Photo: Nataliia (own garden)

Groundcover; shrub roseInterplant, 1997Bicolour

Bessy

Bessy®; main feature — as it fades, the flower pales towards pink-peach, so fresh orange and faded pink blooms stand together in one cluster: the bush looks two-coloured; it tolerates heat, but the colour fades in the sun.

Interplant · on HelpMeFind a shrub, in Europe sold as a ground-cover rose

Variety profile Gardeners' photos

Variety profile

Flowering

Repeat, in flushes

In waves, from June to October — and on until the first frosts. Months are approximate, for the climate of Ukraine.

Awards

None

Not tested by ADR · no independent trials

Winter hardiness

−20 °C

Steppe and Forest-Steppe: no cover needed · north (5b–6a): sensible light cover.

Compare reference temperatures

Plant size

40–60 × 40–100 cm

Habit: Broad, spreading — often wider than tall; the shoots hang slightly
Dimensions: 40–60 cm × 40–100 cm; plant 3–4 bushes per m². Gardeners often see it outgrow its label — up to 60–70 cm. But there is no climbing form of Bessy: if someone offers 'climbing Bessy', it is not this variety.
Support: Needs no support — it is a ground cover; the bush holds itself up
Shoots: Flexible, arching, sloping downwards
Branching: Vigorous; the bush quickly closes into a cover

Flower

4–6 cm

Bud shape: Small, round, golden-yellow with an orange tint
Open flower: Cup-shaped, then opening almost flat, stamens open; diameter 4–6 cm (sources differ: 4–5 cm at garten-de, 4–6 cm at Lubera, 5–10 cm at Horstmann — we take 4–6 as the most often repeated figure)
Centre: Open, with visible stamens — the flower 'looks' upwards
Fullness: Semi-double — all sources agree; ≈16–30 petals (there is no reliable exact figure)
Flower carriage: In clusters, several flowers per stem

Fragrance

Barely noticeable

Almost not perceptible. Horstmann gives 0 out of 5, HelpMeFind writes “poor”, Lubera — “delicate, pleasant”. So if there is a scent, it is right at the edge of perception: there is no point going up to it and sniffing — the variety wins on colour. Tales of a “strawberry scent” circulate from commercial descriptions — no source confirms this.

Disease resistance

3 out of 5

3/5 according to Horstmann. The nurseries unanimously write “healthy, sturdy”, but there are no independent trials — the variety has not been through ADR. On HelpMeFind there is an “excellent” rating, but it is the voice of one person and carries no weight.

Sun

Tolerates heat — the foliage is sturdy

But the flower colour fades in the sun.

Thorns

Moderate

thornlessfewmoderatemanyvery many

To be honest: the sources give no precise data on Bessy's prickliness — neither the nurseries nor HelpMeFind. 'Moderate' here is a typical class label, not a measured fact.

Foliage

Dense, thick; this is what gives the variety its ability to cope calmly with a hot summer.

All characteristics in a table

Group: Groundcover; shrub rose
Breeder: Interplant, Netherlands, 1997
Bud shape: Small, round, golden-yellow with an orange tint
Open flower: Cup-shaped, then opening almost flat, stamens open; diameter 4–6 cm (sources differ: 4–5 cm at garten-de, 4–6 cm at Lubera, 5–10 cm at Horstmann — we take 4–6 as the most often repeated figure)
Centre: Open, with visible stamens — the flower 'looks' upwards
Colour: Golden orange, apricot. The variety's main feature: as it fades, the flower pales towards pink-peach, and one cluster holds fresh orange and faded pink blooms at the same time — the bush looks two-coloured. The colour fades in the sun.
Fullness: Semi-double — all sources agree; ≈16–30 petals (there is no reliable exact figure)
Flower carriage: In clusters, several flowers per stem
Flowering: In waves, from June to October — and on until the first frosts
Fragrance: Almost not perceptible. Horstmann gives 0 out of 5, HelpMeFind writes “poor”, Lubera — “delicate, pleasant”. So if there is a scent, it is right at the edge of perception: there is no point going up to it and sniffing — the variety wins on colour. Tales of a “strawberry scent” circulate from commercial descriptions — no source confirms this.
Hips: Forms hips — in autumn the bush is decorated with fruit
Rain resistance: No data — the HelpMeFind field is empty, and the nurseries say nothing about rain.
Habit: Broad, spreading — often wider than tall; the shoots hang slightly
Branching: Vigorous; the bush quickly closes into a cover
Shoots: Flexible, arching, sloping downwards
Thorns: To be honest: the sources give no precise data on Bessy's prickliness — neither the nurseries nor HelpMeFind. 'Moderate' here is a typical class label, not a measured fact.
Dimensions: 40–60 cm × 40–100 cm; plant 3–4 bushes per m². Gardeners often see it outgrow its label — up to 60–70 cm. But there is no climbing form of Bessy: if someone offers 'climbing Bessy', it is not this variety.
Support: Needs no support — it is a ground cover; the bush holds itself up
Foliage: Dense, thick; this is what gives the variety its ability to cope calmly with a hot summer
Resistance: 3/5 according to Horstmann. The nurseries unanimously write “healthy, sturdy”, but there are no independent trials — the variety has not been through ADR. On HelpMeFind there is an “excellent” rating, but it is the voice of one person and carries no weight.
Variations of the variety: No synonyms; no code name appears in any source; parent forms unknown; patent status unknown

Colour scheme

Golden orange, apricot. The variety's main feature: as it fades, the flower pales towards pink-peach, and one cluster holds fresh orange and faded pink blooms at the same time — the bush looks two-coloured. The colour fades in the sun.

