Uniform surface in a mid‑green shade. - historic, china rose - very weak, barely perceptible fragrance rose - spicy character
– Uniquely green, historic China rose charm
– Strongly remontant with abundant repeat flowering
– Compact, bushy habit for beds and containers
– Resistant to powdery mildew and black spot
– Tolerates partial shade in smaller gardens Special feature: Rare curiosity rose for collectors and design-focused plantings.
Built on experience – Naturalistic style
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre own-root potted rose
23,30 €
5(11520)
ROSA VIRIDIFLORA – green historic China rose – Smith
The extraordinary flowers of Rosa viridiflora give You something truly unique in the garden: fully double, naturally green blooms that look almost like sculpted foliage rosettes. This historic China shrub rose brings a romantic twist to beds and cottage-style borders, yet remains compact and neat enough for smaller Irish front gardens and urban plots. Its bushy, upright habit and glossy mid-green foliage create a steady structure, while remontant flowering offers repeated shows of unusual colour through the season. As an own-root plant it settles reliably, building long-term stability and recovering well if cut back, even where the soil is heavy and needs careful drainage. Over time it forms a long-lived feature that suits both collectors and curious beginners looking for something different. In year one it focuses on roots, year two on top growth, and by year three it reveals its full ornamental value.
Green Rose with small, double pompon flowers.
Use cases
Target area
Reason
Feature plant in a small front garden
The rare green flowers immediately catch the eye, so a single plant near your front path, doorway or gate becomes a talking point without needing a large space, perfect if you want something distinctive yet manageable as a beginner.
Romantic cottage-style border
The historic China rose character suits relaxed, country and cottage borders, where its unusual blooms weave among perennials and grasses, echoing traditional Irish cottage gardens while staying compact enough for modest plots for a homeowner.
Collector’s specimen for heritage rose lovers
As a documented 19th‑century sport, this cultivar is ideal for enthusiasts building a heritage or curiosity collection, combining authentic history with garden-worthy performance and a reliably bushy habit to satisfy a passionate collector.
Low, structured edging in mixed beds
Its 80–130 cm upright, bushy growth and moderately dense foliage form a tidy low hedge or edging line, giving definition to paths and lawns while remaining easy to shape and maintain for the average family garden.
Part-shade corner near the house
Suitable for partial shade, it continues to flower and keep its foliage reasonably healthy against walls or fences that only get sun for part of the day, helping you green up awkward spots for a busy urban gardener.
Container on patio, terrace or balcony
In a 40–50 litre container with good drainage, it makes an intriguing potted specimen, giving you an architectural, leafy look with green roses that suit small paved spaces and coastal balconies where wind and salt need thoughtful positioning.
Naturalistic, foliage-focused planting schemes
The green pompon blooms blend with leaves rather than contrasting, ideal in modern naturalistic schemes where texture and form matter more than bright colour, partnering well with grasses and shrubs for a design-minded planner.
Long-term, own-root structural rose in a family bed
As an own-root shrub it gradually forms its permanent framework in place, regenerating well from the base and offering a long lifespan, giving confidence that once established it should remain a stable feature for a practical owner.
Decorating ideas
Front-door focal point – Plant one Rosa viridiflora by the entrance with trailing bellflower at its feet to soften the base, giving a subtle, elegant welcome – ideal for style-conscious homeowners.
Cottage green-and-cream strip – Combine this rose with white campanulas and soft grasses along a low fence for a romantic yet understated cottage look – perfect for rural garden enthusiasts.
Architectural patio pot – In a large terracotta container, underplant with silver herbs for texture; the green blooms read as sculptural accents – suited to small-terrace and balcony gardeners.
Woodland-edge blend – Pair with Japanese honeysuckle and shade-tolerant perennials in light partial shade, letting scent and foliage carry the display – great for those greening tricky side passages.
Winter-interest frame – Use as a summer backbone in front of Midwinter Fire dogwood so stems glow behind it in the cold months – attractive to planners who like year-round structure.
Technical cultivar profile
Parameter
Data
Name and registration
Rosa viridiflora, also known as Green Rose; a historic China shrub rose in the Heritage rose collection, ARS exhibition name ‘Green Rose’, commercial type historic china rose, group Historical rose.
Origin and breeding
Spontaneous sport of ‘Slater’s Crimson China’ (Rosa chinensis), discovered by John Smith in the United States around 1827, introduced into Europe in 1855; breeder details limited, reflecting its early, pre-modern origin.
