QUICKSILVER – purple climbing rose - Kordes
If You dream of a romantic climbing rose that still feels manageable in an Irish family garden, QUICKSILVER gives You graceful height without overwhelming the space. Its large, cupped, lavender blooms open in generous flushes, bringing a cottage feel to pergolas, arches and sunny house walls. This own-root plant settles in steadily, creating a reliable, long-lived framework that can be pruned back and refreshed over the years without losing vigour. Once planted in decent soil with good drainage for coping with our heavier, rain-soaked clays, it rewards You with repeat flowering through the season and a soft, medium-strength fragrance that drifts around seating areas. The dark green, slightly glossy foliage forms a dense curtain that helps hide fences while staying relatively sparse in thorns, making tying-in and training less of a chore. In its first year it concentrates on root growth, in the second it builds strong shoots, and by the third year it reaches full ornamental impact with the romantic Quicksilver colour You chose it for.
Use cases
| Target area | Reason |
|---|
| Front-garden rose arch framing the entrance path |
Ideal where You want a welcoming arch with showy, lavender-purple flowers that repeat through the season, giving reliable colour and scent at eye level for an everyday “coming home” moment for beginners |
| Climbing feature on a sunny house wall |
Works well when trained on wires along south- or west-facing walls, where its dense foliage and tall, climbing habit create a soft floral backdrop that matures into a long-lived vertical accent for homeowners |
| Pergola or seating-area frame in a family garden |
Suited to covering pergola posts and beams, combining medium fragrance with layered blooms overhead so You can enjoy colour and scent while sitting below, especially appreciated by relaxed garden users |
| Romantic cottage-style corner with mixed perennials |
Pairs attractively with traditional cottage plants, its pastel lavender blooms weaving through companions to give a gentle, storybook feel that gradually improves each year for cottage-garden enthusiasts |
| Screening a functional fence or side boundary |
Its climbing habit and dense dark foliage help soften utilitarian fences, creating a greener, more decorative boundary as the plant establishes a stable, own-root structure over time for privacy-seeking families |
| Small group of climbers along a garden fence |
Planting a short run of QUICKSILVER roses at the recommended spacing forms a continuous, repeat-flowering ribbon of colour that gives an ordered, tidy look without complex design work for practical-minded gardeners |
| Part-shaded side of the garden with afternoon sun |
Performs in spots that enjoy a few good hours of sun but spend mornings or late afternoons in shade, especially where the soil drains well despite Ireland’s wetter spells and heavier clays for time-poor owners |
| Large container on a sheltered patio or balcony |
Can be grown in a minimum 40–50 litre container with a sturdy support, letting You enjoy its colour and scent even where planting into the ground is not possible, an appealing option for compact-city-space gardeners |
Decorating ideas
- Lavender Archway – Train QUICKSILVER over a metal or wooden arch and underplant with lavender or rosemary to echo its soft colour and fragrance – ideal for romantic entrance paths.
- Cottage Fence Run – Space several plants along a low fence and weave in Verbena hastata ‘White Spires’ for airy white spires among the purple roses – good for relaxed cottage-style front gardens.
- Pergola Retreat – Cover pergola posts with QUICKSILVER and fill the base with hydrangeas for lush summer colour at different heights – perfect for family seating areas.
- Patio Feature Pot – Grow it in a 40–50 litre container with Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’ as a neat evergreen underplant – suited to small patios and balconies.
- Twilight Corner – Use its silvery-lilac tones near pale paving and soft outdoor lighting, adding white flowering perennials for evening glow – great for after-work relaxation spaces.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Large-flowered climbing rose, registered as KORpucoblu, marketed as QUICKSILVER – purple climbing rose - Kordes; ARS exhibition name Quick Silver; member of the climbing rose collection. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tim-Hermann Kordes at W. Kordes’ Söhne, Germany, from unnamed seedlings; bred in 2004, registered in 2015 and introduced in 2016 through W. Kordes’ Söhne Rosenschulen GmbH & Co. KG. |
| Awards and recognitions |
Recognised at the Australian National Rose Trials with a Certificate of Merit in 2022, underlining its ornamental performance and garden value in trial conditions. |
| Growth and structure |
Climbing habit with dense, dark green, slightly glossy foliage and sparse thorns; typical height 180–300 cm with 90–160 cm spread, forming a trained vertical framework on arches, fences and walls. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very double, cupped blooms with more than 40 petals, borne mainly in clusters; remontant flowering pattern with an abundant second flush, giving repeated decorative impact through the season. |
| Colour and phenology |
Pastel lavender to silvery lilac flowers, cool-toned purple overall; colour remains clearer and more vivid in cooler weather, tending to fade somewhat in hot conditions during the main flowering periods. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength scent with a pleasant lavender-rose character; fragrance is distinct but not overpowering, especially noticeable near arches, pergolas or paths where flowers are close to nose height. |
| Rose hip characteristics |
Rose-hip set is generally low due to the very double flower form; where formed, hips are small, ellipsoidal, 9–15 mm across and orange-red, adding modest late-season interest. |
| Resistance and hardiness |
Hardy to approximately -26 to -23 °C (H7, USDA 5b, Swedish zone 4); however, foliage is very susceptible to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, requiring regular monitoring and protective care. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny or lightly shaded sites with well-drained soil; recommended spacings: 150 cm for mass planting, 140 cm for hedging, 240 cm as a specimen; allow 0.4–0.5 plants/m² depending on arrangement. |
QUICKSILVER – purple climbing rose - Kordes offers romantic repeat-flowering height, manageable prickles and a long-lived own-root structure that settles in steadily over the years, making it a thoughtful choice if You would like a dependable climbing feature.
