The Poulsen family has been breeding roses in Denmark for about a century. Some of the best are presented chronologically below. The earliest roses they bred were polyanthas. Toward the middle of the twentieth century they released Rumba, Chinatown, Royal Dane, H.C. Andersen, and Ingrid Bergman. Chinatown produces fragrant yellow flowers and has been used by Austin in his breeding program. Royal Dane produces distinctive colors of raspberry and orange. H.C. Andersen is a very attractive red floribunda, but it has been eclipsed by Europeana and Showbiz. Perhaps it is still worthy of consideration, though. Ingrid Bergman is a pure red hybrid tea of easy culture. There exist as substantial number of rose lovers who insist that this is the best of the red hybrid tea roses.
Near the end of the twentieth century Poulsen bred a number of ground cover roses that are ironclad in their health and highly foliferous. Essex, Kent, and Sussex are among them. Of taller stature was the shrub Queen Margrethe whose roses are a lovely soft pink. Tivoli is a healthy hybrid tea in a strong primrose or very soft yellow. It's a unique color and a good one. I have seen Baby Grand trained as a standard and it was a stand-out. And I have seen Karen Blixen (pictured) in a local municipal garden and it was easily the most sculpturally perfect hybrid tea rose in the garden that day.
It is impossible to know how many of the more recent introductions will be around next century, but it seems likely that many of the roses on this list will still have a garden presence then.
| Name | Color | Class | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Poulsen | Rose | Polyantha | 7.4 |
| Else Poulsen | Pink | Polyantha | 8.1 |
| Kirsten Poulsen | Crimson | Polyantha | 7.8 |
| Rumba | Red/Yellow Blend | Cluster Flowered | |
| Chinatown | Yellow | Shrub | 7.4 |
| Pernille Poulsen | Coral | Cluster Flowered | 7.4 |
| Royal Dane | Copper | Large Flowered | 7.1 |
| White Bells | White/Yellow Blend | Miniature | |
| Texas | Tawney Blend | Miniature | |
| Ingrid Bergman | Scarlet | Large Flowered | 7.7 |
| H.C. Andersen | Scarlet | Cluster Flowered | 7.9 |
| Essex | Rose | Ground Cover | |
| Kent | White | Ground Cover | |
| Queen Margrethe | Pale Pink | Modern Shrub | 7.8 |
| Sussex | Pale Apricot | Ground Cover | |
| Baby Grand | Pink | Miniature | 8.6 |
| Karen Blixen | White | Large Flowered | 7.5 |
| Sunhit | Chrome Yellow | Miniature | |
| Victor Borge | Copper | Large Flowered | 7.7 |
| Tiger Cub | Red/Yellow Blend | Cluster Flowered | |
| Tivoli | Yellow | Large Flowered | |
| Berries ‘n’ Cream | White/Pink Blend | Large Flower Climber | 7.8 |
