Open to UK rose breeders and the UK agents of international rose breeders, the Rose of the Year® Competition aims to discover the best rose(s) in any given year.
Managed by Roses UK on behalf of British Association of Rose Breeders (BARB), each Rose of the Year® trial lasts for two years, commencing six years before the commercial introduction of a winning rose. Entries, which generally consist of up to 20 varieties, are judged on characteristics such as flower and plant form, colour, scent, abundance of flower, health and (easy) maintenance. Trials are conducted throughout the UK from as far north as Aberdeen, to Hampshire in the South, Northern Ireland and East Anglia with the varieties trialled in different soil and climate conditions.
The 2026 Rose of the Year is the floribunda, Rosa Coral Gardens® (‘Korzwanlio’), bred by Kordes Rosen – a BARB member. Growing upright to a height of 80cm (width 50cm) Rosa Coral Gardens has dark coral buds, which open to reveal petals in a blend of pink-coral, softening to apricot-salmon complemented by dark green, glossy foliage. With a delicate fruity scent, the winning rose showed excellent weather resistance to rain, humidity or hot, dry conditions, outstanding disease resistance and plentiful in flower. The blooms hold their colour well and proved highly rain-resistant, making this rose well suited to the increasingly unpredictable UK weather.
In addition to the Rose of the Year title, Rosa Coral Gardens has received multiple awards worldwide in rose trials in Adelaide, Kortrijk, Lyon, The Hague and Warsaw. The new rose made its trade debut at the recent HTA National Plant Show and will be available for purchase (bare-root & potted) this autumn from (rose) nurseries and garden centres. Rosa Coral Gardens is suitable for sunny spots in free-draining soil.
Roses UK is a marketing project funded by BARB which aims generate greater visibility and appreciation of roses and stimulate demand through promotional activities.
