Rosa Pacific Dream - Floribunda Rose

The 'Pacific Dream' Rose marks a new step in the quest for the true blue rose, as its flowers take on a shade close to slate blue when fully bloomed, with almost no trace of pink. This bush, with a flexible habit, produces dozens of semi-double cup-shaped flowers from summer to autumn, in a deep lilac colour when they first open, with a beautiful fragrance reminiscent of violet and lemon that cannot be ignored. As the hours go by, the flowers reveal very blue nuances, a clear throat, and a pleasant golden stamen core. This flowering is perfectly highlighted by the disease-free tender green foliage. It is truly an exceptional variety in every respect: floriferous, robust, easy to combine, and also original and surprising. Without a doubt, it is destined for a bright future.

The Rosa Pacific Dream is a creation of James J. Peter (United Kingdom) dating back to 2006. It won the Innovert competition at the Salon du végétal in Angers in 2008 as a new plant in the nursery category. It belongs to the floribunda cultivars, obtained by hybridising polyantha and tea roses.

'Pacific Dream' forms a small bush with a flexible yet dense habit, approximately 80 cm (32in) tall and 70 cm (28in) wide. Its thorny stems bear very healthy foliage, a fairly light and vibrant green colour, slightly satin-like. Its flowering period is remarkably long, lasting 5 to 6 months. This shrub continuously produces its semi-double corollas, measuring 6 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, in terminal clusters throughout the summer. The tightly closed buds are reddish-violet and open into round cup-shaped flowers, with a mauve colour that turns into a light blue-grey slate upon fading, surrounding a beautiful white-mauve throat with yellow stamens. Their fragrance is pronounced, as is often the case with so-called "blue" roses.

Floribunda and polyantha roses allow for the creation of beautiful small hedges, planted in mixed arrangements along the terrace or in modest-sized shrub borders. Combine them with dwarf abelias, nandinas, shrubby salvias, or caryopteris, for example. They are good companions for paniculate phlox and tall gypsophila. The unusual hue of the 'Pacific Dream' roses, however, is easy to combine with other varieties of pink flowers ('The Fairy', 'Maman Turbat', 'Fairy Rood'), white flowers ('Marie Pavie', 'Little White Pet'), or even red to purple flowers ('Purple Lodge', 'Merveille des Rouges'). Its compact size allows for container cultivation, provided there are regular watering and fertilisation.