Creating a true, pure white garden spray rose with good transportability

Maravelle®, a new white garden spray rose from French breeder Georges Delbard, is being introduced to the Kenyan and international cut-flower market. According to the breeder, the variety combines a white flower color with traits relevant to commercial production, including transportability, vase life, stem length, and yield.

A new standard in white
White flowers are often judged on the consistency and clarity of their color, as well as their performance in bouquets, arrangements, and retail or export settings. Maravelle is described by the breeder as a white garden spray rose intended to meet these expectations. The company says the variety is aimed at growers seeking a white-flowered option with commercial handling characteristics, as well as at florists and buyers looking for white spray roses for a range of uses.

© Georges Delbard

Market position
According to Delbard, Maravelle is a white garden spray variety bred with attention to transportability, vase life, stem length, and production volume.

Built for the realities of the cut-flower chain
The performance of a cut-flower variety is typically assessed across the supply chain, from cultivation to the end customer. The breeder highlights four characteristics said to be relevant to this journey. Transportability is cited as a factor intended to support the variety’s movement through export and distribution. Vase life is noted as a consideration for maintaining flower quality after delivery. Stem length is described as suited to cut-flower handling and presentation. Production volume is also mentioned as part of the variety’s commercial profile. Growers can evaluate these claims under their own farm conditions, while exporters, florists, and buyers may consider how the reported characteristics align with their sourcing requirements.

A first response in Kenya
Maravelle was introduced in Nairobi, Kenya, at the International Flower Trade Expo (IFTEX) in June 2026, where it drew interest from industry visitors. The variety is currently being trialed at a number of rose farms across Kenya, allowing growers to observe its performance under local growing conditions. Maravelle is also expected to be featured at the Naivasha Horticultural Fair (NHF) in September 2026, where industry stakeholders will have a further opportunity to view the variety as trials continue.

The Delbard influence
Maravelle was developed by Georges Delbard, a French nurseryman and plant breeder known for combining practical horticultural expertise with variety development. His career spanned several decades of nursery and breeding work. In 1929, he began his horticultural training at Truffaut in Versailles. In 1935, he opened his first shop in Paris on Quai de la Mégisserie and launched a mail-order catalogue. In 1942, he established nurseries at the family farm in Malicorne. In 1947, he published Les Beaux Fruits de France, a reference work on fruit cultivation. In 1958, he opened one of France’s first self-service garden centres. The Delbard company has since become known for its rose and fruit variety breeding programs. Pépinières et Roseraies Georges Delbard continues to operate as a family-run business based in Malicorne.

Keep Maravelle in view
Maravelle combines a white garden spray flower with reported commercial traits — transportability, vase life, stem length, and production volume — that the breeder positions for today’s cut-flower market. Its introduction at IFTEX and the ongoing trials in Kenya mark early steps in its evaluation by the industry. Growers, buyers, exporters, and florists interested in the variety can view it at the Naivasha Horticultural Fair in September 2026 and follow updates from the Kenyan trials.

© Georges Delbard

Next step
Maravelle is expected to be on display at NHF in September 2026, with its progress continuing to be tracked through rose-farm trials in Kenya.