MEICOLOSS – red park rose – Meicoloss Meidiland® MEIcoloss
With its vigorous habit and colossal presence, Meicoloss Meidiland® builds into a broad, bushy shrub that gives You generous colour with straightforward care. Its dense, dark green foliage makes the vivid, rich red blooms stand out from early summer onwards, and the clusters of semi-double flowers repeat reliably through the season. As an own-root shrub, it settles in steadily and can regenerate from its base, supporting a long garden lifespan without complicated techniques. In a damp Irish climate with periods of rain, You simply support it with sensible positioning and regular checks to avoid persistent humidity around the leaves. In the first year it concentrates on roots, in the second on building strong shoots, and by the third year it reaches its full ornamental value as a substantial, flowering park rose that anchors beds, hedges and spacious borders around Your home.
Use cases
| Target area |
Reason |
| Deep-red focal shrub in a front garden bed |
Ideal where You want a single, eye-catching shrub with intense, non-fading red flowers that hold their colour well even as they darken, giving a strong focal point beside drives or front paths for colour-loving beginners |
| Informal flowering hedge along a boundary |
The bushy, spreading habit and dense, glossy foliage make it well suited to loose hedging that provides both structure and summer colour, gradually forming a broad barrier that works well in typical Irish gardens with regular rainfall for practical-minded homeowners |
| Mass planting in larger beds or park-style borders |
Its vigorous growth and recommended wider spacing allow it to fill space effectively, so groups of plants can create a cohesive sweep of red blossom in urban or rural settings, giving strong visual impact without fiddly planting patterns for relaxed gardeners |
| Mixed shrub border with perennials |
The dark green, glossy leaves provide a reliable backdrop for companion plants, and its repeated clusters of blooms thread red accents through summer, pairing well with perennials so the border looks full and intentional even when You keep maintenance simple for busy families |
| Sunny cottage-style corner with traditional companions |
Works well in cottage-style schemes where an old-fashioned, deep-red shrub rose is combined with upright or airy flowers, giving romantic colour and generous foliage that fits naturally beside stone walls and gravel paths in informal Irish cottage gardens for rural owners |
| Heat-tolerant feature in a warm, sheltered spot |
With good tolerance of heat and drier periods, it is a reassuring choice for sunnier, sheltered corners or south-facing aspects where some plants flag, continuing to flower and hold foliage reasonably in warm spells for climate-conscious planners |
| Large container on a terrace or paved front area |
In a minimum 40–50 litre container with good drainage, its strong shrub form and dense foliage give substantial presence on patios or by front doors, so You can enjoy a park-style rose even where ground space is limited, suiting compact-space gardeners |
| Long-term structural rose in a family garden plan |
As an own-root shrub that forms its framework in place and can regrow from the base, it offers stable long-term structure in the garden when given sensible care, becoming a lasting element around which other plants can change for future-focused owners |
Decorating ideas
- Cottage Hedge Line – Plant a loose row along a picket fence, underplant with Lupinus ‘Gallery Pink’ and spring bulbs for a soft, cottagey ribbon of colour – for lovers of relaxed rural style.
- Red Welcome Bed – Use one or three shrubs near the front door, combining with low Verbena hastata ‘White Spires’ and evergreen grasses to frame the entrance – for homeowners who want instant kerb appeal.
- Park-Style Grouping – Create a semicircle of plants in a lawn opening, then weave in Phormium ‘Tom Thumb’ and simple groundcovers for a structured, park-like feel – for those planning larger family plots.
- Terrace Statement Pot – Grow a single plant in a 50 litre terracotta container with trailing thyme and seasonal bedding to soften the rim, giving strong height and colour on paved spaces – for balcony and terrace gardeners.
- Mixed Border Anchor – Place it mid-border with pastel perennials and small hydrangeas around it, so the deep red flowers anchor the colour scheme through summer – for gardeners designing balanced, long-lived borders.
Technical cultivar profile
| Characteristic |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Registered as MEIcoloss, traded as Meicoloss Meidiland and MEIcoloss, shrub rose in the Park group, sold here as MEICOLOSS – red park rose, part of the Meidiland collection. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Alain Meilland in France around 2000, with parentage not recorded; introduced in 2001 by Meilland Richardier, representing the vigorous, landscape-style Meidiland shrub line. |
| Growth and structure |
Large, bushy, spreading shrub reaching about 120–170 cm tall and 130–190 cm wide, with dense, dark green glossy foliage and moderate prickliness, forming a substantial, landscape-scale rose. |
| Flower morphology |
Semi-double, cupped, medium-sized flowers borne in clusters, with about 13–25 petals; remontant, with a notably abundant second flush that extends seasonal ornamental value in beds and borders. |
| Colour and phenology |
Rich, deep red blooms with dark, velvety buds; petals remain vivid as they darken slightly, without orange or purple tones, giving an even, glossy red appearance through successive flushes of flowering. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Classed as unscented, with no noticeable perfume in the garden; chosen primarily for its strong visual presence, flower colour and shrub form rather than for scented or cut-flower use. |
| Rose hip characteristics |
Occasionally sets small hips up to about 8 mm across, not a dominant ornamental feature and typically overlooked within the dense foliage and late-season structure of the shrub. |
| Resistance and hardiness |
Very hardy to approximately -26 to -23 °C (RHS H7, USDA 5b, Swedish zone 4); heat and drought tolerance is good, but foliar disease resistance is weak so regular protection is advisable. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun or light shade with good air flow; allow generous spacing for its size, and in gardens with wet, heavy soil ensure improved drainage and a consistent, preventative plant protection routine. |
MEICOLOSS offers a vigorous, deep-red shrub presence that handles sun and heat well, builds long-term structure as an own-root rose, and rewards steady, basic care with dependable colour, making it a thoughtful choice if You wish to invest in one strong feature plant.
