PICASSO™ – red-white bedding floribunda rose - McGredy
Bring a touch of art to your garden with PICASSO™, a compact, cluster-flowering floribunda that paints each bed with red-and-white, hand-brushed blooms. Its bushy shape and moderate height make it ideal for front gardens, smaller borders and cottage-style beds where You want colour, not complicated work. Bred for reliability and good disease resistance, it copes well with Ireland’s damp summers and the challenges of humidity-driven fungal pressure when planted with reasonable air flow and drainage. The semi-double flowers repeat through the season, giving regular flushes of colour with only light deadheading, while the own-root plant quietly builds a strong framework for a long garden life. Over time, PICASSO™ settles into a balanced, bushy form, filling its space in a calm, predictable way that suits busy gardeners. In its first year it concentrates on roots, in the second on stronger shoots, and by the third year it shows its full character as a dependable, mature feature in Your family garden.
Use cases
| Target area |
Reason |
| Front garden border along a path or driveway |
Compact, bushy growth and moderate height keep PICASSO™ neatly in scale with paths and low walls, while the striped red-and-white blooms create instant kerb appeal without dominating the space, ideal for a tidy, welcoming entrance for beginners |
| Small flower bed near the house or patio |
The floribunda habit gives clusters of blooms over a long season in a relatively small footprint, making it easy to build a colourful focal bed that stays manageable; pair with low lavender or rosemary for contrast and low maintenance for busy-gardeners |
| Mixed cottage-style border with perennials and shrubs |
PICASSO™’s painterly flowers blend well with romantic cottage plants, while its own-root longevity and good disease resistance mean it sits happily among perennials, needing only light pruning and feeding, suiting relaxed, naturalistic schemes for cottage-owners |
| Urban front garden with limited space |
The moderate spread and upright bushy structure allow impactful planting even in narrow beds or small gravel strips; it offers reliable repeat flowering with minimal care, fitting perfectly where You want maximum colour in minimum space for townhouse-owners |
| Coastal or exposed family garden bed |
With solid hardiness and resilient foliage, PICASSO™ adapts well where winds and damp air are common, coping reliably in conditions where fungal pressure is increased by cool, wet weather, giving peace of mind landscaping for Atlantic-gardeners |
| Small group planting of 3–5 roses |
Planting in groups emphasises the hand-painted effect, as clusters of blooms repeat across the bed; the regular structure and predictable size make spacing straightforward, creating a strong visual block of colour that remains easy to look after for hobby-gardeners |
| 40–50 litre container on a sunny terrace or balcony |
In a sufficiently large container with good drainage, PICASSO™ forms a tidy, floriferous bush that brings a ‘mini-bed’ effect to patios or balconies; long-term performance improves as the own-root system fills the pot, suiting compact outdoor living spaces for apartment-owners |
| Low-maintenance family play garden edging |
The moderate height and bushy habit create a soft, flowering edge to lawns or play spaces without blocking sightlines, while the rose’s resistance and steady performance minimise spraying and complex care, making it practical around children for family-gardeners |
Decorating ideas
- Cottage Art Border – Combine PICASSO™ with catmint, hardy geraniums and a backdrop of hydrangeas for a relaxed, painterly border – ideal for lovers of informal cottage gardens
- Front-Garden Feature – Plant a trio by the front door with edging thyme or low box to frame the entrance in season-long colour – suitable for homeowners seeking simple kerb appeal
- Striped Rose Ribbon – Create a low ribbon of alternating PICASSO™ and lavender along a path for scent, structure and easy upkeep – perfect for busy gardeners wanting order and romance
- Urban Patio Picture – Use a single plant in a 40–50 litre terracotta pot with trailing lobelia or bacopa around the base for a vibrant, compact patio display – great for balcony and small-terrace users
- Family-Friendly Play Edge – Line one side of a lawn with spaced PICASSO™ plants underplanted with hardy groundcovers for a soft, colourful edge – good for families wanting beauty with straightforward care
Technical cultivar profile
| Trait |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Floribunda bed rose, registered as MACpic, marketed as Picasso™ in the Hand-painted roses collection; ARS exhibition name Picasso, a cluster-flowered bush rose suited to bedding and display. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy IV, McGredy Roses International, from ‘Marlena’ × (‘Evelyn Fison’ × (‘Orange Sweetheart’ × ‘Frühlingsmorgen’)); introduced and registered in 1971 after breeding work completed around 1966. |
| Awards and recognitions |
RNRS Certificate of Merit and a Special Prize in Belfast in 1970, plus the New Zealand Rose Society Gold Star of the South Pacific in 1973, reflecting strong garden and exhibition performance. |
| Growth and structure |
Bushy, moderately dense shrub with slightly glossy dark green foliage, 65–85 cm tall and 50–75 cm wide; moderately thorny stems and a compact outline suit small beds, low hedging and group plantings in average gardens. |
| Flower morphology |
Semi-double, cup-shaped blooms opening flatter with 13–20 petals, small size clusters on each stem; remontant with a plentiful second flush when lightly deadheaded, offering steady colour through the main season. |
| Colour and phenology |
Cherry-red petals with a white base and pink-red streaks; buds deep cherry-red, opening to striped, hand-painted style blooms that fade towards pink and cream while retaining visible striping across repeated flushes. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Mild, subtly noticeable scent detectable at close range; not primarily a fragrance variety but offers a light, pleasant aroma that supports use near seating areas without overwhelming smaller outdoor spaces. |
| Rose hip characteristics |
Rosehip set is generally limited due to semi-double flowers; when present, small spherical orange-red hips of about 6–10 mm add modest autumn interest without creating excessive self-seeding issues. |
| Resistance and hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy approximately to −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3), coping well with cool, wet conditions when given reasonable drainage. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny sites with fertile, well-drained soil; space 35–65 cm depending on use, 5.7–6.5 plants/m² for mass plantings, water regularly in prolonged drought, and carry out simple annual pruning on own-root plants. |
PICASSO™ offers compact, colourful clusters, dependable repeat flowering and long-lived own-root resilience for easy-care beds and containers; a thoughtful choice if You want a striking rose that simply gets on with growing.
