Rosa "Antike89", 2 l pot

• Type: large-flowered climbing rose, repeat-flowering
• Botanical name: Rosa 'Antike 89' (KORdalen)
• Breeder: W. Kordes' Söhne, Germany, 1988
• Height and spread: 2.5–3.5 m / 1–1.3 m
• Flowering: June–September, repeat; 7–10 cm very double creamy-white blooms edged carmine
• Fragrance: almost none
• Light: full sun
• Soil: fertile, loose, loamy, well-drained
• Hardiness: USDA 4b (about −30 °C); overwinters well in Estonia with the base mounded
• Disease resistance: moderate
• Use: arches, pergolas, trellises, fences, walls
• Size: potted rose plant

Planting. Plant next to a support – trellis, arch, pergola or wall – in a sunny spot, 30–40 cm away from a wall so the roots do not dry out. The soil should be fertile, loose and loamy, never waterlogged, pH 6–7. Dig a hole about 60×60 cm with compost or rotted manure and set the graft union 5 cm deep. Potted plants can go in from May to September; space plants 1–1.5 m apart.

Watering and feeding. Water deeply but not too often – 10–15 l per plant once a week, more often in hot weather, ideally in the morning and at the base without wetting the leaves. In spring give a nitrogen-rich or complete rose fertiliser, again a complete feed when the buds form and after the first flush, and from mid-July only potassium-phosphorus feed without nitrogen so the shoots ripen before winter.

Care. Tie the main shoots to the support in a fan or almost horizontally so the side shoots flower more freely. In spring cut out frost-damaged tips and weak shoots and shorten side shoots to 2–3 buds; every 3–4 years replace the oldest main shoot with a young one. Remove spent clusters for a second flush. For winter mound the base 20–25 cm high; in cold snowless winters wrap the lower 1–1.5 m of shoots in fleece.

Gardener's tip. 'Antike 89' is a reliable climbing rose for Estonia: its shoots do not need to be taken down from the support for winter. The double blooms get heavy after rain, so fix the shoots to a sturdy support.