The 8th International Rose Competition brought together 70 rose varieties from 16 competitors that came from eight countries on 30 April at the Princess Grace Rose Garden. The roses were judged by an international jury according to evaluation criteria defined by the World Rose Federation.
Held every two years in April or May, the International New Rose Competition crowns the work of the world’s best breeders, whose creations are judged exclusively in pots. To be awarded the competition’s gold medal, or the Piaget Trophy, is an exceptional honour for a rose breeder.
Months of Patience
To ensure fairness, young plants selected by breeders from around the world arrive in Monaco at the end of autumn (November/December). They are then welcomed into a secret nursery at Saint-Laurent-d’Èze for acclimatization.
The challenge is that the rose reaches its peak precisely on the morning of the competition. This can be achieved by manually pinching the rose’s stem up to forty days before the competition to help control the growth of the plant.
Evaluation criteria
This year’s participating countries were France, Germany, Poland, Japan, USA, Italy, Denmark and Belgium. Each flower was judged with criteria adding up to one hundred points: thirty points for “overall impression” (plant, foliage, vigour, novelty); thirty points for “flower” (colour, abundance of blooms, buds); thirty points for “disease resistance” and ten points for fragrance.
The Winners…
The Piaget Rose Trophy was won by the Simsalabim KORnekcraz (a Ground Cover rose) bred by Kordes Roses, Germany.
The Fragrance Cup was won by the Perugino Oralipar (Hybrid Tea rose) bred by R.O.S.E. Roses Orard Selection Edition, France.
The Friends of the Princess Grace Rose Garden’s Favourite was won by the Meiconfiz (Multi-flowered rose) bred by Meilland International, Alain Meilland, France.
The Princess Grace Rose Garden was created over forty years ago by Prince Rainier III as an homage to Princess Grace and her passion for flowers. The garden is home to more than 450 varieties and nearly 6,000 roses, organized in themed beds that come together to create a giant rose when seen from above.
The garden’s favourite rose?
The Yves Piaget rose, with its saturated pink colour, spiral of eighty serrated petals, and powerful fragrance is one of the Princess Grace Rose Garden’s most iconic and favourite flowers. It illustrates the quality of the work of its breeder, Meilland, renowned rose designer who won this year’s Friends of the Princess Grace Rose Garden’s Favourite prize!
People’s Choice Award
The People’s Choice Award for the 8th International Rose Competition is currently open for online voting until 15 June on the Friends of the Princess Grace Rose Garden website.
