Uniform, rich red shade with a slightly velvety sheen. The colour intensity retains its depth well even in sunlight. - hybrid tea rose - mild, subtly scented rose - fruity
– Classic Hybrid Tea with exhibition form.
– Uniform, velvety red blooms hold their colour.
– Excellent disease resistance for healthier plants.
– Long-stemmed XL flowers ideal for cutting.
– Heat and drought tolerant, low maintenance.
– Special feature: Award-winning rose with All-America Rose Selections and Portland Gold Medal honours.
Long vase life – Grower care
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre own-root potted rose
24,70 £
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to ship to the United Kingdom; we only deliver to countries within the European Union. For more information, please contact us!
3.5(5224)
OLYMPIAD™ – red hybrid tea rose - McGredy
Olympiad brings classic hybrid tea elegance to the family garden, with tall, upright stems carrying large, exhibition-quality red blooms that hold their colour well even in summer sun and coastal winds with reliable resilience. Bred for cutting, its long-lasting flowers look just as at home beside a front path or in a tidy mixed border, offering a steady stream of blooms for the vase from early summer onwards. The low-maintenance, disease-resistant foliage keeps the plant neat with modest input, while the own-root form supports secure establishment and a long, stable life in the garden as roots build in year one, framework in year two and full ornamental impact in year three.
Olympiad™ hybrid tea rose with a high-centred, pointed bud form.
Usage options
Target area
Reasoning
Front garden feature rose
Its upright habit and large, high-centred scarlet blooms create an immediate focal point by a gate, drive or front path, echoing classic British frontage planting while staying compact enough for smaller plots; ideal for the style-conscious beginner.
Cutting patch in a family garden
Originally bred as an exhibition hybrid tea, Olympiad produces long, straight stems with XL, long-lasting blooms that hold well in the vase, allowing you to cut regularly through the season without losing overall display; ideal for the home flower-arranging enthusiast.
Small group planting in beds and borders
Planting 3–5 bushes together at the recommended spacing creates a dense, easy-care clump of red flowers and matt green foliage, giving strong colour impact with simple pruning and feeding routines; well suited to time-pressed garden owners.
Formal or informal low hedge
The uniform height, good disease resistance and dense foliage make a tidy flowering hedge along drives or boundaries, with blooms that maintain depth of colour even in exposed, sunny positions; reassuring for practicality-minded householders.
Mixed cottage-style border
Its strong, even red works beautifully with perennials such as dwarf heucheras and sea thrift, adding vertical structure and repeat flowering that knits cottage-style mixes together without complex care; a good option for aspiring cottage-garden gardeners.
Large containers on terrace or patio
In a 40–50 litre or larger pot with good drainage, the upright shape and repeat flowering give a smart, manageable rose for patios or small courtyards, combining showy blooms with a straightforward feeding and watering routine; ideal for busy urban residents.
Low-intervention rose bed
Its robust resistance to black spot, mildew and rust supports simple, low-chemical routines, so you can maintain an attractive bed with basic watering and a yearly prune rather than intensive spraying; perfect for environmentally aware home gardeners.
Long-term structural planting
As an own-root hybrid tea that tolerates heat and establishes steadily, it develops into a stable, long-lived bush that anchors planting schemes and copes well with sunny, breezy British sites, including those with challenging wind and exposure; reassuring for long-horizon garden planners.
Styling ideas
Classic-entrance – Flank a front door or path with a pair of Olympiad in generous beds, underplanted with low dwarf heucheras for contrast – suitable for homeowners seeking a smart, traditional welcome.
Cottage-ribbon – Thread 3 bushes through a cottage-style border with sea thrift and hardy geraniums to weave strong red accents through softer pastels – ideal for lovers of informal English borders.
Patio-centrepiece – Grow one plant in a 50 litre terra cotta container with trailing sedum at the rim to soften edges while showcasing the blooms – perfect for balcony and terrace rose fans.
Cutting-row – Line a sunny fence with evenly spaced plants to create a simple cutting row that also decorates the boundary – designed for gardeners who enjoy bringing their flowers indoors.
Formal-hedge – Clip lightly along a drive or path to keep a row of plants even, combining structure with repeat red flowering – suited to those who like a neat, low-maintenance framework.