Growth and structure
Bushy, upright shrub reaching about 80–130 cm high and 60–100 cm wide, with moderately dense, glossy mid-green foliage and slight prickliness; forms a well-defined, medium-sized bush suitable for beds, fronts and containers.
Flower morphology
Small, 0.5–1.5 inch double pompon to ball-shaped clusters with 26–39 petals; strongly remontant, giving an abundant second flowering flush after the main display, especially when regularly deadheaded for best effect.
Colour and phenology
Distinctly green blooms: buds deep oil-green, opening to mid-green with yellowish tips, later deep willow green; colour holds reasonably well in sun, bronzing slightly with age but largely retaining its unique green impression.
Fragrance and aroma
Fragrance is very weak, with only a barely perceptible spicy character on close inspection; grown primarily for its unusual flower form and colour rather than scent, so best combined with fragrant companions nearby.
Rose hip characteristics
Owing to double blooms it sets few hips; occasional small spherical hips 6–10 mm across, green to brownish in colour, adding only modest ornamental interest and not being a major feature of the cultivar.
Resistance and hardiness
Hardy to around −18 to −21 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b), with moderate overall disease resistance; generally resistant to powdery mildew and black spot, with rust showing only moderate resistance in humid seasons.
Horticultural recommendations
Use as a bed, specimen or container rose; plant 60 cm apart in beds, 55 cm for low hedges or 100 cm as a solitary; spacing 3.2–3.3 plants/m²; medium maintenance, needing periodic deadheading and occasional plant protection.
Rosa viridiflora offers uniquely green, repeat-flowering blooms on a compact, long-lived own-root shrub that gradually builds a stable structure in your family garden, making it a thoughtful choice if you enjoy unusual plants and steady, low-fuss beauty.
Detailed product attributes
Product Identification Data
Product Name:
ROSA VIRIDIFLORA – green historic China rose - Smith
Product Type:
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL - 2-litre own-root potted rose
Pollinator Attraction:
Double (26–39 petalled) flowers only modestly attract pollinators, as flower form (simple/semi‑double/double) and the accessibility of the stamens markedly influence attractiveness.
Pollinator-Friendly Rating:
Its highly modified flowers enclose the stamens, making it primarily an ornamental cultivar.
Our product is a rose grown with unique pharmaROSA® cultivation technology!
2 litre, own-root, potted rose.
With shoots appropriate to the season.
With roots thoroughly interwoven through the growing medium.
Quality in line with the requirements of the E.N.A. (European Nurserystock Association).
In unique packaging that prevents damage.
Can be planted during frost-free periods.
True-to-type rose plant with an individual identifier.
The pharmaROSA® own-root potted rose is a well-rooted plant that supports reliable establishment when planted and cared for properly, so it can be planted whenever the soil is not frozen.
Stock: several varieties and several stages of development in a short stock section.Shoot system: intensive growth of fresh basal shoots on a young plant.Root system: presentation of the strong root system interwoven through the growing medium with the pot removed.Balance: mature plant where the development of the root system and the shoots is in harmony.
Information about the videos
The video series is not a “seasonal showcase”, but makes the essence of pharmaROSA® own-root production tangible: how the plant is built, what the root system is like and how the shoots renew themselves. The footage was therefore taken at different times, showing plants at different stages of development, so mixed leaf coverage or differing growth stages may appear in the videos. This is not a “sample” of the batch delivered, but an illustration of how the technology works. The current condition of the rose available to order — typical of the given period and similar to what you can expect to receive in the parcel — is shown at the top of the product page.
Pages for private customers Garden roses for the family garden, with minimal care → ORIGINAL® Premium garden roses – instant impact, a truly showpiece garden → EXTRA® Pages for professionals and private customers Roses for public spaces – large areas, sustainable maintenance → NATURAL® Roses for projects – hedge and row planting, fast implementation → RAPID® For professional partners only Production – propagation material for garden roses, wholesale → NEONATAL®
Company details
PharmaRosa Ltd. Company registration number: 01-09-717479 VAT number: 13075314-2-43 Plant health registration no.: HU130721 Bank account (IBAN): HU85117631891388688400000000 BIC (SWIFT): OTPVHUHB Bank name: OTP Bank Nyrt.
