Floribunda Rose 'Hot Chocolate' was bred in 1986 by J.W. Simpson, creating a wonderful, richly coloured red rose that is almost russet. The cooler the weather, the richer the flower colouring.
Its registered name is 'SIMcho'.
Blooms are produced in clusters with a mild fragrance that attract bees and other beneficial insects to your garden. They appear in bursts from spring through summer and into autumn.
It has a bushy habit with dark green and glossy foliage.
The Floribunda Rose Group:
All floribunda roses originate from a cross between Rosa polyanthus and Rosa Hybrid Tea roses and are also known as 'Cluster-Flowered Roses' as they often produce several blooms per stem.
Being generously flowering shrubs, Cluster Roses are almost evergreen and bloom from spring to autumn, sharing similar characteristics with hybrid tea roses.
The growth habit is quite bushy and full and Floribunda roses are usually hardier than hybrid teas.