Irina

Where to plant. Wedding white beds, mono-white thematic groups, formal borders with pastel perennials; lovely paired with Iceberg as 'two whites of different forms' (Iceberg a cluster-flowered floribunda, Irina a large-flowered HT); large striking flowers look good in cut-flower bouquets.

Climate. Down to −23 °C. In Ukraine, moderate winter protection in northern and central regions; in the south, no protection needed.

Care. As a classic HT, prune in spring; removing spent blooms encourages new flushes; standard seasonal disease prevention.

Name. The variety is dedicated to a specific woman, Irina Bondarenko, according to Tantau's description a business partner of the house. The name 'Irina' is Slavic, of Greek origin (eirēnē, meaning 'peace'), common in Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian and Greek culture. 'Irina' is the same Greek word as 'Eirene', which is also the name of the rose Friedenslicht (Tantau 2010), sold in Greece as Eirene®. So our catalogue already has two roses with the same Greek root: Friedenslicht/Eirene and Irina.

Breeding. Bred by Christian Evers at Rosen Tantau (Uetersen, Germany), 2007; commercial introduction 2013 (in France) and 2016 (in Germany). Code TAN07117 (RT 07-117). Parentage is commercially protected. Christian Evers is the son of Hans Jürgen Evers and continues the Evers dynasty line at Tantau. In HMF the variety appears under two trade names: Irina® and Irina Bondarenko®, which are the same TAN07117.

Significance. The 10th variety of the Evers dynasty in our catalogue, together with Candlelight (1994), Cappuccino (2005), Andre Le Notre, Chippendale (2005), Elfe (2000), Dukat (2010), Friedenslicht (2010), Hansestadt Rostock (2004) and Heimatmelodie (2000). A particular feature of Irina is a record number of petals for an HT (~100), unusual for modern hybrid teas (usually 30–50). Tantau bred the variety specifically for an 'explosive effect' when fully open: a large cupped flower with endless 'boxed' petals in the centre. Its citrus-lemon scent is a rare note for white roses.