Rosa Zelmani's Dream - Climbing Rose

Climbing rose Zelmani’s Dream® combines large, double, pink-tinged cream flowers, a floral and fruity fragrance and remarkably healthy foliage. It produces generous and truly charming flowering, which is renewed in waves from summer to autumn. Much less vigorous than large rambling roses, it can be trained over an arch, pillar, trellis or small pergola, near a pathway.

Zelmani’s Dream is a modern climbing rose from the Rosaceae family. This rambling shrub has deciduous foliage, which falls in autumn and is renewed in spring. It was bred in Germany by W. Kordes’ Söhne under the code 'KORphieso', then introduced in 2024 in the Climbing Max collection. Its name pays tribute to the Swedish singer Sophie Zelmani. The rose was named in Kalmar in July 2024, during the congress of the World Federation of Rose Societies. It received the Fragrance Favourite award at the Concours international de la Rose Nouvelle in Nyon in 2025, followed by a certificate in the climbing rose category at the Bagatelle competition in 2026.
Its long, thorny stems do not cling on by themselves and must be tied to their support. The new shoots lengthen during the season, then become woody before winter. The main branches benefit from being angled to encourage the secondary branching that will bear the flowers. This rose reaches 2.50 m in height and 80 cm in spread, dimensions that make it suitable for training over a medium-sized structure. Its dark green, glossy foliage is made up of toothed leaflets. The reddish buds open into 8 to 10 cm across, double flowers with a cupped shape. Their colour combines soft pink and cream, then lightens as they open. It may also vary slightly according to temperature and sunlight. The stamens sometimes become visible when the corolla is fully open. The fragrance, with floral, rosy and fruity notes, is strong enough to have received an award at the Nyon competition. Flowering begins in June and is renewed in waves until October, or even until the first frosts in a mild climate. The foliage shows good resistance to black spot and powdery mildew. Kordes reports slight susceptibility to rust, but also good regenerative capacity. The plant tolerates temperatures between -20 and -23 °C in well-drained soil.

This moderately vigorous climbing rose can cover an arch, trellis, fence or the wall of a garden shed. On a sufficiently wide support, it can be combined with two compact clematis: 'Guernsey Flute', with large ivory-white flowers, and 'Piilu', in two shades of pink. Both flower in spring, then flower again in late summer. Sown in spring, a sweet pea, with highly fragrant flowers, will mingle its stems with those of its neighbours. However, provide a structure that is wide enough for their stems to be spread out and tied without forming an overly dense tangle. Another possibility is to combine Zelmani’s Dream and climbing rose Alaska® on the same sufficiently wide pillar.