Most stocked rose breeders
Here's a detailed look at our 20 most stocked rose breeders we grow here in sunny Norfolk. We hope this will be beneficial in discovering a little more history behind the flowers we all love. We have created individual breeders pages, click through to see all the varieties we grow and supply of each. Breeders are also selectable in the Filter By options on every product listing page.
W. Kordes’ Sons (Germany 1918-Present)
Originating from the town of Sparrieshoop, Germany, Wilhelm Kordes and ‘Sohnes’ has become a world leader in producing naturally disease-resistant, healthy roses. The roses are meticulously graded for quality, colour, health, vase life and, most importantly, fragrance. Over the years, they have introduced superb, award-winning Ground Cover Roses in their ‘County Series’ and the Rose of the Year, ‘Joie de Vivre’. Trevor White Roses is proud to be a leading supplier of Kordes Roses.
Poulsen (Denmark 1878-present)
Winning several awards every year for developing high-quality, hardy roses, ‘Poulsen Roser’ is currently a leading global breeder. They are also a purveyor to the Royal Danish Court. Their RENAISSANCE® collection combines old-fashioned-style blooms and fragrance with modern health and vigour.
Jean Laffay (France 1837 – 1855)
A famous breeder of Hybrid Perpetuals and one of the first powerhouses in creating repeat-flowering, hardy varieties. Originally a gardener, Laffay made hybridising his true passion, and many of his fine creations are still with us today.
Jean-Pierre Vibert (France 1813-1851)
A veteran of Napoleon’s army, Jean-Pierre Vibert turned to hybridising roses in the early nineteenth century. One of the founders of what is now the National Horticultural Society of France, he was truly passionate about all plants; therefore, his introductions span many groups of roses, including Chinas, Climbers and Teas. One of his most famous introductions is Aimée Vibert, a white climber named after his wife.
Rev. Joseph Pemberton (England 1912-1939)
An Anglican clergyman turned rosarian. Pemberton founded his nursery in Romford, where he eventually grew and sold up to 40,000 roses annually. He is remembered most for creating the Hybrid Musk class. These roses have huge sprays of blooms and are thought to be descended from the repeat-flowering rambler ‘Trier’. Today, there is a rose garden in his memory, which is also attempting to find over 50 missing Pemberton varieties.
Delbard (France 1950 – Present)
The hugely commercially successful Delbard of France is a world pioneer in apple, rose and, later, dahlia breeding. George Delbard introduced some superb varieties, most notably his ‘Painters’ collections. These are named after famous painters because their stripes look as if they were created with an artist’s brush. Two fine striped examples are Henri Matisse and Rose des Cisterciens, both strikingly beautiful.
Pheno Geno (2009 – Present)
Pheno Geno Roses has a story rooted in passion, heritage, and a love of roses. It began in 1956 in a small, family-owned Dutch nursery, where generations of expertise were nurtured alongside every bloom. In 2009, that heritage entered an exciting new chapter with the creation of a dedicated research and breeding company. Pheno Geno Roses brings together breeding, research, and production facilities in Serbia and the Netherlands. At its heart is a simple ambition: to combine the latest scientific advances with the art of rose breeding, creating exceptional roses that are healthier, more beautiful, and wonderfully fragrant.
William Paul & Son (England 1860 – 1924)
William Paul was a keen rosarian and the author of many horticultural books and articles. His lectures also made him a great contributor to the study of plants. He had a keen interest in exhibitions of mass blooms, which were sensational events in Victorian England. After his death, his son continued the business until it was eventually dissolved in 1924.
David Austin (England 1961-Present)
David Austin Snr began growing roses as a hobby in the 1940s, but his passion eventually blossomed into a hugely successful business. Following the success of his old-world-style hybrids in the 1970s, his distinctive ‘English Roses’ captured the imagination of rose lovers around the world. Many of these celebrated varieties take their names from notable English writers and literary characters, gardeners and places.
Pernet pere 1845 – 1896 Pernet-Ducher 1879-1928
The Pernets are three generations of rose nurserymen from France. The first, Claude Pernet, began growing roses in 1845 and is best known for opening the world’s first rose exhibition in Lyon. His son Jean-Claude and grandson Joseph went on to hybridise some important varieties that are still known internationally. Their experiments with Rosa foetida produced some of the first-ever yellow Hybrid Teas. After his rose-breeding apprenticeship at Ducher Nursery, Joseph went on to marry the owner’s daughter, Marie Ducher, and the Pernet-Ducher brand was formed. She bred the infamous Cecile Brunner, which he went on to introduce in 1881. Roseraie Ducher still exists to this day.
Harkness (England 1893 – Present)
From its origins in Yorkshire to its current site in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, Harkness Roses continues to produce healthy new varieties. It is a well-established rose breeder that has introduced a wide range of cultivars. Since the 1960s, Jack Harkness has published several historical books on roses and made remarkable advances in rose breeding, such as the delightful purple Polyantha ‘Yesterday’.
