I’m not sure what I would make of the architecture of this HT – I’m more of a landscape rose kinda guy. But the form of the blossoms and purported health of the bush do cause me to sit up and take notice. It is very popular with those who know it, apparently.
Anybody have any impression about this rose and it’s usefulness for breeding?
I had one in a pot for a couple-three years and never used it much. I think I just let it go. Perhaps I’m prejudiced against hyuge blossoms because I assume they’ll never be hardy. Now you got me reading about its health on HMF and questioning myself.
Top rating for resistance to BS on Kordes’ site as well, and the only four star reviewer (all others 5) was because reviewer couldn’t detect the fragrance as described. https://www.kordes-rosen.com/gardenroses/specific-situation/for-vases/wedding-bells
Well-reviewed on Garden Web too: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3013613/kordes-wedding-bells
I just wondered what attributes it might pass on. My guess is probably just a dominant pink coloring?
Hi Philip,
I have Wedding Bells rose, 3 years old, It is a very good rose, almost BS immune, even here in southern Brazil. It makes huge and full blossoms. I can’t tell you yet about his inheritance because I used It for the first time this year, as a seed parent crossed with Rosarium Uetersen, who is pink too. (But WB has a very little yellow collor at the beggining of petals, who knows! Maybe It has yellow genes.) The only seedling from that cross is very small yet. I get It from embryo extracting.
Low points of WB: slow grower, not that fragrant, medium to low fragrant. For me usually makes partially open hips. Besides, I love It.
Rodrigo
Thanks, Rodrigo.
Of course, it’s pink. To be a pink rose that’s worth adding to a collection, it probably needs to have something pretty exceptional going for it, IMO. Good to know that it sets viable seeds – though no indication of seeds per hip nor viability rates. If I see it on a clearance rack, it sounds like one I will nab, otherwise, I will wait to learn if it truly is a must-have. I will, in particular, be curious to know if its seedlings are all pink, or can be painted different colors using other parents.
The slow growth might not be a bad thing in view of the near-species roses I would like to consider mating her with…
Thanks for your insights.
Very healthy here in central GA - black spot paradise.
Still seeing nothing but phenomenal reports on this (sigh… pink) HT.
This rose is not as readily available as e.g. Beverly, it seems. Beverly is viewed as more fragrant, but in every other regard, the reviews on GardenWeb and elsewhere put Wedding Bells over the top for health and performance. I know Pierre extolled it’s virtues in the Riviera, saying it far exceeded Meilland’s highly rated Prince Jardinier/Francis Meilland. (And a Frenchman extolling a German rose above those of his compatriots at that! 
) It appears to do well everywhere from (some locales in) zone 4 all the way down into s. FL, zone 10. (HMF has zn 5 and up.)
Stephen, did you use it in any crosses? Has anyone else done anything with this rose int he last year
(BTW, anybody know what has become of Pierre? I have come to realize that a number of members from yesteryear appear to no longer be active, and I hope the are all well, and still hybridizing!)
It seems like ages of waiting but now I have the first bloom of my single seedling from Wedding bells x Rosarium uetersen
It is a rambler rose, mild fragrance
It is very BS resistent, a little suscetible to rust, a nice healthy rose. I can’t take good pictures of the full habit because It is growing over and between other roses, I really need to fix things here.
Thank you guys for all the knowledge that I found here
Beautiful rose! I like the coloring at the edge of The petals like that.
Duane
Fully open now
Beautiful!
Sorry I’ve been slow to acknowledge your follow up, but that is a very nice-looking bloom IMO.
I hope someone will confirm or contradict me, but my impression with Kordes seedlings is that they can take a long time to start showing their true potential, and you might well have a rose that settles into a steady rebloomer. (I have only a handful of Kordes seedlings in my garden from 2018, and none have bloomed so far for me despite all of them being crossed with good repeaters.)
It may be available on Fortuniana from K&M Roses. I got it from them.
What a beautiful rose!!! Now you have me wondering if I should be looking at Wedding Bells.
DUane