Technical cultivar profile
Parameter
Data
Name and registration
Hybrid tea rose, registered as MACauck, marketed as Olympiad™; exhibition hybrid tea category and premium gold quality classification for reliable garden and cutting performance.
Origin and breeding
Bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy IV from ‘Red Planet’ × ‘Pharaoh’; introduced 1974 in New Zealand, later in the USA via Star Roses and Jackson & Perkins for wider distribution.
Awards and recognition
All-America Rose Selections award in 1984 and Portland Gold Medal in 1995, confirming its ornamental quality, cutting value and dependable garden performance in varied conditions.
Growth and structural characteristics
Upright bush 100–140 cm tall and 65–95 cm wide, with dense, mid-green matt foliage and moderate thorns; forms a well-branched structure suitable for specimen, hedge or bed use.
Flower morphology
Large, double, 26–39 petalled blooms, high-centred and pointed-budded in classic hybrid tea form, usually borne singly on strong stems, with good repeat flowering after the first flush.
Colour data and phenology
Uniform rich red, ARS mr, RHS 46A–46B, with a slight velvety sheen; colour holds well in sun with only gentle darkening towards carmine as blooms age and petals begin to soften.
Fragrance and aroma
Mild, fruity fragrance with a subtle classic rose note; not overpowering near seating areas, offering gentle scent both in the garden and when used as a cut flower indoors.
Hip characteristics
Occasional small, spherical red hips around 8–12 mm across, adding modest decorative interest in late season without significantly affecting the plant’s repeat-flowering capacity.
Resistance and winter hardiness
Good resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust; hardy to approximately –26 to –23 °C (RHS H7, USDA 5b), suitable for most UK regions with normal garden protection.
Horticultural recommendations
Prefers sunny positions and well-drained soil; plant 50–90 cm apart depending on use, water in dry spells, deadhead for tidiness and prune annually to maintain vigour and form.
OLYMPIAD™ – red hybrid tea rose - McGredy offers vivid long-lasting blooms, strong disease resistance and steady own-root development for a durable, low-effort display; a thoughtful choice if you want reliable structure and colour over many years.
Detailed product attributes
Product Identification Data
Product Name:
OLYMPIAD™ – red hybrid tea rose - McGredy
Product Type:
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL - 2-litre own-root potted rose
Our product is a rose grown with pharmaROSA®’s unique cultivation technology!
2-litre, own-root, potted rose.
With a shoot system appropriate to the season.
With a root system that thoroughly permeates the growing medium.
Quality compliant with the requirements of the E.N.A. (European Nurserystock Association).
Supplied in unique packaging that prevents damage.
Can be planted during frost-free periods.
True-to-variety rose bush with a unique identifier.
The pharmaROSA® own-root potted rose is a well-rooted plant that supports reliable establishment when planted and cared for properly, so it can be planted whenever the soil is not frozen.
Crop overview: several varieties and growth stages in a short crop section.Shoot system: intensive growth of fresh basal shoots on a young plant.Root system: demonstration of a vigorous root system permeating the growing medium, by removing the pot.Balance: mature plant with root system and shoots in harmony with each other.
Information about the videos
The video series is not a “seasonal showcase”; it illustrates the essence of pharmaROSA® own-root cultivation in a tangible way: how the plant is built up, what the root system is like and how the shoot system regenerates. The recordings were therefore made at different times and with plants at various stages of development, so mixed foliage levels and differing stages of growth may appear in the videos. They are not a ‘sample’ of the batch dispatched, but a visual explanation of how the technology works. The current condition of the rose available to order — typical for the given period and similar to what you can expect to receive in the parcel — is shown in the upper part of the product page.
Pages for private customers Garden roses for the family garden, with minimal care → ORIGINAL® Premium garden roses – instant impact, a truly showpiece garden → EXTRA® Pages for professionals and private customers Roses for public spaces – large areas, sustainable maintenance → NATURAL® Roses for projects – hedge and row planting, fast implementation → RAPID® For professional partners only Production – propagation material for garden roses, wholesale → NEONATAL®
Company details
PharmaRosa Ltd. Company registration number: 01-09-717479 VAT number: 13075314-2-43 Plant health registration no.: HU130721 Bank account (IBAN): HU85117631891388688400000000 BIC (SWIFT): OTPVHUHB Bank name: OTP Bank Nyrt.
