The large, two-tone flowers of Osiria roses look beautiful in photos but sometimes those looks can be deceiving.
It has garnered flowery praise from influential publications.
Businesses and Anime fan-fiction creatorshave adopted its name and image.
Credit:Right: Courtesy Thomas Proll of Kordes
A few parents even seem to be naming babies after it.
But other than its beguiling name, what is it about this rose that has generated all the hype?
Right: Courtesy Thomas Proll of Kordes
Are Osiria roses real?
The superlative Osiria rose that exists on the internet is not entirely real.
But the rose itself is a real variety, which was originally named Nicole.
It was indeed never meant to beused as a garden rosebut for greenhouse cut flowers only, says Proll.
Neither Kordes or the Dutch grower that released Nicole decided toget intellectual property protectionon their less than stellar performer.
Then one day the product manager for a popular French nursery showed up to the Kordes greenhouses.
Willemse France rebranded Nicole as Osiria and sold it as a garden rose.
It became one of their mainstays.
They still sell it in Europe.
As a florist rose, it was not bred to have a graceful shrubby form with easy-care traits.
Proll says its disease resistance is pretty poor even in greenhouse parameters.
Otherwise, it will require extra effort.
Give Osiria an open space where it isnt crowded and prune it to an open vase shape.
Avoid watering overhead to minimize diseases.
Osiria roses are usuallywinter hardy in USDA Zone 7b, so growing them anywhere colder would be an experiment.
One of the pleasures of gardening can be growing plants where they supposedly shouldnt survive.
Where to Buy Osiria Rose Plants
Few nurseries in North America carry Osiria.
It varies from year to year.
But keep in mind that many smaller nurseries and collectors like own-root roses.
Also beware of supposed Osiria roses in different colors like purple.
Osiria is a single rose variety, not arange of roses like Knock Out.
Osiria Rose Alternatives
Osiria is not the only red rose with white edging or white reverse petals.
In a photo, the bicolor blooms could be mistaken for Osiria at a glance.
Its a time-tested landscape option that will bring you brilliant color for much of the growing season.
Its color is similar to old once-blooming roses like Cardinal Richelieu and Tuscany Superb.
But it repeat blooms from spring through fall.
Souvenir du Dr. Jamain:This versatile 19thcentury shrub rose can be grown as a short climber.
Unlike its more modern color counterparts, it does best in a little bit of shade.
Black Baccara:Very deep crimson blooms that are shaped similar to Osirias.
It reportedly has anexcellent vase life as a cut flower.
Like Ebb Tide, the flower color can verge on black velvet.
It’s an easy-to-growshrub roseand the blooms make good cut flowers.
Speculation has spread around the internet that the name Osiria may refer to a possibly fictitious lost city.
Anything is possible, but the name Osiria has had some mundane uses before it became a famous rose.
You might see boats and characters in 19th century literature with the name.
Its possible alocal flower farmmight try growing these roses.
But Osiria is not up to standards for a contemporary florist rose.
For a little context, florist roses and garden roses used to be more or less the same thing.
Today, these types of roses can be almost as different as dachshunds and German shepherds.
But in the 1970s, when Nicole/Osiria was bred, the differences werent yet so extreme.
If you want abouquet of Osiria roses, you’ll likely have to grow the roses yourself.
