Rose 'Deep Secret' - Standard Rose Tree (Hybrid Tea)
A captivating award-winning hybrid tea rose that produces magnificent large, fully double blooms in rich velvety crimson from nearly black buds, combining dramatic colour depth with exceptional fragrance and outstanding garden performance throughout the growing season.
Headlines
- Plant Type: Hardy deciduous hybrid tea rose
- Eventual Height: ~1.6m (90-120cm stem)
- Eventual Spread: 80cm diameter head
- Flowering Period: June to October
- Flower Colour: Deep velvety crimson from nearly black buds
- Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -20 to -15 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H6)
- Growth Habit: Bushy, upright, strong-growing
- Flower Type: Large, fully double, rounded blooms
Overview
Rose 'Deep Secret' is a truly extraordinary hybrid tea rose that stands out for its dramatic deep crimson blooms and exceptional fragrance. This distinguished variety, also known as 'Mildred Scheel', produces magnificent large flowers that begin as nearly black buds and open to reveal stunning deep velvety crimson blooms with classic hybrid tea form. The most striking feature is its remarkable colour intensity that progresses from virtually black buds to rich crimson flowers, complemented by an outstanding strong fragrance that can be perceived from afar. With very good disease resistance, bushy upright growth habit, and continuous flowering performance, this rose represents one of the darkest and most fragrant additions to contemporary gardens.
Key Features
The outstanding appeal of 'Deep Secret' lies in its large, fully double blooms that showcase one of the darkest red colours available in roses. The flowers display perfect rounded forms with 24-40 petals creating substantial visual impact both individually and in small trusses. Each bloom releases an outstanding, strong fragrance that adds a powerful sensory dimension to the garden experience. The dramatic colour transformation from nearly black buds to deep velvety crimson creates mesmerising displays that are both elegant and conversation-worthy. The combination of repeat flowering, very good disease resistance, and compact growth habit makes this rose suitable for a wide range of garden applications.
Growth Characteristics
This hybrid tea rose displays a naturally bushy, upright growth habit that makes it exceptionally suitable for traditional rose garden applications. The plant develops into a strong, well-proportioned shrub above the ~1 metre tall lollipop stem with excellent branching structure and robust performance. The compact yet vigorous-growing nature ensures reliable flowering whilst maintaining an attractive, manageable size. The upright growth habit makes it ideal for formal rose gardens, mixed borders, or positioning where its dramatic beauty can be fully appreciated. The strong stems provide excellent support for the large blooms, making this variety particularly suitable for cutting garden applications.
Flowering Performance
From June through to October, 'Deep Secret' delivers an exceptional flowering display that continues consistently throughout the growing season. The plant produces magnificent large blooms held in small trusses, creating substantial visual impact with each flush of flowering. The flowers showcase classic rounded forms with the dramatic colour progression from nearly black buds to deep velvety crimson creating ongoing visual interest. The repeat-flowering nature ensures continuous colour throughout the growing season, with the abundant blooms providing a spectacular display that captures attention with its intensity and fragrance.
Growing Conditions
'Deep Secret' thrives in full sun positions with fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal flowering performance and colour development. The rose adapts well to various soil types including acid, alkaline, and neutral conditions, providing adequate drainage is maintained. For best results, plant in fertile, well-drained soil that has been improved with organic matter, ensuring consistent moisture throughout the growing season. The rose benefits from good air circulation around the foliage, which helps maintain the very good disease resistance that characterises this variety.
Hardiness and Disease Resistance
This rose demonstrates exceptional hardiness suitable for growing throughout the UK, being fully hardy (H6 rating) and showing excellent tolerance of typical British weather conditions. One of the most notable features of 'Deep Secret' is its very good disease resistance, which significantly reduces maintenance requirements and ensures healthy growth throughout the season. The glossy, dark green foliage remains attractive and healthy, with natural resistance to common rose diseases. This disease resistance makes it an excellent choice for organic gardening approaches and reduces the need for chemical interventions.
