Magic Happens in The Hague’s Rose Valley

An international expert panel of more than 50 judges, including AIPH’s Ron van der Ploeg, gathered in The Hague’s Westbroekpark on 2 July to name the eye-catching rose ‘Simsalabim’ the Golden Rose of The Hague. The Hague mayor, Jan van Zanen, was on hand to present the coveted award to rose breeder Thomas Proll of Kordes.

Rosa ‘Simsalabim’, also known as ‘Abracadabra’, truly lives up to its magical name. It features striking marbled, single- to semi-double blooms in vivid reds and subtle pinks that beautifully contrast with the yellow stamens as the petals first unfold. These characteristics combine to create a dramatic striped pattern, bringing a unique and enchanting touch to any retail shelf or garden.

The rose ‘Simsalabim’, bred by Kordes breeder Thomas Proll, was named Golden Rose of The Hague. Photo: Ron van der Ploeg.

Unlike the magician’s trick that can be performed with a single shout and wave of the hand, Simsalabim is the result of years of dedicated breeding and selection by Kordes breeder Thomas Proll. He also scooped up Gold in the Floribunda and Hybrid Tea categories with ‘Simsalabim’ and ‘Vulcano’, respectively.

The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen was on hand to present Thomas Proll with the Golden Rose of The Hague. Photo: Ron van der Ploeg.

The Franco-Italian rose breeder NIRP won the Best Scent in Show Award for its mauve-coloured Hybrid Tea, ‘The Pride’, while Jan Spek Rozen from Boskoop, the Netherlands, won the visitors’ vote with its Floribunda cultivar ‘Shining Pink’.

‘The Pride’, a mauve-coloured Hybrid Tea rose from Franco-Italian breeder NIRP, won the Best Scent in Show Award at the Golden Rose of The Hague. Photo: Ron van der Ploeg.

Little Switzerland

Now in its 64th year, the Golden Rose of The Hague takes place annually in what is known as The Hague’s Rose Valley, the sprawling 18-hectare Westbroekpark. The park was designed in the early 1920s by the city’s head gardener, Mr Westbroek. He was fortunate to work in an area known as “Little Switzerland”, a landscape naturally shaped by dunes and further sculpted by decades of sand excavation. The latter process created deep pits, sheltered valleys and depressions, making the area exceptionally interesting from a landscape perspective.

Paul Boeters from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department explained that in 1948, the park received royal recognition when the then-reigning Queen Wilhelmina celebrated her Golden Jubilee there. At its heart, the event was a horticultural exhibition showcasing a wide range of trees, shrubs and garden plants, serving as a forerunner and inspiration for the first Floriade in Rotterdam.

Thirteen years later, the park gained an international reputation when the city added a rosarium and launched an accompanying annual rose competition.

Roses are the beating heart

Today, both the rose garden and the competition remain the beating heart of Westbroekpark. Each year, more than 20,000 rose bushes representing around 300 varieties of Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, park and shrub roses, patio roses and climbers reveal their beauty between May and October.

Flags from participating countries fly above the rose trial grounds in The Hague’s Westbroekpark, reflecting the international reach of the Golden Rose of The Hague competition. Photo: Ron van der Ploeg.

The national flags of New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Ireland, Belgium and Japan, flying above the trial grounds, reflect the competition’s international stature, which ranks it among the world’s most prestigious rose trials alongside those in Baden-Baden and Bagatelle, Paris.

Catherine Shaw, managing director of Newport-based Warners Roses and a member of the expert jury, summed it up: “It is one of the biggest and one of the best in terms of organisation, the beauty of the park and the way the beds are laid out.”

Asked how the competition helps drive sales in the global garden rose industry, she said: “It is like any other product. If it has won awards, it will always reassure the buyer that it has been robustly tested and scrutinised. Only the very best receive an award, so you are, in a way, guaranteed to have an excellent shrub in your garden.”

Judges inspect roses in The Hague’s Westbroekpark, where competing varieties are assessed for garden performance, health, flowering and overall ornamental value. Photo: Ron van der Ploeg.

Speaking of robust testing, the varieties competing for the coveted Golden Rose title are assessed nine times over a three-year period. Only those achieving a minimum average score of six qualify for the final competition. A Golden Rose of The Hague is only presented to varieties that are already commercially available.

The park also includes a strictly reserved trial field containing approximately 200 new rose varieties submitted by breeders from around the world. Here, each variety undergoes a two-year trial during which overall plant health, growth habit, retail readiness, landscape or niche-market value, foliage quality, repeat flowering and the self-cleaning ability of the blooms are all carefully evaluated.

Sustainable beauties

Westbroekpark’s flourishing rose garden is more than just a beautiful landscape—it is a testament to the dedication of the city’s gardeners and to the passionate team of volunteer rose enthusiasts who support them. The park’s management applies the same maintenance strategy to every rose, cultivating them sustainably without chemical crop protection products.

