ALIBABA ® – orange climbing rose - Warner
A sun-loving, storybook climber for walls, arches and pergolas, Alibaba ® – CHEwalibaba – brings a cascade of orange blooms and strong, peach-tea fragrance to the family garden. Its reliable, repeat-flowering habit and award-winning performance make it an excellent choice where you want romantic impact without complicated care. As an own-root plant it builds strength steadily, supporting a long-lived, stable display that copes well with breezy, exposed spots and carefully managed heavier soils with improved drainage or shallow raised beds. In time, its dense foliage and coverage create a leafy backdrop for afternoon tea beneath an arbour, while the remontant flowering keeps arches coloured through summer. This 2‑litre pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL form is easy to handle and quick to establish, offering flexible training options on fences or pergolas for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Over the seasons the plant settles into your garden picture, gaining character and endurance as it matures.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Family pergola or arbour seating area |
Ideal where you want a romantic, shaded corner for family gatherings, its generous repeat flowering and strong scent create a cosy, afternoon-tea atmosphere over the seating. Own-root growth underpins a long-lived frame, with roots building first year, shoots in the second, and the full ornamental effect by the third, suiting the patient, enjoyment-focused homeowner. |
| House wall or sunny fence in a small garden |
Compact for a climber yet tall enough for privacy, it clothes walls and fences with dense foliage and warm orange-copper blooms. Moderate heat and drought tolerance suit typical UK summers, provided you water in dry spells, making it practical for low-maintenance boundary greening favoured by the busy urban gardener. |
| Traditional cottage-style rose border |
Its coppery-orange, cupped flowers sit beautifully among cottage staples like chives and verbena, giving a gently old-fashioned feel in a small to medium border. Repeating flushes keep colour coming through summer with only light deadheading, appealing to the romantic, cottage-garden enthusiast. |
| Feature arch or gateway in a family garden |
Alibaba ® is easy to train over an arch, forming a welcoming tunnel of scented flowers that children and guests walk beneath. The own-root habit means it regenerates reliably from the base if pruned harder, supporting long-term structure appreciated by the forward-planning planner. |
| Raised bed or improved heavy clay corner |
Where clay is present, a shallow raised bed or well-improved planting pocket allows its roots to establish, after which its good disease resistance keeps foliage looking fresh with little spraying. This suits those taming difficult spots with dependable but graceful plantspeople. |
| Large container on terrace, patio or balcony |
When grown in a 40–50 litre container with support, it offers vertical colour and fragrance in tight spaces, with low pruning needs and simple seasonal feeding. Own-root plants adapt better to life in pots over years, rewarding the space-conscious balcony or patio owner. |
| Coastal or more exposed suburban garden |
Its dense, dark green foliage and firm shoots give a well-anchored presence that copes with breezier, more exposed positions when tied securely, making it a sound choice for semi-coastal plots or open aspects demanding resilient beauty for the practical yet romantic buyer. |
| Low-input, family-friendly mixed hedge or screen |
Planted at hedge spacing, it weaves through supports to form a flowering screen with relatively low pruning needs and strong disease resistance, reducing spray and labour demands. Occasional hips add extra seasonal interest, pleasing the time-poor but quality-minded garden starter. |
Styling ideas
- Tea-rose pergola – Train Alibaba ® along a wooden pergola above a seating set, pairing with soft herbaceous planting and chives at the feet – for families who dream of leisurely afternoon tea outdoors.
- Copper cottage wall – Cover a sunny brick wall with its warm orange blooms, underplanting with white verbena and cottage perennials – for homeowners seeking a classic English-country backdrop.
- Romantic entry arch – Use two plants to frame a metal arch at the garden gate, combining with soft grasses for movement – for those who want a storybook welcome every time they come home.
- Patio statement pot – Grow it in a 50 litre container with a sturdy obelisk, surrounding the base with herbs for a kitchen-garden feel – for balcony and courtyard gardeners needing vertical charm.
- Soft screening span – Plant along a wire-strained fence to form a scented, flowering privacy screen with low maintenance needs – for busy households wanting beauty and seclusion together.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Alibaba ® – Climbing rose; Registered name CHEwalibaba; ARS exhibition name Alibaba; large-flowered climber for walls, arches and pergolas in family gardens. |
| Origin and breeding |
Climbing rose bred by Christopher H. Warner, United Kingdom, from Arcadian × Baby Love; registered 2006 and introduced by Fryers Roses in 2011 for wider garden use. |
| Awards and recognition |
Gold Standard award 2007; Lyon Rose Competition 2008 first prize and fragrance award; La Tacita 2011 gold medal, best climber; RHS Award of Garden Merit 2012. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Vigorous climbing habit, typically 200–330 cm high with 80–140 cm spread; dense, slightly glossy dark green foliage; moderately thorny stems suited to training on supports. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, double, cupped blooms with 26–39 petals, borne in clusters; remontant with a strong second flush; most faded flowers benefit from light deadheading to stay tidy. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Warm copper-orange flowers with coral veil; buds bronze-orange-red; ARS code ob, RHS 30B–30C; colour holds best in cooler spells, fading faster and flowering shorter in strong heat. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, long-lasting scent with peach and tea notes, especially noticeable around sitting areas; doubled blooms modestly accessible to insects so mainly grown for ornamental fragrance. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional ellipsoidal red hips, around 12–18 mm diameter, adding light seasonal interest in autumn when not fully deadheaded, though production is generally modest on well-deadheaded plants. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Good overall disease resistance: resistant to black spot and powdery mildew, moderate rust; hardy to approximately −23 to −21 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6a, Swedish zone 3) in typical garden settings. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to pergolas, arches, walls, fences, trellises and large containers; prefers sun or light shade; low pruning needs; water regularly in drought and tie in new shoots for best coverage. |
Alibaba ® – orange climbing rose - Warner offers romantic repeat flowering, rich fragrance and reliable coverage on long-lived, own-root plants; consider it where you want enduring vertical colour with minimal complication.
