ICY DRIFT® – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own-root propagation material
Groundcover production with ICY DRIFT® gives you a compact, uniform base cultivar for high-density nursery beds and container lines where low-maintenance, project-ready roses are required at volume. This own-root NEONATAL material supports predictable development from roots in year one, framework and flowering in year two, and full ornamental effect from year three onwards, delivering stable, renewable stands with minimal replacement over time. The variety’s dense, glossy foliage and spreading habit secure fast coverage in landscape blocks, while its H7 hardiness and disease resistance underpin long-term performance on public and commercial sites exposed to winter cold and wind across northern UK regions. Small, double, snow-white clusters with reliable colour retention help you offer consistent, low-pruning beds and edging plants in 1.5–2 L and larger landscape containers, aligning well with project-led, wholesale-scale rose programmes.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Project mass-planting 2 L line – uniform, bush-trained ICY DRIFT® in 1.5–2 L containers for fast-coverage groundcover schemes, built on disease resistance and compact, spreading structure – target: landscape contractors via project-focused wholesalers
- 40–50 L ready-to-place groundcover modules – larger containers carrying wide, dense plants that quickly knit into park and urban beds, exploiting fast coverage and cold hardiness for immediate-impact installations – target: public-realm and institutional project suppliers
- White edging series for formal schemes – tightly graded, low-maintenance edging plants offering stable snow-white colour and good foliage health, ideal for formal beds and parterres – target: nurseries serving landscape architects and design-led commercial clients
- Low-input municipal rose blocks – own-root stock grown on into robust, uniformly trained bushes for high-density planting where low pruning and self-cleaning reduce service visits – target: framework agreements with municipal and highway-maintenance operators
- Collection and show-garden groundcover units – premium bronze-rated plants positioned for thematic rose collections, leveraging disease resilience and predictable structure to maintain display quality long term – target: botanical gardens, show-ground managers, and specialist collection nurseries
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Groundcover shrub rose from the Drift® collection; registered as MEIpicdevoj, marketed as Icy Drift® / Drift®; ARS approved exhibition name Icy Drift; meaning refers to its snow-white flowers in wave-like flushes. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred in France in 2008 by Alain Meilland (Meilland International); parentage ‘Heritage’ × (‘The Fairy’ × ‘Iceberg’); introduced after 2013 with US plant patent PP 23 579, distributed by Conard-Pyle and Star Roses and Plants. |
| Awards and recognition |
Recognised as a Louisiana Super Plants award winner in 2013, indicating reliable garden and landscape performance under independent regional trial conditions and adding assurance for professional specification use. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Compact, spreading habit with dense, mid-green, glossy foliage; typical height 30–55 cm and spread 55–90 cm; moderately thorny shoots; structure supports close planting grids for groundcover and edging roles. |
| Flower morphology |
Small S-sized double flowers, around 0.5–1.5 inches, produced in clusters on short stems; 26–39 petals in a cupped form; remontant with a plentiful second flowering, maintaining decorative value across the season. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pure, cool snow-white petals with a subtle creamy undertone; ARS colour code W, RHS 155D; buds creamy white with greenish tips; colour retains well, only softening to slightly yellowish white while remaining predominantly white throughout. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Fragrance is very weak and barely noticeable, with just a slight sweet note; primarily selected and used for visual groundcover and bedding impact rather than for scented planting schemes or fragrance-led assortments. |
| Hip characteristics |
Due to the double bloom form, hip set is limited; where present, small spherical orange-red hips of around 8–12 mm diameter may develop, but these are generally incidental to its main ornamental purpose. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated H7 with hardiness to approximately −34 to −32 °C; Swedish zone 5 and USDA zone 4a; good resistance to powdery mildew and black spot, moderate rust susceptibility; maintains foliage quality with appropriate site and care. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to groundcover, edging, flower beds, containers, parks and urban greens; low maintenance with minimal pruning and routine feeding; finished as uniform, dense bush-trained plants, ideal for project mass planting routes and landscape contracts. |
ICY DRIFT® as pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own-root material combines fast groundcover, cold-hardy, disease-resilient performance and long-lived, regenerative stands, making it a sound choice to discuss capacity, scheduling, and project-fit for your programmes.