Care and Maintenance
'Deep Secret' requires standard hybrid tea rose care to maintain optimal health and flowering performance. Apply a balanced fertiliser and mulch in late winter or early spring, followed by another application of balanced fertiliser in early summer to support continuous flowering. Regular watering during dry periods, particularly in the first year after planting, helps establish strong root systems. The very good disease resistance means this variety requires minimal intervention, making it an easy-care option for busy gardeners. Deadheading regularly throughout the summer encourages continued flowering, whilst proper pruning following pruning group 15 guidelines maintains the bushy shape and promotes vigorous new growth.
Garden Applications
'Deep Secret' excels in formal rose gardens where its classic hybrid tea form and dramatic colouring create stunning focal points. The bushy upright growth habit makes it ideal for rose borders and formal bedding schemes, whilst the deep crimson flowers suit both contemporary and traditional garden settings perfectly. The compact size makes it excellent for positioning in mixed borders where the outstanding fragrance can be appreciated. The rose works beautifully as a specimen plant or in groups, creating impressive displays that combine visual drama with exceptional fragrance. The strong stems and large blooms make it particularly suitable for cutting gardens, providing elegant flowers for indoor arrangements.
Container Growing
The compact growth habit and very good disease resistance make 'Deep Secret' exceptionally well-suited to container cultivation. The rose thrives in large containers on patios, balconies, and areas where soil conditions are challenging, making it perfect for urban gardening situations. Choose a container at least 50cm wide and deep with adequate drainage holes, and use high-quality multipurpose compost enriched with slow-release fertiliser. Container-grown specimens require more frequent watering and feeding than those planted in the ground, but the compact habit means they remain manageable whilst delivering exceptional flowering performance and fragrance throughout the season.
Seasonal Interest
Throughout the growing season, 'Deep Secret' provides continuous interest that evolves beautifully with the months. Spring brings the emergence of fresh, glossy dark green foliage and the first nearly black flower buds, building anticipation for the main flowering display. The extended flowering season from June to October ensures months of colour and fragrance, with the deep crimson blooms creating dramatic displays that showcase the remarkable colour transformation. The healthy foliage remains attractive throughout the season, providing an excellent backdrop for the velvety crimson flowers. Even in winter, the strong branching structure provides architectural interest whilst promising another year of spectacular flowering.
Cutting and Floral Arrangements
The large, fully double blooms with strong stems make 'Deep Secret' exceptional for cutting and indoor arrangements. The deep velvety crimson colour works beautifully with a wide range of other flowers and foliage, whilst the outstanding fragrance adds a powerful dimension to indoor displays. The classic rounded form adds elegance and sophistication to arrangements. The sturdy stems provide excellent support for the large blooms, making them ideal for both formal arrangements and special occasion bouquets. The dramatic colouring and classic form add timeless appeal to arrangements, whilst the strong fragrance provides an unforgettable sensory experience.
Fragrance Profile
The outstanding, strong fragrance of 'Deep Secret' provides an exceptional sensory experience in the garden. This powerful scent emanates from the large blooms and can be perceived from afar, creating a rich fragrance that perfectly complements the visual drama of the flowers. The strong fragrance carries well in the garden, making it suitable for positions throughout the garden where the magnificent aroma can be appreciated. The intense scent profile makes this rose particularly suitable for fragrance gardens or areas where a classic, powerful rose fragrance is desired.
Wildlife Value
The large, accessible blooms provide valuable nectar sources for bees and other pollinators throughout the extended flowering season. The continuous blooming habit from June to October makes this rose an excellent choice for wildlife-friendly gardens, supporting local pollinator populations throughout the growing season. The outstanding fragrance serves as a powerful attractant for beneficial insects, contributing to a healthy garden ecosystem. The repeat-flowering nature ensures that wildlife benefits extend throughout the growing season, making this rose a valuable addition to pollinator-friendly garden schemes.
Companion Planting
The deep velvety crimson colours of 'Deep Secret' provide excellent opportunities for companion planting with a wide range of garden plants. The rich colour works dramatically with white and cream flowers, creating striking contrasting displays. The rose pairs exceptionally well with silver-foliaged plants such as artemisia and lavender, creating sophisticated combinations that enhance the depth of colour. Pink and purple flowers provide gentle complementary tones, whilst yellow flowers create vibrant contrasts. The compact habit makes it suitable for planting with herbaceous perennials, creating dynamic mixed borders that provide interest throughout the growing season.
