Reine des Violettes – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
Heritage own-root pharmaROSA® NEONATAL material of Reine des Violettes offers a premium starting point for nurseries targeting specialist, historic ranges where long-term collection value and cultivar authenticity are critical. This upright, arching hybrid perpetual shrub combines almost thornless handling with remontant, very double, violet-purple blooms and a very strong fragrance that supports high-impact, added-value SKUs for dedicated rose gardens and themed projects. On own roots, it provides renewable growth and a long productive life, supporting predictable capacity as plants move from Year 1 root establishment through Year 2 structural build to Year 3 full ornamental expression. The moderate disease tolerance and H7 hardiness give reliable performance for professional propagation beds and premium 5–7 L container routes, while its RHS AGM recognition underpins credible historic positioning for retail and collector channels in demanding UK schemes, including sites exposed to winter and wind in northern regions where dependable hardiness is required. With a specialty, selection-led positioning, it integrates efficiently into nursery and wholesale workflows focused on curated heritage and collector assortments.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- 5–7 L Heritage Collector Shrub – Bush-trained with discreet support, remontant flowering and intense fragrance for premium container, specialty benches as a named historic piece – target audience/channel: retail/collector assortments.
- Fragrant Historic Feature Pot – Individually staked 5–7 L plants highlighting very double, violet-purple blooms and strong scent as a premium silver-rated SKU – target audience/channel: garden centres with specialist rose tables.
- Heritage Park Specimen Unit – Own-root shrubs grown on for robust, upright-arching form for park and specimen planting programmes – target audience/channel: municipal and institutional project suppliers.
- Curated Collection Block Plants – Uniform own-root plants for thematic rose garden and collection replenishment, using 5–7 L premium containers as the distribution form – target audience/channel: show-garden operators and heritage estates.
- Low-Prickle Historic Cut Flower Line – Selected, almost thornless plants in premium containers promoted for cutting from the garden, combining fragrance and colour story – target audience/channel: niche mail-order and specialist nurseries.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Historic hybrid perpetual shrub, commercial name Reine des Violettes Heritage rose Mallet, American Rose Society exhibition name Reine des Violettes, unregistered cultivar with verified authenticity. |
| Origin and breeding |
French historic cultivar introduced around 1860 by Mille-Mallet, with parentage recorded as ‘Pope Pius IX’ own-root, origin and breeding institution otherwise not provided in available data. |
| Awards and recognition |
Recognised with the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM), providing an independent quality signal that supports confident positioning in heritage and specialist rose ranges. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright shrub with arching, downward-bending shoots, height about 150–220 cm and spread 120–200 cm, moderately dense, grey-green, slightly glaucous foliage, and an almost thornless framework aiding handling. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very double rosette blooms with more than 40 petals, clustered inflorescences, remontant habit with an abundant second flush, offering strong visual impact for historic, high-value shrub applications. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Deep, velvety violet-purple with rosy highlights, ARS MP and RHS N78A/N78C codes, colour lightens in strong sun and heat but remains deeper in cooler, semi-shaded sites, offering nuanced historic tones. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strongly scented, with a sweet rose and violet character noticeable from a distance, primarily ornamental rather than pollinator-focused due to very double flowers that largely conceal the stamens. |
| Hip characteristics |
Very double blooms result in scant hip formation; where present, hips are typically 0–6 mm in diameter, with other details such as shape and colour not provided for this cultivar. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Moderate overall disease resistance, notably resistant to powdery mildew and black spot, moderate against rust; hardiness rated RHS H7, Swedish zone 5 and USDA 4b, tolerating approximately –32 to –29 °C. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited for flowerbeds, specimen use, cut flower and park plantings, maintenance moderate with occasional plant protection, especially for rust; prefers regular watering with only moderate heat and drought tolerance. |
Reine des Violettes as pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own-root material combines collector-grade historic character, strong fragrance and reliable cold hardiness with long-lived, predictable stands, making it a sound option to discuss for future capacity and scheduling.
