PICASSO™ – red-white bedding floribunda rose – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL
Professional growers looking for visually distinctive floribundas for collection or retail ranges can rely on PICASSO™ as rooted-cutting propagation material that develops into a compact, bushy, cluster-flowering bed rose with low maintenance needs and resilient garden performance. As an own-root pharmaROSA® NEONATAL cutting, it offers a predictable development arc from strong root establishment through structural shoot build-up to full ornamental impact, supporting consistent 2–3 L container production and standard finished product routes. Disease resistance across key fungal pressures and H7-rated winter hardiness help underpin dependable nursery beds and mass-planting stocks, while the hand-painted red-white flower pattern supports distinctive retail and project specifications and performs reliably across typical UK nursery networks, including sites where winter and wind can be demanding. The award-backed heritage breeding background strengthens long-term range credibility, and own-root longevity and regenerative capacity help maintain stable wholesale capacity in thematic rose garden and public-realm supply chains.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- 2–3 L retail bedding line – compact, bushy floribunda in standard 2–3 L containers, leveraging low maintenance and disease resistance to deliver a reliable garden performance SKU for volume retail and reseller networks – target: garden centres / DIY retail
- Hand-painted collection trio – curated multi-cultivar “hand-painted roses” concept featuring PICASSO™ as a striped highlight in standard containers, using its distinctive colour effect and proven awards background as a collection anchor – target: branded retail and mail-order partners
- Public-realm bedding contract pack – bulk supply of PICASSO™ in uniform 2–3 L pots for parks and urban mass planting, capitalising on floribunda clustering and disease resistance to stabilise maintenance budgets and landscape impact – target: local authorities and landscape contractors
- Collector’s display block – NEONATAL-based own-root blocks grown on in containers then transplanted to thematic rose gardens, exploiting cultivar authenticity and stable long-term performance for show and collection plantings – target: rose gardens, estates, specialist collections
- Colour-accent border strip – linear or patch plantings in beds and borders using the compact habit and remontant flowering to deliver continuous red-white accents from standard container stock – target: commercial landscapes and institutional projects
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Floribunda bed rose, registered as MACpic, traded as Picasso™ Hand-painted roses MACpic, with exhibition floribunda status under the American Rose Society name Picasso for professional listing. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy IV of McGredy Roses International from ‘Marlena’ × (‘Evelyn Fison’ × (‘Orange Sweetheart’ × ‘Frühlingsmorgen’)), introduced and registered in 1971 after breeding work completed by 1966. |
| Awards and recognition |
Recognised with RNRS Certificate of Merit and Special Prize Belfast in 1970, plus the New Zealand Rose Society Gold Star of the South Pacific in 1973, supporting its credibility in exhibition and garden performance contexts. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, compact habit reaching 65–85 cm in height and 50–75 cm spread, with moderately dense, slightly glossy dark green foliage and moderate prickliness; self-cleaning characteristics have not been documented to date. |
| Flower morphology |
Semi-double, small-sized cluster-flowered blooms with 13–20 petals, cup-shaped opening flat in clusters suitable for bedding and border use, and providing a plentiful second flowering flush under standard garden management. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cherry-red petals with a white base and pink-red streaks, RHS 53C and 155D, showing bright red buds, striping from the centre, and moderate colour retention as tones fade to pink and cream while the pattern remains visible. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Fragrance data are limited; available information indicates a mild scent that is subtly noticeable at close range, without character detail, positioning the variety primarily as a visual rather than fragrance-led floribunda. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rosehip formation is generally limited due to the semi-double flower form; where present, hips are small, spherical, orange-red, around 6–10 mm in diameter, and not typically the focus of ornamental or production planning. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust, with hardiness to about −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3), supporting reliable overwintering and reduced chemical intervention in production and landscape use. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Recommended for flower beds, borders, parks, urban green spaces and mass plantings; performs best in standard container production, as a bush-trained compact plant with low maintenance needs and moderate drought tolerance requiring watering. |
PICASSO™ as pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own-root material combines compact, bushy growth, strong disease resistance and distinctive hand-painted colour with predictable, regenerative stands for long-term stocking; please contact us to align on volumes and timing.