Moreau-Robert (France 1857-1893)
Robert was the foreman at Jean-Pierre Vibert’s celebrated rose nursery in Angers, which Vibert had established there in 1839. When Vibert retired in 1851, Robert acquired the nursery and continued introducing new varieties. After marrying into the Moreau family and inheriting their horticultural business in 1856, the firm became known as Moreau-Robert. Based in Angers, France, Moreau-Robert remained active for several decades, producing many notable old roses, particularly Moss, Portland and Hybrid Perpetual varieties. In 1867 Robert also introduced ‘Souvenir de Pierre Vibert’, named in honour of his former employer and one of the great nineteenth-century French rosarians.
Tantau Roses (Germany 1906 – Present)
Based in the North German town of Uetersen, Rosen Tantau was founded by Mathias Tantau in 1906 and went on to become one of the world’s most influential rose-breeding houses. Mathias Tantau and his son, Mathias Tantau Jr, became particularly renowned for introducing outstanding Hybrid Tea roses during the mid to late 20th century, including celebrated varieties such as Fragrant Cloud. Their breeding tradition combines elegant flower form with strong garden performance, with every variety created to look as close to perfection as possible. Today, the NOSTALGIC® collection brings this heritage to modern gardens through impressive, full-bodied blooms with the romantic appearance of old-fashioned roses.
René Barbier (France 1900-1931)
The Barbier nursery was run by René and partners in Orléans, France, in the early 20th century. They brought out lots of spectacular wichuriana ramblers, often crossing them with Tea roses to produce bigger blooms. Only a handful of hardy varieties are still on the market today, while some of the rarer ones can be seen in specialist collections such as L’Hay-les-Roses and Sangerhausen.
Chris Warner (England 1980s to Present)
Chris Warner is one of Britain’s leading modern rose breeders and has become well known internationally through the Greenfields nursery in Shropshire. Warner was originally a teacher and started breeding roses as a hobby before becoming a professional breeder in 1987. An early success was ‘Warm Welcome’. He later became especially known for Persica hybrids. These roses feature the distinctive dark centre, or ‘eye’, of Rosa persica while also growing strongly in gardens. In 2022, Warner received the Rose Society UK’s Dean Hole Medal for a lifetime of work in rose breeding and contribution to the wider rose world.
Dickson Roses (Northern Ireland 1835 – Present)
The Dickson family are the oldest rose breeders in the the UK, spanning six generations. Based near Belfast, their spark in roses began with the gold rush of Hybrid Tea roses in the 19th Century, a fine example we still grow today is ‘Tom Wood’. Long-petalled and elegant are their main signature. Their later introductions since the 1950’s have been mostly bright coloured roses of all types.
Sam McGredy (Northern Ireland/New Zealand 1880 – Early 2000s)
Sam McGredy and four generations of rose breeders began their story in Portadown, Northern Ireland and has recently ended in New Zealand. Their most famous introductions were repeat flowering climbing roses. All elegant and unique. Later under Sam Mcgredy IV management, their arrival on a new continent saw them delve into brightly coloured ‘hand-painted’ varieties. These are still very popular today, especially in the U.S.
Henry Bennett (England 1865-1890)
The Wiltshire born pioneer of Hybrid Teas. Bennett originally began his rose breeding venture as a hobby, but with great interest in the science. His observations from his work with livestock and food crops, made him seek a more controlled approach to hybridization. Feeling disillusioned after his trip to French Rose breeders, he took it upon himself to choosing rose parents with care. His first experiments began with Hybrid Perpetuals and Tea roses. Sensational success shortly followed and The Societe Lyonnaise d’Horticulture aptly named his pedigrees ‘Hybrid Teas’.
Cants of Colchester (England 1765 – 2023)
Cants had a long relationship with roses roses since 1850s, initially becoming world class rose exhibitors. In the 20th century rival firms, but later mergers, Frank and Ben Cants, introduced the majority of their colourful roses. Sadly their company closed in 2023 after over 250 years of business.
Peter Lambert (Germany 1889-1939)
The most influential rosarian in Germany. A wealthy and educated business man, Lambert made a success through his wide and rigorous breeding programme, ensuring his selections were void of mildew and rust. His champion repeat flowering rambler ‘Trier’, named after his hometown, has been used to develop a British group of roses known as the Hybrid Musks and then later his own ‘Lambertianas’. These are well regarded for their deliciously strong scent.
John Bentall & Family (England 1929 – 1970s)
The Bentalls were the nurserymen of the great breeder Rev Joseph Pemberton. After Pemberton’s death, they continued introducing Hybrid Musks. Their legacy can be summed up in the wonderful apricot cultivar ‘Buff Beauty’.