This commitment to sustainability is also reflected in the Excellence Roses Award, which place strong emphasis on plant health, garden performance and reduced reliance on chemical crop protection products.

Excellence Roses is a Dutch-Belgian quality label awarded to roses that combine outstanding ornamental value with exceptional garden performance. To qualify, a rose must demonstrate beauty, fragrance, attractive hip production, excellent health, reliability, and the ability to thrive without chemical crop protection products.

Since 2017, the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society (KVBC), together with the Dutch Culture Group for Roses and Rootstocks, has evaluated garden roses and awarded the prestigious Certificate of Excellence. Last year marked the first time that the Excellence Roses Award Ceremony was held during the Golden Rose of The Hague event.

Each candidate rose undergoes a rigorous three-year trial at independent test gardens in Rosarium Winschoten (NL), Rosarium Boskoop (NL), Rozenhof Lottum (NL), Show Garden De Kleine Boerderij in Merksplas (B), and Meise Botanic Garden (B). Plans are underway to add a sixth trial site in Wallonia.

This year, the chairman of the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society (KVBC), Helma van der Louw, announced that Certificates of Excellence were awarded to five roses from Germany’s Kordes Roses International, four from Rosen Tantau (Germany), three from Belgium’s Viva International, and one each from the Netherlands’ De Ruiter Innovations and Belgium’s Lens Roses.

Left to right: Hans Hage (chairman, Dutch Culture Group for Roses and Rootstocks), Ann and Rudy Velle (Lens Roses), Aart Westdijk (Tantau), Thomas Proll (Kordes), Martin Vissers, Margareth Hop, Hans de Ruiter and Helma van der Louw. Photo: Ron van der Ploeg.

Among the winners was Lens Roses’ bee-friendly shrub rose Caroline’s Heart (‘Vel6dsipo’). Its semi-double pale pink flowers contrast beautifully with golden-yellow stamens, while attractive egg-shaped hips mature from green to orange in autumn. Plants reached between 70 and 140 cm across the trial sites.

Kordes Roses received awards for Cayenne (‘Koroutofko’), a shrub rose with semi-double deep velvety red flowers and contrasting yellow stamens; Enjoy (‘Korfruisala’), a floribunda bearing semi-double blooms in shades of pink, white and pale orange edged with salmon pink; Fur Elise (‘Korelifur’), a narrow upright floribunda with rich purple-magenta double flowers; Sternenhimmel (‘Korhubkah’), a patio rose whose lilac-pink buds open to single flowers fading from light pink to white; and Xenia (‘Korelpusch’), a floribunda producing large clusters of fully double flowers that fade from pink to cream.

Rosen Tantau’s successful introductions included Desiree (‘Tan10898’), a fragrant pink hybrid tea with perfectly formed double blooms; Dornburger Schlossrose (‘Tan16633’), a large-flowered hybrid tea opening from dark pink buds to semi-double pink and pale orange blooms; Loki (‘Tan16512’), a bushy floribunda with bright pink single flowers surrounding a white centre and striking dark yellow stamens; and Mauritia (‘Tan15539’), a broadly upright hybrid tea with pale pink double flowers and a delicate fragrance.

Viva International earned three Certificates of Excellence with Eewige Passie/Eternal Passion (‘Viskavepas’), a fragrant pink floribunda; Nervia (‘Vismofau’), a versatile ground-cover or shrub rose with deep pink blooms fading to lilac-pink and decorative calyxes; and Ohara (‘Vissegam’), a shrub rose bearing bright pink single flowers with white centres, prominent yellow stamens and attractive orange autumn hips.

The Netherlands’ De Ruiter Innovations, together with Boot & Dart Nurseries, was recognised for Speedway (‘Boruispewi’), a compact, almost thornless shrub rose with pink single flowers, a yellow centre and decorative red hips. Speedway makes an excellent landscaping rose.

Rosa ‘Sternenhimmel’ received the highest overall score among the new Excellence Roses. Photo: Ron van der Ploeg.

The highest overall score among all new Excellence Roses was awarded to the miniature rose Sternenhimmel (‘Korhubkah’). Commenting on the achievement, German rose breeder Thomas Proll of Kordes said: “When submitting varieties for the Excellence Roses certificate, I follow the criteria used for the long-established ADR (Allgemeine Deutsche Rosenneuheitenprüfung) label. The climates of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are sufficiently similar to make this a reliable benchmark.”

Proll also noted that Europe has a third important quality award for garden roses, the Grand Prix de la Rose, organised in Paris under the auspices of the Société Nationale d’Horticulture de France (SNHF). Candidate roses are evaluated across seven trial locations throughout France, providing another rigorous assessment of their garden performance. There, Sternenhimmel reigned supreme, achieving the highest overall score across all trial sites.