or east-facing spot, as the RHS lists it.

Water: Water at the soil and keep spray off the leaves. Purdue Extension notes that black spot spores spread by rain or watering, and Tantau rates this rose's black spot resistance at one star out of four.

Soil & Feeding: The RHS accepts chalk, clay, loam or sand, from acid to alkaline, as long as the soil is fertile and humus-rich. Rose care basics cover feeding.

Temperature & Hardiness: Tantau gives its winter hardiness two stars out of three, and Wikipedia says it does well in USDA zone 7 and warmer; Weeks Roses lists zones 7b-10b. The RHS rating is H6.

Pruning & Maintenance: The RHS puts it in pruning group 15, for hybrid teas, which are cut low in late winter to promote vigorous new shoots. As a standard on a 70-90 cm stem, which Tantau also sells, it needs the treatment Purdue gives tree roses: heavy pruning in spring and light pruning during the season so the head does not grow too large for the stem.

Planting & Propagation

Tantau recommends 6-8 plants per square metre, 35-40 cm apart, and sells it potted, bare-rooted or as a standard. For propagation the RHS gives hardwood cuttings in autumn, softwood cuttings under glass in spring or summer, or chip budding in summer, and it rates the rose good for containers.

Common Problems & Pests

• Weak against black spot: Tantau scores its leaf health here at one star of four
• Mildew: Tantau rates its resistance at three stars out of four
• Glasshouse red spider mite, aphids and rose leafhopper, which the RHS names as possible pests

Toxicity & Safety

Roses are non-toxic to dogs and cats - the thorns are the only hazard.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Top fragrance score from its breeder
• An unusual coral color
• Very early to flower

Cons

• Weak black spot resistance
• Very prickly
• Winter hardiness rated two of three stars by Tantau

Best Suited For

• Beds beside paths and seating, where the scent is noticed
• Cut flowers: the RHS calls it ideal as a cut flower
• Large containers
• Mixed plantings, a use Tantau lists alongside cutting

FAQ

How strong is the scent?

Tantau calls the flowers extremely fragrant and gives them five stars out of five. It won the James Gamble Fragrance Award in 1970 and the Geneva scent cup in 2004. Weeks Roses describes the perfume as sometimes clove, often spicy, sweet and mostly rose.

Is 'Duftwolke' the same rose as 'Fragrant Cloud'?

Yes. 'Duftwolke' is Tantau's German name; 'Fragrant Cloud' is the British name and 'Nuage Parfume' the French one, all for the cultivar registered as TANellis. Tantau sums the name up as "intense fragrance experience = cloud of fragrance".