Cultivar group Hybrid Tea Scientific name Rosa 'KORzaun' | Origin Reimer Kordes, 1984 Rank Cultivar | |
Hybrid parentage 'Feuerzauber' × Seedling Marketing names Royal William, Fragrant Charm, Duftzauber, La Magie du Parfum, Leonora Christine Similar Rosa 'Mrs Fred Danks', Rosa 'Precious Platinum', Rosa 'English Miss', Rosa 'Mrs Harkness', Rosa 'Chopin' | ||
The Royal William rose, registered under the cultivar name 'KORzaun', is a red hybrid tea rose. It was developed by Reimer Kordes from the cultivar 'Feuerzauber' (Kordes 1973) and is available under several other marketing names, such as Fragrant Charm, Duftzauber, La Magie du Parfum and Leonora Christine.
According to The Ultimate Rose Book, the rose was introduced in 1983, when Britain celebrated the birth of Prince William, second in line to the British throne. The Royal William rose has been planted in Windsor Great Park's Savill Garden in celebration of the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
The dark red flowers develop from even darker, pointed buds. They reach an average diameter of 13 cm (5") have a strong fragrance. The vigorous shrub has dark green foliage, reaches a height of 75 to 125 cm (30" to 48") at a width of 60 to 75 cm (2' to 30"), is winter hardy up to -20 °C (USDA zone 6b) and very disease resistant. Due to their long, solid stems Royal William is well suited as cut flower.
Awards
Royal William was granted several awards, including the Fragrance Award in Monza (1985) and The Hague (1987). The Royal Horticultural Society awarded the cultivar the title Best of the Best in 1987 – jointly with 'Sweet Magic' – and the Award of Garden Merit in 1993.
