Elegant Fairy Tale--your assessment?

15 years ago

While browsing through some rose lists, I chanced upon the Kordes floribunda called Elegant Fairy Tale. Looks very interesting. I like the blend of white/pale pink (or is that more peach-like?) and that it is rated as very disease-resistant to blackspot.

So how is it in the garden? Good re-bloom? How about height? Helpmefind says it gets nearly 4 ft tall--that's workable for me, but maybe a bit taller than I want. With judicious pruning can it be kept more like 3.5 ft tall? How about width? Is it more of a round-shaped bush, or more vertical, or maybe vase-shaped?

Anything else about Elegant Fairy Tale would be appreciated also. This is a completely new one to me.

Kate

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Comments (6)

len511
15 years ago
I don't know, but with a name like Kordes, it has to be good!
Unless they label it as a florists rose, I would think it should be a fine garden worthy variety. Kordes certainly has a fine reputation in that regard.
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lynnette
15 years ago
Elegant Fairy Tale or Bremer Stadtmusikanten, does want to grow tall and upright. I would think that in your area it would not get away on you. In my garden it is disease free, has lots of gardenia shaped blooms on it it and is now 5 feet tall but I don't prune until a rose is at least 3 years old. I don't think you would have any problems keeping it down to 4 feet.
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windeaux
15 years ago
My EFT is an own-root that has just finished its second year in my garden, so my comments aren't based on experience with a fully mature plant. I just went out to check the height of mine . . . HMF's statement of 4 ft for this rose may be somewhat conservative. In my zone, however, roses tend to grow taller than published norms. As regards width, the jury is still out, but mine now has a fairly compact structure - more vertical than spreading.

This is a rose that has performed well in a partially shaded location. Disease resistance has been better than average (altho I do spray) and it has a fairly rapid repeat. When fully open, the bloom bears a striking resemblance to Camellia japonica. Also, the flowers (always in clusters) open out to a diameter that's rather impressive, given the size of the buds and the partially opened blooms.

EFT is the second of Kordes' Fairy Tale series that I've tried. The other was a grafted 'Caramel Fairy Tale' which, after a slow start, turned out to be a very rampant grower. It's a lovely rose, but here in the sunny South it wanted to be a small climber. It's now in a friend's garden.
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the_bustopher z6 MO
15 years ago
I got this one this past spring. It is a very delicate colored, cream to pink rose with rather small to medium sized flowers. Mine got quite large, about 5 ft tall, and very sprawly growing in a pot for observation. I think it will take up quite a bit of ground space. It is more plant than flowers, at least its first year. Repeat blooming did happen, but, again, mine was more bush than flowers, somewhat like Benjamin Britten's problem of being more bush than flowers. Jury still out on this one.
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hershigrl
15 years ago
Mine has been stuck in a pot and was just put in the ground last year. Right now it's very low and wide.
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sunnysideuphill
15 years ago
I have Bremerstadtmusikanten - didn't know it had another name.
I bought it from Ashdown, 2007, last year was its second in a 12"pot, and I have only removed some tip damage last spring. It is in its second winter in my "pot ditch", covered with leaves and a lot of snow, and I hope it will need moving to a bigger pot sometime this spring/summer.
MOstly healthy except for an attack of rose slugs early last year, and a minor bout with something spotty late in the summer.
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Elegant Fairy Tale--your assessment?

Comments (6)

len511

lynnette

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