Lovely Green

Where to plant. «green» accent groups, white monochrome beds, the front of mixed borders, containers; ideal as a pair with Limbo — «two greens: a garden Meilland + a cut Kordes»; also for cutting into bouquets.

Climate. To −20 °C — in Ukraine with moderate protection; in the south, no protection needed.

Care. A classic Floribunda — spring pruning; in wet regions plant it in a well-ventilated site, so the flowers do not stick together in rain because of the dense doubling.

Name. «Lovely Green» — a marketing name: «lovely green», emphasising the rare green tint of the flower. In the rose world a truly green colour is very rare because roses lack anthocyanin pigments in their petals; stable green is achieved through chlorophyll, which usually breaks down.

Breeding. Raised by Alain Meilland at Meilland International (Provence, France); on the market in 2005. Code MEItiver. Parentage not published by Meilland (typical practice); HMF does not list the parents. Meilland launched Lovely Green as a breakthrough — stable green colour in the garden, not only in the greenhouse.

Significance. One of the 3 iconic «green» varieties of the 2000s in the rose world, alongside the cut rose Limbo (Kordes 1999) and Super Green (NIRP). Before this, stable green in roses was considered almost unattainable. It is often wrongly attributed to NIRP or Interplant (as a cut rose) — incorrect, it is Meilland. Not to be confused with 'Lovely Meilland®' (MEIvanae, 2003, a pink landscape rose). No official AARS/ADR/AGM awards — valued purely for its colour breakthrough.