One attribute not necessarily evident from most photos is that the outer petals have a pink colouring which is quite attractive. Initially I thought it looked messy but it has grown on me. It also means the rose harmonises well with pink roses in the vase. My Novalis is doing reasonably well in part shade so far. Sydney, Australia.
I never had a chance to properly evaluate this rose. I am still not sure what to think of it. The plant architecture is is somewhere between a floribunda and an Austin rose. Everything is floribunda-size, but the growth tends to shoot up and bend a bit at the top, like an Austin typically does. I actually hate the color, but some love it. It is too flat-toned for me. And the scent, as discussed before, seems highly variable.
But, on the plus side, most seem to find it very healthy to grow, and it looked very happy in the park settings I have watched it at.
I have 2 Novalis plants in a contain. It is really disease free rose, no black spot, no mildew. My Novalis did get rust, when I bought them from garden centre, but the affected area just kept at lower leafs, just 1 or 2 leafs. No spray, the problem just disappear itself next year.
Sounds like perfect rose? No, not yet.
Although the plant has super disease resistance performance, the flower petals are so tender, so susceptible to botrytis. This spring I had more than 60 buds from the 2 plants, but all of them got botrytis due to few rainy days. The petals stucked together, like a cabbage, and could not open any more. Then it was summer time, and the weather was sunny, warm and dry. But I still had no beautiful flower. why? because the flower got scorched under the sunshine......
The rose 'Abbaye de Cluny' has similar characteristics, large beautiful blooms of quite distinctive shape with very thin petals. Purely by accident I planted it in a perfect site, east exposure with afternoon shade. This was when I lived in CA central valley, hot and dry. I doubt ABC would be possible at all in a wet climate.
I wonder if 'Poseidon' needs a similar climate and site.
Well, I finally got to smell it @ Washington Park. It was scentless :[
It did look quite healthy enough, but it wasnt in my taste type.
Zaide, a typical pink, also by Kordes really blew me away, and I generally dislike pinks. It was quite scented, had neat form, and loaded with color everywhere.
