Bonanza ® – yellow-red park rose – KORmarie
If You want a reliable shrub rose that simply gets on with the job in an Irish family garden, Bonanza ® is an easy choice. This upright park rose builds a long-lived, own-root framework that settles in steadily and copes well with our damp weather and heavy soils when basic drainage is in place. Its large, double, yellow-and-red blooms appear in generous flushes, so even with modest care You enjoy a consistently colourful display from early summer onwards. Most spent flowers drop away on their own, so the bush stays tidy without constant deadheading – a real help for beginners and busy households. Over time the well-rooted, own‑root plant matures from year‑1 roots, through stronger year‑2 shoots, to full year‑3 impact, giving You a stable, low-fuss feature shrub. Whether You plant a single specimen or a small group, Bonanza ® creates a statement that feels confident yet uncomplicated to look after.
Use cases
| Target area | Reason |
|---|
| Front garden focal shrub near the entrance |
The upright, medium-tall habit and vivid yellow-red bicolour blooms create an immediate sense of welcome without needing complicated pruning. Planted by the gate or front door, it offers a dependable, tidy feature that suits busy home-owning beginners. |
| Small group planting in an ornamental bed |
Planting 3–5 bushes at 55–90 cm spacing quickly builds a coherent, long-lived framework of growth that fills space and flowers generously. As an own-root shrub, it thickens up year after year, rewarding patient but low-effort care for time-poor gardeners. |
| Colour accent in a mixed cottage-style border |
The warm amber-yellow and crimson edging works beautifully with soft perennials like lady’s mantle or honesty, giving that relaxed cottage look while remaining structurally strong. Its reliable flowering simplifies border design for style-conscious homeowners. |
| Low-maintenance flowering hedge or loose screen |
At around 110–180 cm high with dense, glossy foliage, Bonanza ® forms a leafy, flower-dotted line when planted at about 50 cm intervals. Good natural self-cleaning keeps the hedge looking presentable for low-maintenance gardens. |
| Feature rose for small and medium family lawns |
Used as a solitary specimen at roughly 90 cm clearance, the bushy frame and repeat flowering create a clear point of interest on the lawn. This lets You enjoy strong colour and structure without needing complex mixed planting, ideal for busy families. |
| Seasonal container on a sheltered patio or balcony |
Bonanza ® adapts well to large containers of at least 40–50 litres, where its upright growth and dense foliage give a robust presence. With regular watering and feeding, it provides impactful colour for apartment or courtyard settings. |
| Rose bed in heavier Irish soils |
This cultivar copes well with our typically wet conditions, as long as You provide reasonable drainage in heavy clay to avoid waterlogging. That makes it a reassuring choice for suburban plots where soil improvement options are limited for practical gardeners. |
| Cut flowers from the family garden |
The large, cup-shaped double blooms on strong stems are easy to cut for informal indoor arrangements, extending garden enjoyment into the home. While fragrance is light, the colour and form give satisfying results for home decorators. |
Decorating ideas
- Cottage Glow Border – Combine Bonanza ® with lady’s mantle and honesty for a relaxed, rural-cottage look where its repeat-flowering structure anchors the frothy perennials – ideal for those wanting a soft, romantic front garden with minimal fuss.
- Warm Welcome Path – Line a short front path with a loose row of Bonanza ® and underplant with low catmint, using its upright, hedge-like habit to frame the way to your door – suited to homeowners who like simple, symmetrical designs.
- Sunset Patio Pot – Grow one shrub in a 40–50 litre container, adding trailing thyme or creeping rosemary around the base so the yellow-red blooms rise above aromatic foliage – perfect for small patios and balconies that need a single strong feature.
- Family Lawn Island – Place Bonanza ® in a small island bed in the lawn, teamed with a ring of hardy geraniums, so its long-lived framework holds the centre while perennials knit around the base – great for families wanting colour with easy mowing lines.
- Park-Style Flower Strip – Recreate a park planting by massing several Bonanza ® along a fence, interplanted with campanulas for cool blue contrast, letting the self-cleaning flowers keep the display neat – ideal for those who prefer straightforward, repeatable schemes.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Registered as KORmarie, traded as Bonanza ® yellow-red park shrub rose. Shrub / park rose group with ARS exhibition name Bonanza, suitable for garden and landscape use in family-scale plantings. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Reimer Kordes (Wilhelm Kordes’ Söhne) in Germany from Seedling × ‘Arthur Bell’. Introduced and registered in 1983, reflecting classic Kordes breeding for robust, ornamental garden shrubs. |
| Awards and recognitions |
Holds ADR recognition (1984), indicating strong garden performance under trial conditions, with an emphasis on growth, floral effect and overall resilience in ordinary outdoor settings. |
| Growth and structure |
Upright shrub with dense, dark green, glossy foliage and moderate thorns. Grows approximately 110–180 cm high and 60–100 cm wide, forming a substantial, long-term framework suitable for specimens, groups or hedging. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double, cup-shaped blooms (about 2.75–3.95 in) with 26–39 petals, usually in clusters. Remontant, providing a strong first flush and a generous second flowering, with good natural self-cleaning of spent blooms. |
| Colour and phenology |
Striking yellow-red bicolour: vivid amber-yellow base with crimson-red edging. Buds orange-red with a yellow sheen; colour softens from deep golden yellow and crimson to pale gold and brick orange as blooms mature. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Fragrance very weak and barely noticeable, so it is chosen primarily for colour effect and structure rather than scent. Strongly double flowers with dense petals limit access for pollinators and are not classed as pollinator-friendly. |
| Rose hip characteristics |
Rose hip set is generally low because of the double flower form. Where present, hips are small, spherical, bright red, about 10–16 mm in diameter, contributing occasional seasonal interest after flowering. |
| Resistance and hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C (USDA 6b, RHS H7, Swedish zone 3). Heat and moderate drought tolerant with watering in prolonged dry spells. Disease resistance medium; some susceptibility to black spot in humid seasons. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with well-drained soil; improve heavy clay before planting. Recommended spacings: 55 cm for massed beds, 50 cm for hedging, 90 cm as a specimen. Maintenance moderate, with occasional plant protection where disease pressure is high. |
Bonanza ® offers vivid, repeat flowering, a long-lived shrub framework and easy self-cleaning on an own-root plant that settles in reliably over time, making it a reassuring, low-fuss choice if You would like a durable feature rose.
