Nimbus – pink‑purple shaded bedding floribunda rose – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
Floribunda production with Nimbus gives nurseries a compact, bushy shrub with dense, medium‑green foliage and very full, cupped blooms suited to bedding and border programmes in standard 2–3 L containers; this own‑root material supports predictable renewal and long‑term bed performance under professional propagation loads, helping You build reliable, collection‑grade ranges for thematic gardens and retail‑ready rose ranges, while its H7 hardiness and UK‑bred background fit nationwide supply, including cooler northern projects where winter and wind tolerance underpin contract reliability; from Year 1 root establishment through Year 2 structural build‑up to full ornamental expression from Year 3, tray‑grown pharmaROSA® NEONATAL cuttings integrate smoothly into high‑volume systems and container workflows for wholesale and reseller‑oriented finished stock.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Retail Bedding Floribunda 2–3 L – Compact, bushy plants with dense foliage and reliable, repeat grey‑lilac flowering in the recommended 2–3 L standard container, positioned as a reliable garden performance bedding floribunda – target: general garden‑centre retail.
- Themed Dusky Lilac Collection – Curated floribunda mix built around Nimbus’s distinctive dusky grey‑lilac blooms, grown in 2–3 L pots on the standard container route to support thematic rose garden and collection‑style benches – target: premium retail and mail‑order assortments.
- Public‑Realm Floribunda Module – Own‑root Nimbus blocks for contract supply, using standard container production with options to up‑pot to 40–50 L for feature shrubs, built around bushy habit and H7 hardiness – target: municipal and institutional planting suppliers.
- Patio Fragrance Floribunda – Medium‑fragrance, very full, cupped blooms offered in 2–3 L patio‑ready containers, using the compact, bush‑trained form and repeat flowering as key selling points – target: patio and small‑garden focused retailers.
- Show and Collector Line – Premium, own‑root plants in 2–3 L, leveraging exhibition credentials and distinctive colour to support specialist collections and themed rose gardens, propagated on the standard container pathway – target: specialist nurseries and society outlets.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Floribunda bedding rose registered as LEGgrey, marketed as Nimbus Bedding rose LEGgrey, ARS exhibition name Nimbus; part of the Bedding rose collection and shrub rose exhibition category. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Bill Le Grice in the United Kingdom in 1989 from ‘Grey Dawn’ × unknown seedling; introduced after 1989 by Bill LeGrice Roses, Norwich, for commercial floribunda bedding use. |
| Awards and recognition |
Recognised at the Cleveland Rose Society Show 2001, Floribunda (One Bloom) class, supporting its use for exhibition, collection plantings and higher‑specification floribunda assortments. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, compact shrub rose reaching about 80–100 cm high and 50–70 cm spread, with dense, slightly glossy, medium‑green foliage and moderate prickliness; poor self‑cleaning, requiring regular deadheading. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very full, cupped blooms with 40+ petals, typically produced in clusters; good repeat flowering with a plentiful second flush, suitable for bedding colour and some side‑line cutting use. |
| Colour data and phenology |
A gentle dusky grey‑lilac with pink‑purple shading; buds deep mauve‑greyish purple, opening to bluish‑purple inner petals and lilac‑grey outers, then fading to pale lilac‑grey with a silvery‑rosy sheen. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium‑strength, clearly perceptible fragrance with a softly sweet character; very double blooms enclose stamens, so primarily ornamental in impact rather than focused on pollinator support or fragrance extraction. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional ovoid hips, around 10–14 mm diameter, orange‑red at maturity; hips are incidental to its main ornamental use and typically limited by routine deadheading in production and garden settings. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Moderate general disease resistance with moderate susceptibility to powdery mildew and black spot but good rust resistance; hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish Zone 3, USDA 6b), with moderate heat tolerance. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suitable for beds, edging, mixed borders, containers and some cut‑flower use; medium care needs, occasional pest and disease control; recommended as bush‑trained, compact plants in standard 2–3 L containers for retail. |
Nimbus Bedding rose LEGgrey offers compact, bushy structure, distinctive grey‑lilac repeat flowering and robust hardiness on predictable own‑root stock, supporting long‑lived, stable stands; we would welcome aligning on volumes, timing and integration into your range.
