Cornelia is a hybrid musk rose in the rose family (Rosaceae) bred by Rev. Joseph Hardwick Pemberton of the United Kingdom in 1925. Parentage is unknown. It is a vigorous shrub that grows 5-10 feet tall and 5-6 feet wide. Plant in full sun to partial shade in amended well-drained moist garden soil. Prune in late winter to remove dead or diseased canes and shape to size. The rosette-shaped double flowers are peachy pink and fade to light pink. They are 2-3 inches wide with 41-55 petals and a moderate musk fragrance. Blooms in flushes through fall with the fall flush being the strongest. The small coppery green leaves are on stems with prickles. Won the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Use this plant in the border, as a specimen or as a hedge in a formal or informal garden. It can be grown as an arching shrub or trained to a vertical surface. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: See pests of roses to the left. Disease resistant but watch for black spot, rust and powdery mildew. More information on Rosa .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheRosa Abraham Darby 'AUScot'Rosa 'Celestial'Rosa 'Sally Holmes'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial; Rose
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lustrous, dark green pointed leaves tinged in bronze. The petioles have small prickles.
Flower color
Orange; Pink
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Clustered coral buds and pink double flowers with copper centers are 2-3 inches wide with 41-55 petals. Blooms in flushes spring to fall.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green
Stem detail
Canes with hooked thorns
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies
Play value
Attracts Pollinators; Fragrance
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Vertical Spaces
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Cutting Garden; English Garden
Design feature
Border; Hedge; Specimen
Garden tags
#English garden #shrub rose #cutting garden #pink flowers #specimen #barrier #climbing rose #fragrant flowers #hedge #long bloom season #border #cottage garden #screen #vertical spaces