Le Ciel Bleu – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting for professional production
Premium own-root NEONATAL material of Le Ciel Bleu offers a bushy shrub habit and lavender nostalgia blooms for reliably distinctive high-end shrub production on own roots, aligning well with exclusive retail assortments that value flower quality and cupped, double-flowered form. This cultivar combines moderate height with 80–130 cm spread, giving flexible structure for 5–7 L containers and future step-up into 40–50 litre feature units where long-term framework matters. Its resistant foliage supports predictable scheduling and low-intervention crop management, balancing UK nursery needs in a range of conditions including sites exposed to strong winter winds in northern regions. Own-root propagation underpins long-term stock security and homogeneous stands for thematic rose collections, with roots consolidating in year one, structural canes developing in year two and full ornamental expression stabilising from year three, supporting dependable wholesale planning and capacity for curated Romantic Rose ranges.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- 5–7 L Romantic Rose feature shrub – Bush-trained Le Ciel Bleu in 5–7 L premium containers, built on its flower quality and cupped double form, positioned as an exclusive Romantic Rose highlight for high-end retail shrub benches – target audience/channel: retail / reseller.
- Large patio specimen container – Step NEONATAL material through intermediate pots into 40–50 litre containers to exploit the bushy habit and remontant flowering, delivering a long-season nostalgia specimen for design-led outdoor living ranges – target audience/channel: retail / reseller.
- Curated lavender nostalgia mix – Integrate Le Ciel Bleu into a mixed Romantic Rose programme, leveraging its stable lavender-lilac colour and disease resistance for reliable 5–7 L colour blocks in thematic or collection-style assortments – target audience/channel: professional nurseries.
- Show-garden Romantic bed unit – Produce uniform batches for project supply, using own-root predictability and low intervention needs to support bed and specimen use in curated rose gardens and public show spaces – target audience/channel: public-realm suppliers.
- Fragrant premium gift-line rose – Utilise the damask tea fragrance and award-backed flower form in well-finished 5–7 L premium containers, branded as an exclusive nostalgia gift shrub within top-tier retail selections – target audience/channel: retail / reseller.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Le Ciel Bleu, Romantic Rose collection shrub; commercial nostalgia rose within Romantic rose group; plant variety protection Japan reg. no. 26128, current trade name Le Ciel Bleu Romantic Rose Kimura. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Takunori Kimura, Japan, 2012; parentage unknown; bred by Kimura Planning Co Ltd, introduced by Rosa Orientis after 2017, reflecting contemporary Japanese Romantic Rose breeding direction. |
| Awards and recognition |
Recognised at Gifu Rose Trials 2016 with multiple honours including Japan Rose Society President’s Prize, RNRS Certificate of Commendation, Gold Medal, Certificate of Merit and Gifu Prefecture Governor’s Prize. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy shrub with 100–160 cm height and 80–130 cm spread; moderately dense, mid-green, slightly glossy foliage; moderately thorny canes; self-cleaning behaviour not documented in current technical data. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double-flowered cupped blooms with 26–39 petals, clustered on the bush; remontant with plentiful second flush, tuned to provide repeat colour for bed, specimen and pot applications in professional production. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Delicate smoky lavender-lilac with silvery pink tones; RHS 76C outer, 76D inner; colour retention very good, deepening in cool, lightening in heat; uniform lavender-lilac in full bloom with gentle silvery petal margins. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium strength damask tea fragrance, clearly perceptible around the plant; double flower form limits pollinator access, so value is primarily ornamental and sensory rather than targeted at ecological or forage-focused plantings. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional spherical orange-red hips, approximately 8–13 mm diameter, with low expected numbers due to the double flower form, so hips play a minor ornamental or propagation role in commercial usage. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; tolerates heat with irrigation during prolonged drought; hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C, corresponding to USDA Zone 6b and Swedish Zone 3 tolerance levels. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Recommended for flower beds, specimen use and pots; low maintenance with generally little intervention required; supplied bush-trained with 3–5 strong framework canes for a premium container product path, targeting 5–7 L pots. |
Le Ciel Bleu combines award-backed flower quality, remontant performance and heat-tolerant lavender colour on predictable, long-lived own-root stock, making it a sound candidate for premium Romantic Rose lines where we can jointly plan capacity and scheduling.
