Sahara

Where to plant. In warm mixed borders with orange and golden neighbours; as an accent in a landscape mass; in “desert”, dry parts of the garden; beside stones and gravel for its warm palette.

Climate. Ukraine Central/South without cover (USDA 6b–9b); 5/5 resistance makes it easy to care for.

Care. Minimal — full sun; feed 1–2× per season; prune once every 2–3 years with secateurs; needs no chemical treatments thanks to its high resistance.

Name. “Sahara” — after the largest hot desert in the world (the Sahara in North Africa). The poetic name describes the warm golden-copper palette of the flower, like the sand dunes of the Sahara at dawn. Typical of Tantau-marketing in the 1990s: bright geographic names for recognisability.

Breeding. Bred by Hans-Jürgen Evers at Rosen Tantau (Uetersen, Germany). Code TANarasah. Bred 1988, commercial introduction 1996. Evers was one of the most influential Tantau breeders of the late twentieth century, the creator of Santana (1985), Schneewalzer (1987), Sonnenschirm (1988/1993) and other landmark varieties.

Significance. 5/5 disease resistance (“very disease resistant” per HMF) — the key quality that makes Sahara suitable for gardens without chemical treatments. Took part in the Monza Competition 1996, a prestigious Italian rose competition. A unique “desert” palette: golden-yellow with copper-red outer petals — a rare colour transition in the shrub class. Evers' legacy: together with Santana and Sonnenschirm Sahara, it represents the classic Tantau line of the 1980s–90s. It is a shrub, not a climber — some secondary catalogues wrongly classify it as one. There are no major international awards (ADR, AARS, RHS AGM): Sahara is valued above all for its resistance and colour rather than for competition results.