WHITE – white climbing rose - Hendrickx – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL
Climbing propagation material for professional production, this own-root pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rose provides a vertically dominant, structural element for pergolas, walls and arches where you need reliable, space-defining features with exclusive character. The pure, uniform snow-white blooms with high-centred, cut-rose style form create a distinctive visual effect suited to exhibition climber and cut-flower positioning, while the medium-sized double flowers and moderately dense, dark-green foliage ensure a balanced, elegant finished look. Good disease resistance and generally low maintenance needs support predictable nursery scheduling and reduce service requirements for public-realm and institutional projects exposed to variable UK weather, including regions where winter and wind tolerance is a priority. As own-root, tray-rooted cuttings offer a renewable, long-lived base for nursery propagation beds and trained climber lines: Year 1 focused on root establishment, Year 2 building extension canes, and from Year 3 providing full ornamental and cut-flower performance in 5–7 L trained-climber formats that underpin vertically led, collection-quality rose assortments for wholesale partners.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- 5–7 L trained climber – pergola line – Own-root plants trained with 3–5 main canes, offered in 5–7 L containers as ready-to-install pergola and wall climbers with low maintenance needs and strong disease resistance – target: retail / reseller garden centre networks.
- Collection-series white climber – Branded white-themed collection item highlighting pure snow-white, colour-stable blooms and exhibition climber pedigree, supplied as a trained climber finished product – target: specialist rose retailers and mail-order partners.
- Cut-flower capable climber SKU – Vertically trained plants emphasising high-centred, pointed buds and solitary blooms for niche cut-flower harvesting from gardens, leveraging own-root durability for repeated cutting – target: nurseries serving florist-oriented and boutique growers.
- Specimen feature for arches – Premium specimen climber for arches and entrance features, capitalising on the exclusive, space-defining habit and dark-green foliage with snow-white flowers, produced from own-root stock beds – target: landscape-focused resellers and project suppliers.
- Private-label ceremonial white climber – Private-label line built around pure white, non-fading flowers and low-intervention care needs, offered as a reliable vertical accent in 5–7 L trained format – target: integrated chains and online retailers with curated rose ranges.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Current trade name WHITE – white climbing rose - Hendrickx; American Rose Society exhibition name Virgo, Cl.; collection classification climbing rose; registered cultivar name not provided; commercial type and group climbing rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Sport of ‘Virgo’ (Mallerin 1947), bred by Ignace Hendrickx in Belgium, 1957; breeding company De Coninck-Dervaes & Pomona; introduced 1957 by Grandes Pépinières C. de Coninck-Dervaes; registration status unregistered cultivar. |
| Awards and recognition |
Awarded 2nd Certificate at the IV International Competition of New Roses, Madrid, 1959, supporting its exhibition climber and cut-flower relevance; no further global or lifetime awards are documented beyond this result. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Climbing habit with 200–320 cm height and 150–250 cm spread, moderately thorny shoots and moderately dense, dark-green foliage; weak self-cleaning so spent blooms generally remain, requiring periodic manual deadheading to maintain presentation. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized (1.5–2.75 in) double flowers with 26–39 petals, remontant with abundant second flowering; solitary, high-centred, pointed-budded blooms reflecting classic hybrid tea style, suited to cut-flower and exhibition uses on trained climbers. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pure, uniform white colour (ARS W; RHS NN155D outer, NN155C inner) with excellent retention and very limited fading; buds snow-white with slight sheen, opening to milky and then silky white petals, only subtly dulling toward senescence. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength, clearly perceptible fragrance with a softly sweet character; primarily ornamental rather than pollinator-focused, as the heavily double flowers largely conceal stamens and provide limited attractiveness to visiting insects. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set expected to be limited by the double flower form; when formed, hips are ellipsoid, orange-red, around 8–12 mm in diameter, adding occasional autumn interest without being a dominant ornamental feature or production objective. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to key foliar diseases including powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to approximately –21 to –18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b), giving robust winter performance in colder and more exposed European production regions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Recommended as a trained climber finished product for pergolas, walls, arches, trellises and specimen use; supplied as pharmaROSA NEONATAL own-root cuttings for propagation, with low maintenance requirements and little intervention under normal conditions. |
WHITE – white climbing rose - Hendrickx offers disease-resistant, pure white, exhibition-grade blooms on a durable own-root climbing framework that supports predictable, long-lived vertical stands; please contact us to align on volumes, propagation plans and scheduling.