Rose neighbours

Westerlandorange-gold

Brothers Grimmred-orange

Goldelsegolden amber

Caramellacaramel

Perennials to plant nearby

Russian sage (Perovskia)blue-grey

Catmintblue

Lamb's earssilver

Ornamental grassesgolden ochre

Neighbouring roses

A warm golden-orange row. Gebrüder Grimm beside it is especially fitting: it too turns pinkish as it fades, so the two bushes pick up the same play of colour.

WesterlandGebrüder GrimmGoldelse Caramella

Perennial companions

Blue and silver — the quickest way to make orange glow:

Russian sage (Perovskia)catmintlamb's earsornamental grasses

Availability worldwide

The variety lives more in European nurseries than in books:

🇩🇪 Germany: widely available · Horstmann, Lubera, pflanzmich, garten-de
🇳🇱 Netherlands: no longer in Interplant's own catalogue
🇭🇺🇩🇪 Central Europe: common in gardens
🇺🇦 Ukraine: no supply data available

More about the variety

Hips: Forms hips — in autumn the bush is decorated with fruit
Rain resistance: No data — the HelpMeFind field is empty, and the nurseries say nothing about rain.
Variations of the variety: No synonyms; no code name appears in any source; parent forms unknown; patent status unknown

How to grow

Where to plant. Solid drifts and slopes, the front edge of a mixed border, the edge of a path, low ground cover under tall roses — anywhere the bush can spread 40–100 cm wide and let its shoots hang a little. Plant 3–4 bushes per m². The orange works like a lamp here: put blue or silver next to it and the colour will flare. And take the second colour into account: until the end of the flush the bush stands orange-pink at the same time, so it is best to choose neighbours that will not clash with a pink tint.

Climate. Hardy to −20 °C. Steppe and Forest-Steppe — it overwinters in the open; in the north (zones 5b–6a) it is sensible to give light cover. The mark “USDA 6b–9b” on HelpMeFind carries the note “default” — it is an automatic database entry, not a measurement; it is better not to rely on it. Sun and heat: a hot summer does not frighten this variety — the sturdy foliage holds up to the heat, as German nurseries consistently write. But there is a price: the flower colour fades in the sun. If you want a deeper orange, choose a spot with some shade at midday.

Care. Standard for ground cover — spring pruning, mulch. Since the variety has not been through independent trials, do not skip fungal disease prevention: the promises of “healthy and sturdy” here are the seller's words, not the result of a trial.

About the name

Name. Bessy, the trade name — Bessy®; Ukrainian transliteration: Bessi. No synonyms and no code name appear in any source. Where the name came from is unknown. This is a rare case: most roses have a story behind their name — a person, a town, an anniversary. Nobody wrote it down here, and we will not make it up.

Breeding. Interplant Roses B.V., the Netherlands. Year — 1997 (the market release date given by German nurseries: Horstmann, Lubera, pflanzmich, garten-de); HelpMeFind gives 1998. The parent forms and patent status are unknown. Its class is also vague: HelpMeFind writes 'shrub, can be used as ground cover', while German nurseries uniformly sell it as Bodendeckerrose — ground cover.

Meaning. There are no awards — HelpMeFind states directly: “No awards known for this Plant”. It is not on the ADR list either, and that is not surprising: no Interplant rose is listed there at all. The References tab on HelpMeFind is empty — the variety is not in any book. Interplant itself no longer lists it today: the firm has switched to cut roses. So Bessy is a variety without an official biography, which survives in gardens: 17 votes for 'favourite' on HelpMeFind, photos from Budapest from 2008 and from south-west Germany from 2010. It is widespread in Central Europe — and it lives on simply because people like it.

Frequently asked questions about Bessy

Does Bessy need winter protection?

The cultivar’s reference temperature is −20 °C. Overwintering depends on the conditions.

How many times a season does Bessy flower?

In waves, from June to October — and on until the first frosts.

How big does Bessy grow?

40–60 cm tall, 40–100 cm wide.

Which diseases affect Bessy?

Overall resistance: 3 out of 5. Rating from the Horstmann nursery; 'healthy, sturdy' according to sellers' words; there are no independent trials.

How much sun does Bessy need?

Sun; tolerates heat — the foliage is sturdy; but the flower colour fades in the sun.

What does Bessy smell like?