Malicorne

Where to plant. In a mixed border with silver and white neighbours for dramatic contrast; at the front of the border (thanks to its compact 80–100 cm height); as an accent in gardens of classic style.

Climate. To −20 °C — all of Ukraine with moderate winter cover; the south without cover.

Care. Classic Floribunda — spring pruning; removing spent flowers encourages new flushes; routine seasonal disease prevention.

Name. 'Malicorne' — after the village of Malicorne in France (Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region) — the native village of Georges Delbard and the site where the Pépinières Delbard nursery was founded in 1935. This is a personal, family-biographical variety — a rare case where a breeding house dedicates a rose not to a person or an event, but to its founder's home village. The English-speaking market sells the variety under the trade name 'The Grayson Rose'. Do not confuse it with Malicorne-sur-Sarthe — a different village on the Sarthe; Delbard historically meant Malicorne (Allier).

Breeding. Bred by Georges Delbard / SAS Pépinières Delbard (France), bred in 2005, released on the market in 2006. Code DELrocarm. Parentage is not published (typical Delbard practice). The catalogue lists 1 medal for Delbard, with no details given. MAJOR ATTRIBUTION CORRECTION: in our legacy data and in many Ukrainian sources the variety was wrongly credited to Massad / Guillot / Generosa because of the similarity of the French houses' names — it is Delbard, not Guillot.

Significance. The 6th Delbard work in our catalogue (alongside Blue Nile, Dames de Chenonceau, La Rose de Molinard, Impératrice Farah, Mamy Blue). A separate stable group of 'French Delbard' roses in the catalogue. The dark red Floribunda pairs with Lavaglut (Kordes 1978), Black Magic (Tantau 1997) and Burgund 81 (Kordes 1981) — a separate velvety Bordeaux group in the catalogue for dramatic contrast plantings.