Award Recognition and Heritage
'Deep Secret' has received recognition for its exceptional garden performance and outstanding qualities. Also known as 'Mildred Scheel', this variety was bred in Germany and represents decades of careful breeding for both colour intensity and fragrance. The recognition provides confidence in the rose's performance and indicates that it has been thoroughly tested and proven in garden conditions, making it a reliable choice for gardeners seeking proven excellence. The award status marks this variety as one of exceptional merit, combining dramatic beauty, outstanding fragrance, and reliable garden performance.
Cut Flower Garden Excellence
The exceptional qualities of 'Deep Secret' make it particularly suitable for cut flower gardens. The large, perfectly formed blooms with their dramatic colouring and outstanding fragrance create stunning floral displays that are perfect for special occasions. The strong stems provide excellent support for the heavy blooms, ensuring good vase life and professional-quality arrangements. The nearly black buds opening to deep crimson flowers provide interesting stages for cutting, allowing gardeners to harvest at different stages of bloom development.
Unique Colour Appeal
The most distinctive feature of 'Deep Secret' is its remarkable colour intensity that sets it apart from conventional red roses. The flowers begin as nearly black buds and gradually open to reveal rich velvety crimson blooms, creating one of the darkest red colours available in roses. This dramatic colour progression means that individual plants display multiple tones simultaneously, creating depth and complexity in garden displays. The nearly black buds are particularly striking and provide a unique feature that distinguishes this variety from other red roses.
Why Choose 'Deep Secret'?
Rose 'Deep Secret' represents the perfect combination of dramatic beauty, outstanding fragrance, and exceptional garden performance. The large, fully double blooms with their deep velvety crimson colouring provide continuous elegance and visual drama from June through to October, whilst the very good disease resistance ensures healthy growth with minimal maintenance. The compact, bushy growth habit makes it suitable for gardens of all sizes, from formal rose gardens to mixed borders and container cultivation. Whether grown for its dramatic blooms, outstanding fragrance, or as a stunning cut flower rose, this exceptional hybrid tea rose offers outstanding value and enduring beauty that will provide years of gardening pleasure and unforgettable sensory experiences.
Reasons to Buy Roses from Jacksons Nurseries
(1) ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot
Buy with confidence from the only online rose grower rated ‘Excellent’ 4.9* on Trustpilot. We have been a trusted supplier of roses for 3 generations. We take pride in growing our own roses in the field before potting them up, allowing for meticulous quality control to sale.
(2) Best Prices Guaranteed – Direct from the Grower
Save £££s by buying direct from a grower you can trust. We’ve already price checked all of our roses against competitors so you don’t have to. We are so confident we offer the best value, if you find a rose of the same type and grade elsewhere, we’ll beat it by 10%.
(3) 12 Month Plants Guarantee
We offer a 12 month guarantee on every plant that you buy from us that we have classified as Fully Hardy. If a plant you've bought from us fails in the first year, we will either replace it or refund you. See our satisfaction guarantee page for more details and conditions.
(4) Third generation family-owned nursery specialising in roses
Jackson’s Nurseries is a 3rd generation family owned business which has been growing roses for over 60 years. Roses have always been our specialty, as you can see from the colourful array of blooms in the background to the old family photo below. Today, we offer over 200 different varieties of floribundas, hybrid teas, patio, shrub and David Austin roses. Our roses are initially grown in the field before being potted up for website dispatch.
(5) Grown at altitude to produce strong, healthy plants
Our North Staffordshire nursery is situated at 250 metres above sea level, producing strong, hardy plants that will thrive in your garden. Our nursery sits on clay, so you can be sure our roses can handle heavy soil too.
(6) Help & Advice and Aftercare
We are help to help you with any help and advice you need in choosing, planting and growing your roses before, during and after your purchase from us. The help and advice section of our website has extensive information, see below some examples of articles you may find useful:
- Different types of roses and what they each mean
- Guide to climbing roses
- Guide to floribunda roses
- Guide to hybrid tea roses
- How to plant a climbing rose
- How to grow hybrid tea roses
How our roses are supplied through the seasons
All our roses are cultivated in an open field and are carefully dug up when the weather is optimal, typically in October or November. While other nurseries supply roses bare root, once our field-grown roses have been potted up we supply them freshly potted. This better protects the roots and helps keep them moist in transit, ensuring your roses arrive as healthy as when they left our nursery. So don’t be alarmed if the compost comes away from the roots when you remove them from the pot.
