Koko Loco - The Rose that refuses to be Ordinary

Some roses play it safe. Koko Loco is not one of them.

This is a rose that makes people stop and look twice — not because it shouts, but because the colour is so unexpected, so quietly sophisticated, that it takes a moment to place. Creamy milk chocolate, warm nude, a whisper of lavender. It shouldn't work. It absolutely does.

The story behind the rose

Koko Loco is a Floribunda bred by Tom Carruth and introduced by Weeks Roses in the United States, where it won the All-America Rose Selections award in 2011 — no small thing in the rose world. It arrived in the UK to considerable interest, and it's easy to see why. There simply isn't another rose quite like it in terms of colour.

In the garden

Growing to around 3–4ft (approximately 100cm), Koko Loco is a well-mannered, upright Floribunda with above-average disease resistance — which in the Welsh borders, where damp summers can make black spot a persistent nuisance, is genuinely worth having.

It repeat flowers reliably from June through to September, producing clusters of those extraordinary blooms in flushes throughout the season. The colour shifts as the flowers age — opening warm and chocolatey, softening to a cooler, more lavender-tinged tone as the petals mature. A single plant in full flush contains several different shades at once, which gives it a depth and complexity that photographs beautifully.

Fragrance is slight rather than strong — worth knowing if scent is your primary concern. But what it lacks in fragrance it more than compensates for in sheer visual interest.

Growing tips

• Position: Full sun in a sheltered spot — south or west facing is ideal. The unusual colouring is shown off best in good light
• Soil: Tolerant of all soil types, though it will perform best in fertile, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter
• Deadheading: Regular deadheading encourages the next flush — keep on top of it through summer for the best display
• Pruning: In spring, remove dead and crossing wood and reduce remaining canes by around a third
• Feeding: A specialist rose fertiliser in April and again after the first flush will keep it performing well through the season
• Disease resistance: Above average — a genuine plus for gardeners in wetter parts of the country

Who is it for?

Koko Loco suits gardeners who want something genuinely different — a rose that sparks conversation and doesn't look like everything else in the border. The warm, neutral tones work beautifully with soft greys, dusty purples, and the kind of planting palette that's become popular in naturalistic garden design. It's also a natural choice for cut flowers and wedding work, where its unusual colouring photographs strikingly against both pale and dark backgrounds.

If you've been looking for a rose that's sophisticated without being showy, and distinctive without being difficult — this is it.

A note on availability

Koko Loco is currently out of stock with us, but we'd love to hear from you if you'd like to be notified when it's back.

Interested in other roses with unusual colouring? Take a look at [A Whiter Shade of Pale] for something luminously pale, or get in touch and we'll help you find the right variety for your garden.