WEKstephitsu – pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own-root propagation material
Outta The Blue™ (WEKstephitsu) offers a distinctive own-root base for professional rose production, combining colour stability, remontant flowering and robust hardiness suited to UK nursery logistics where winter and wind exposure are common. As a bush-trained, compact flowerbed shrub rose for the standard container route in 2–3 L pots, it supports efficient bench density while building height and spread for later up‑potting. Its dense, mid‑green foliage frames double, cluster‑flowered blooms with a strong, garden‑filling fragrance, helping finished product ranges stand out in retail and collection settings. On own roots, plants combine long lifespan, stable ornamental value and low replacement, allowing nurseries to plan capacity with confidence. The predictable branching and structure are well suited to propagation beds, container grow‑on and stock blocks for thematic rose gardens. With low maintenance needs and generally good disease resistance, WEKstephitsu supports homogeneous stands with reduced intervention, further strengthened by moderate hip production and a development arc where roots establish in year one, shoots build in year two and full ornamental value is expressed from year three onward.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- 2–3 L fragrant bedding shrub – Standard container route with bush-trained, compact plants and strong, garden-filling fragrance, positioned as a reliable garden-performance shrub in core retail shrub benches – target audience/channel: retail / reseller.
- Hardy colour-shift collection pot – A curated 2–3 L SKU highlighting the crimson-to-lavender colour change and H7 hardiness, ideal for thematic rose collections or regional assortments for cooler sites – target audience/channel: thematic garden suppliers.
- Large feature shrub 40–50 L – Up‑potted from NEONATAL-based 2–3 L stock into 40–50 L containers to deliver tall, bushy, highly fragrant specimens for high-impact planting schemes – target audience/channel: garden centre chains and landscape wholesalers.
- Low-maintenance project shrub – Lines selected for disease resistance and low maintenance, grown in standard containers for easy integration into public‑realm and institutional planting specifications – target audience/channel: public-realm suppliers.
- Propagation stock block liner – NEONATAL own-root cuttings grown in 2–3 L pots as mother-plant units, leveraging structural stability, moderate hips and reliable performance for long-term cultivar maintenance – target audience/channel: propagation networks and large nurseries.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Registered as WEKstephitsu, traded as Outta The Blue™ and WEKstephitsu Bedding rose WEKstephitsu, a shrub / bed rose entry for professional shrub and bedding assortments. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tom Carruth, Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc. (USA), introduced and registered in 2000; parentage Stephens’ Big Purple × [International Herald Tribune × 79520 -B6]. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy shrub with dense, slightly glossy mid‑green foliage, moderately thorny shoots, around 120–180 cm height and 100–140 cm spread, forming a full, space-filling bed and shrub presence. |
| Flower morphology |
Large double, cupped blooms (2.75–3.95 in) in clusters, with 26–39 petals, remontant and abundant second flush, giving extended decorative coverage in shrub and bedding applications. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Colour shifts from vibrant magenta‑purple with golden‑yellow base to pale lavender‑blue; ARS M, RHS 74A outer and 75C inner, with moderate colour retention and noticeable fading while opening. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Very strong, garden-filling fragrance with spicy, rose-scented character; flowers moderately attract pollinators depending on stamen accessibility within the double blooms. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces moderate quantities of red, egg-shaped hips, 10–14 mm diameter, adding late-season interest and supporting use in stock blocks where fruit set is acceptable. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Resistant to powdery mildew and black spot, moderate against rust; winter hardy to around -26–-23 °C (H7, Swedish Zone 4, USDA 5b), suited to exposed or colder landscape markets. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Low maintenance shrub with generally low intervention needs, occasional rust monitoring; recommended as bush-trained compact plant for standard container production in 2–3 L pots. |
WEKstephitsu combines hardy shrub structure, strong fragrance and low-maintenance, disease-resistant performance on a predictable own-root base, making it a practical candidate for coordinated capacity and scheduling discussions.
