Alba Meillandina® – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
Groundcover flexibility, uniform growth and coverage speed make Alba Meillandina® a strong option where You need consistent, repeatable mass‑planting performance from own‑root material. This broadly spreading, dense, dark‑foliaged cultivar builds fast, high‑impact white display carpets from a relatively compact 1.5–2 L route, supporting project‑scale beds and edging with manageable, moderate maintenance needs. On own roots it underpins long‑term plantings with reliable regeneration and stable stands, delivering predictable quality for nursery propagation beds, container grow‑on and wholesale stock for landscape contractors. Its very double, self‑cleaning clusters help hold ornamental value between visits, which is valuable where nursery networks and project suppliers work across exposed sites in Scotland and North England with strong winter and wind pressure. Developed for a project mass‑planting product path and a uniform, dense, bush‑trained finished product, this cultivar fits thematic rose gardens and collection projects seeking dependable white carpet effects, with Year‑1 root establishment, Year‑2 shoot framework and Year‑3 full ornamental value supporting long‑term projects and professional wholesale scheduling.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Project white groundcover 2 L – Uniform, dense, bush-trained plants in 1.5–2 L pots highlighting fast groundcover and strong hardiness as a ready module for mass bedding schemes – landscape contractor / project wholesaler lines
- Institutional edging series – Bush-trained edging units produced from own-root material with good self-cleaning and moderate maintenance needs, aligned to repetitive institutional borders – public-realm and facilities-management supply chains
- Thematic white collection block – Curated batches emphasising stable snow‑white colour and dense foliage structure, propagated for thematic rose gardens and show-collection beds – specialist nurseries and collection managers
- Urban courtyard bed unit – 1.5–2 L plants selected for uniform, dense spread and manageable maintenance with planned protection in humid sites, aimed at high-spec urban courtyard and podium projects – design-and-build integrators
- Exposed-site groundcover module – Hardened own-root plants highlighting winter hardiness and broad ground-cover habit, configured as a repeatable project SKU for large, open schemes – infrastructure and highway landscape contractors
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Groundcover rose from the Meillandina® collection, registered as MEInabron, traded as Alba Meillandina® / Alba Meillandina, exhibition mini rose class, authenticity verified 03.08.2025. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Marie-Louise Meilland (France, 1985) from MEIdonq × [(Darling × Jack Frost)], registered 1989 and introduced after 1989 by Meilland International as a professional groundcover cultivar. |
| Awards and recognition |
not provided |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Broadly spreading ground-cover habit, 90–150 cm high and 135–225 cm spread, dense dark green glossy foliage, moderately thorny shoots, designed to create continuous low carpets and edging structures. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, ball to pompon flowers with 40+ petals, small (0.5–1.5 in) blooms produced in clusters, repeating well with a second abundant flush, maintaining coverage across the flowering season. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Uniform snow-white petals (RHS 155C outer, 155D inner) with cool white tone, minimal fading, buds pale cream-white with greenish sepals, flowers stay white through full bloom, delivering stable white display. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
No noticeable aroma; flowers are unscented and strongly double, with enclosed stamens, making the cultivar primarily an ornamental ground-cover feature rather than a pollinator-oriented planting option. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional small, spherical red hips 6–10 mm in diameter may develop, but the variety’s practical value in projects rests mainly on foliage and floral cover rather than decorative fruit display. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Medium resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, requiring monitoring in enclosed humid sites; very hardy to about –32 to –29 °C (H7, USDA 4b, Swedish zone 5) for reliable overwintering. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Use for groundcover, edging, beds and containers; moderate maintenance, best in well-ventilated positions; enclosed urban courtyards may need plant protection; recommended as uniform, dense, bush-trained project mass planting from 1.5–2 L. |
Alba Meillandina® combines broad, fast groundcover, strong winter hardiness and own-root longevity to support predictable, regenerative project planting stands; You are welcome to discuss volumes, timing and integration into Your wider programme.