The roses can remain in their pots over the winter, as long as they are properly watered and fed, but it's best to plant them out as soon as possible. If you do plant them straight away make sure the planting mix is prepared first, hold the root close to the top of the hole as you tip the pot upside down and try to keep as much compost as possible from falling away. They will already be pruned, so no additional pruning is needed except for trimming any dead tips. Regular pruning can start in late winter, the year after planting.
Rose Types
Hybrid Tea Roses (HT)
Hybrid Tea roses are probably the most popular group of roses, available in both bush and standard form they have long flower stems and shapely blooms. Blooms are typically medium to large in size, with many petals which form a distinct central cone.
Floribunda Roses (FL)
Floribunda roses bears its flowers in clusters or trusses, with several blooms open at time in each truss. A popular choice the Floribunda rose group is unrivalled for colour, reliability and longevity as a bedding display however the flower form in generally inferior to the Hybrid Tea.
Patio Roses (PATIO)
Patio roses were introduced in the 1980’s and the group now contains several popular varieties. Generally low-growing roses that were once grouped with the Floribuna group but have now been put in their own group of compact versions. Usually growing about 50cm high they make excellent plants for patio containers or at the front of borders.
Climbing Roses (CLM)
Climbing roses as the name suggests are the perfect choice for covering a wall or screen. Often grouped together with Ramblers, Climbers tend to have stiffer stems, larger flowers but smaller trusses than Ramblers.
Rambling Roses (RAM)
Rambling roses are often grouped with Climbing Roses but the ramblers tend to have a more pliable stems that can be used to run along the soil to use as groundcover or can be used to make weeping standards.
Miniature Roses (MINI)
Miniature roses have increased in popularity in recent years due to their versatility, even grown indoors as temporary pot plants that grow to a maximum height of 40cm. An ideal choice for planting in tubs, edging beds and rockeries.
English Roses (ENG)
Often referred to as Austin or David Austin Roses, English roses are hybrids of old English roses and more modern varieties bread by David Austin to provide the best of both, mixing old rose shapes and scents with more modern colour range, compact habits and repeat flowering.
Planting Advice
Roses like a generous root space, so dig a deep hole approximately twice as wide as the current root system, preferably adding composted organic matter to the soil. Never plant into frozen soil – in winter, await a frost-free period. Carefully remove the pot and gently tease the roots apart to spread them around the hole. Position the plant so that the ‘bud point’ (the place where the shoots emerge from, where the cultivated rose was grafted onto the rootstock) is at soil level. Replace the soil, firming it down gently, then water copiously. Ideally, a general purpose fertiliser should be applied to the surrounding soil as a top dressing. We also highly recommend the use of Rose Rootgrow, which provides a friendly fungus that prevents ‘rose replant syndrome’.
Buying our Roses
Pot Size
Most of our roses are supplied in a 4 litre pot although this may vary slightly depending on rose variety. If the size of pot differes significatly from 4 litres then we will make this clear somewhere on the product page.
Seasonality
Our roses are grown outdoors and as such are subject to seasonal changes. As we sell potted stock throughout the year your rose may not arrive and look like you expect it to. If you are uncertain how your rose will arrive (especially if buying for a gift) then we suggest you contact us prior to making a purchase.
Freshly Potted
Each year a new batch of roses is potted up ready for the following season. Once potted (usually November/December time) they go on sale as 'Freshly Potted'. If you purchase a freshly potted rose and plant it soon after you will find that when removing the rose from the pot there will be a lot of loose soil as the roots will not have had time to grow and bind the compost.
Pruned/Cut Back
In autumn the majority of our roses have finished flowering and begin to look untidy, at this point we prune them quite hard in preparation for the following season. We continue to sell roses throughout the year, when a rose has been pruned in such a way we will identify it has being so. If you are not sure what to expect then please ask prior to making a purchase. Some garden centres/supermarkets sell stock that has been grown abroad or in poly-tunnels so they look 'picture perfect' out of season, while this is ideal for a gift they are short lived once planted.
Aftercare
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