SHIRABE – white hybrid tea rose – Kunieda
Shirabe offers professional growers a premium own-root propagation base for exclusive, flower-quality-led hybrid tea ranges, combining a compact, upright bush habit with solitary, ball-shaped blooms ideal for specimen and premium container lines. Its strongly scented tea-rose fragrance, pure white to creamy colour transitions, and very double flower form support high-value “showpiece” production for retail and reseller partners focussed on visual impact. Resistant to major foliar diseases with generally low maintenance needs, it fits nursery systems seeking predictable, homogeneous stands under cool, windy UK exposures, well suited to harsher northern locations. Bush-trained with 3–5 strong framework canes, it is optimised for 5–7 L containers as an exclusive finished product; for long-term, collection-grade plantings and thematic rose gardens, growers can present its full ornamental potential by progressing from strong year-one root establishment, then structural shoot build-up, and finally full display performance from year three onward on long-lived, regenerating own-root stock.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L scented hybrid tea – Upright, bush-trained plants in 5–7 L pots with solitary, very double white blooms and strong tea fragrance, positioned as an exclusive, fragrance-led feature SKU – retail / reseller benches.
- White collection specimen rose – Own-root, disease-resistant plants selected for uniform habit, supplied in premium containers as named specimens for thematic and show gardens emphasising pure white flower form – specialist collection buyers.
- Garden-cut hybrid tea feature – Medium-flowered, solitary-bloom hybrid tea lines framed as dual-purpose garden and cutting varieties, leveraging strong flower form and fragrance from 5–7 L production – independent garden centres.
- Institutional entrance focal containers – Up-shifted from 5–7 L into 40–50 L containers to create long-lived, own-root focal plants with reliable white display and low maintenance requirements – public-realm and institutional contractors.
- Curated hybrid tea fragrance range – A branded sub-range grouping strongly scented, disease-resistant hybrid teas like this cultivar, supplied in uniform premium containers to highlight exclusive flower quality and fragrance – high-end retail programmes.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Shirabe hybrid tea rose Kunieda; hybrid tea commercial type and group, current trade name as listed; registered cultivar name not provided; meaning of name references the Japanese word for melody or tune. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Kunieda Keiji at Rose Farm Keiji, Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, from parent Misaki (2007) bare-root; introduced in Japan in 2014, with registration year data not provided but commercialisation centred on this release. |
| Awards and recognition |
No competition, collectors’ or global awards are recorded for this cultivar; no additional show or trial distinctions are documented, so selection is based on technical and ornamental performance rather than formal accolades. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright hybrid tea shrub, around 95–125 cm tall with 70–90 cm spread; moderately dense, dark green foliage and moderate prickliness; self-cleaning behaviour not documented; bush-trained with 3–5 framework canes for structured presentation. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, ball to pompon-shaped flowers with 40+ petals, borne mainly solitary; medium bloom size around 1.5–2.75 inches; remontant character with a generous second flowering flush, suitable for repeat ornamental display and cutting use. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pure white base with creamy centre; newly opened ivory petals with buttery inner tones, maturing to homogeneous white and finally an opalescent powder white; ARS code w, RHS NN155C outer and 158B inner; moderate colour retention during bloom life. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, long-lasting tea-rose fragrance of classic character, suitable where scent is a key specification; double flowers with 26–39 or more petals partially cover stamens, limiting pollinator value, so considered primarily an ornamental fragrance variety. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces spherical orange-red hips about 8–12 mm in diameter; hip set is only occasional because the very double flower form restricts seed development, so hips are a minor rather than dominant ornamental feature on finished plants. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardiness approximately -21 to -18 °C with RHS H7 rating, aligning with USDA zone 6b and Swedish zone 3; moderate tolerance of heat and drought, needing watering in prolonged dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to flower beds, specimen planting and cut-flower oriented garden use; preferred route is premium container production, especially 5–7 L, with bush-trained form; maintenance needs are low thanks to good disease resistance and modest intervention demands. |
SHIRABE Hybrid tea rose Kunieda combines strong disease resistance, structured upright habit and premium flower and fragrance quality on long-lived own-root stock, supporting predictable, low-replacement production; we invite you to discuss scheduling and capacity options.
