Nozomi™ Groundcover NOZomi – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
Groundcover production with Nozomi™ offers a low, spreading habit and fast canopy closure, ideal where rapid visual establishment and uniformity are specified for project mass plantings. This cultivar’s dense, glossy foliage supports a compact, bush-trained finished form in 1.5–2 L containers, providing a consistent, easily handled unit for landscape contractors. Once planted, its good self-cleaning trait limits visible deadheading requirements at project scale, helping to preserve clean lines in edging and slope applications. Single, cluster-flowered blooms are pollinator-accessible and carry a pearlescent, pale pink effect that presents well in thematic and collection plantings. Own-root production provides predictable regeneration and long-term stand stability, aligning with nursery networks and public-realm supply chains where homogeneous coverage and low replacement are priorities. With RHS H7-rated winter hardiness, it integrates reliably into UK nursery scheduling, including tougher northern and Scottish sites that expect solid cold performance. Across multi-year programmes, the typical development arc sees roots established in year one, structural shoots building in year two, and full ornamental coverage and project-level ground performance from year three onwards, supporting long-term, landscape-scale planning where reliable groundcover is needed in exposed, colder situations.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- 1.5–2 L groundcover project line – Uniform, bush-trained 1.5–2 L plants built from NEONATAL trays, emphasising fast coverage and spreading habit for mass planting schemes – target audience/channel: landscape contractor and project-serving wholesaler / maintenance
- Edging ribbon series – Compact, low-height plants selected for tidy edging strips, supplied in 1.5–2 L for easy spacing and predictable form along paths – target audience/channel: landscape contractor and project-serving wholesaler / maintenance
- Slope and embankment modules – Batch-consistent, own-root units scheduled for coordinated installation on banks and slopes, leveraging dense foliage and lateral spread – target audience/channel: landscape contractor and project-serving wholesaler / maintenance
- Rock garden collection units – Smaller-format, visually refined plants with pearlescent single blooms positioned for rock gardens and collection-style displays – target audience/channel: landscape contractor and project-serving wholesaler / maintenance
- Pollinator-accent groundcover blocks – Blocks of single-flowered groundcover roses specified for accessible pollen within managed, high-input schemes – target audience/channel: landscape contractor and project-serving wholesaler / maintenance
Technical cultivar profile
| Property |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Registered as NOZomi, traded as Nozomi™ Groundcover NOZomi; American Rose Society exhibition name Nozomi. Belongs to ground cover, climber and miniature groups, commercially positioned as a groundcover rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tōru Onodera in Japan and introduced in 1968; parentage is ‘Fairy Princess’ × ‘Sweet Fairy’. Breeding company and initial distributor are not provided; developed for low, spreading ornamental use. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Spreading habit with 35–65 cm height and 80–160 cm spread, forming dense, moderately thorny mats. Foliage is mid-green, glossy and close-set, building strong visual cover suitable for edging, slopes and rock garden applications. |
| Flower morphology |
Single, small flowers (about 0.5–1.5 in) with 5–12 petals, flat in shape and cluster-flowered. Non-remontant, providing a main seasonal flowering wave which is visually effective at mass-planting scale when timed into project programmes. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pearlescent, very pale pink flowers; buds soft pink, almost white at the tip. Newly opened blooms shell-pink with paler edge, fading in sun through cream to near-white with a light pink centre, delivering a soft, unobtrusive groundcover effect. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Fragrance is very weak and barely noticeable; detailed scent description is not provided. The primary display value lies in colour, coverage and structure rather than aroma, making it suited to visual, large-scale groundcover roles. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rosehip set is generally low; where present, hips are small, spherical and orange-red, around 4–8 mm in diameter. Hip display has limited ornamental impact and does not significantly influence project use decisions. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Very susceptible to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, requiring regular protection in production and landscape use. Hardy to approximately –32 to –29 °C (USDA 4b, RHS H7, Swedish Zone 5), tolerating heat with irrigation in prolonged drought. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Maintenance needs are high due to very poor disease resistance; consistent disease and pest control and close monitoring are essential. Recommended for groundcover, edging, slopes, containers and rock gardens where intensive care is feasible. |
Nozomi™ Groundcover NOZomi offers low, spreading, fast-cover ground performance and reliable cold hardiness on a stable own-root platform that supports predictable, long-lived stands; please contact us to align volumes, scheduling and project-specific supply.
