Arborose® Kiss Me Kate™ Climbing Rose

Arborose® Kiss Me Kate™ Climbing Rose turns vertical garden spaces into an experience for the senses. Its exceptionally fragrant pink flowers combine citrus, apple, rose, and raspberry notes, giving this climber a perfume as memorable as its blooms. Dark pink buds open into romantic, cupped and quartered 4-inch flowers filled with approximately 41 petals. Long stems make the blooms excellent for cutting, while continuous flowering brings repeated waves of color and fragrance to the garden throughout the growing season.

Growing up to 10 feet tall and approximately 4 feet wide, Kiss Me Kate™ can create substantial vertical impact on an arbor, trellis, or fence. Vigorous climbing growth is accompanied by dark green foliage and excellent disease resistance, including resistance to black spot and downy mildew. The result is a climber that combines exceptional fragrance, old-fashioned flower form, and strong garden performance.

Why You'll Love It

• Exceptionally fragrant flowers make scent one of this climber's defining features
• Fragrance combines citrus, apple, rose, and raspberry notes
• Romantic pink blooms have a full, cupped and quartered flower form
• 4-inch flowers contain approximately 41 petals
• Continuous flowering brings repeated waves of blooms throughout the growing season
• Vigorous climbing growth creates impressive vertical garden displays
• Long stems make the fragrant flowers excellent for cutting
• Excellent disease resistance includes resistance to black spot and downy mildew
• Dark green foliage provides an attractive backdrop for the pink flowers

Why This Rose Stands Out

Many climbing roses can cover a structure with flowers. Arborose® Kiss Me Kate™ adds another dimension: remarkable fragrance. Its pink blooms perfume the garden with a complex combination of citrus, apple, rose, and raspberry notes, making an arbor, trellis, or fence a place you'll want to stop and enjoy rather than simply admire from a distance.

That fragrance comes with substantial garden performance. Kiss Me Kate™ grows vigorously, flowers continuously throughout the season, and offers excellent disease resistance. Its full, old-fashioned flowers are also carried on stems long enough for cutting, allowing the same fragrance that distinguishes the rose outdoors to be enjoyed inside the home.

Plant Highlights

• Rose Type: Climbing Rose
• Collection: Arborose®
• Cultivar: 'KORnagelio'
• Patent: PP30,810
• Bloom Color: Pink
• Bloom Size: Approximately 4 inches
• Petal Count: Approximately 41 petals
• Flower Form: Full, cupped and quartered blooms
• Fragrance Strength: Strong
• Fragrance Notes: Citrus, apple, rose, and raspberry
• Flowering: Continuous flowering throughout the growing season
• Growth Habit: Vigorous climbing
• Mature Height: Up to approximately 10 feet
• Mature Width: Approximately 4 feet
• Foliage: Dark green
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-10
• Disease Resistance: Excellent, including resistance to black spot and downy mildew
• Special Strengths: Exceptional fragrance, repeat flowering, vigorous growth, disease resistance, and cutting performance
• Best Garden Uses: Arbors, trellises, fences, vertical garden accents, fragrant gardens, and cutting gardens

Frequently Asked Questions

How fragrant is Arborose® Kiss Me Kate™?
Fragrance is one of the defining qualities of Kiss Me Kate™. Its strongly scented flowers combine citrus, apple, rose, and raspberry notes for a complex perfume that can be enjoyed both in the garden and indoors as cut flowers.

What do Kiss Me Kate™ flowers look like?
Dark pink buds open into full pink flowers approximately 4 inches across. Each bloom contains approximately 41 petals arranged in a romantic, cupped and quartered form.

How large does Kiss Me Kate™ grow?
Kiss Me Kate™ is a vigorous climber that can reach approximately 10 feet tall and 4 feet wide under suitable garden conditions.

What can I grow Kiss Me Kate™ on?
Its climbing growth makes Kiss Me Kate™ well suited to sturdy arbors, trellises, fences, and other vertical garden supports.

Does Kiss Me Kate™ bloom repeatedly?
Yes. Kiss Me Kate™ flowers continuously throughout the growing season, providing repeated displays of fragrant pink blooms.

Is Kiss Me Kate™ disease resistant?
Yes. Excellent disease resistance is one of its important garden strengths, including resistance to black spot and downy mildew.

Is Kiss Me Kate™ good for cutting?
Yes. Its fragrant flowers are carried on long stems that make them especially useful for cutting. Bringing the blooms indoors also provides another way to enjoy their distinctive fragrance.

How do I train Kiss Me Kate™ as a climbing rose?
Provide a sturdy support and guide developing canes across it as they grow. Where the structure allows, training healthy canes outward rather than exclusively straight upward can encourage flowering along more of the plant and help create a fuller display.

Care Tips

Plant Arborose® Kiss Me Kate™ in full sun and moist, well-drained soil with good air circulation. Provide a sturdy arbor, trellis, fence, or other support and begin guiding the canes as the plant develops. Water deeply at the root zone during dry periods and use mulch to help conserve soil moisture. Prune to remove dead, damaged, or crossing growth and to maintain the desired shape. Train healthy canes across the support where possible to encourage a broad, flower-filled display.

Grow with Confidence

For more than 150 years, Jackson & Perkins has helped gardeners grow exceptional roses with confidence. Explore our expert resources for planting, care, pruning, seasonal maintenance, and more.

• Beginner's Guide to Growing Roses
• Rose Care Calendar