SHISEIDO – cream-coloured climbing rose – pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL
With its gently scented, cream-toned blooms, SHISEIDO brings a quietly elegant presence to pergolas, house walls and garden arches, creating a soft, romantic backdrop without demanding constant attention. This large-flowered climber is bred for reliability, combining good disease resistance with a naturally bushy, clothe-the-support habit that fits beautifully into Irish front gardens and rural cottage-style schemes. Its remontant flowering gives you repeat waves of blooms, while each double, cup-shaped flower offers a classic tea-fruity fragrance that feels refined rather than overpowering. The dense, slightly glossy foliage stays attractive for a long season, so the rose looks healthy even between flushes, and copes well with our humid, fungus-prone climate when planted in open, airy positions. As an own-root pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL plant, SHISEIDO is grown for long-term longevity in your garden, building a stable framework of canes that responds well to simple pruning. Over time, it settles into a naturally graceful climber that rewards even modest care with lasting ornamental value.
Use cases
| Target area |
Reason |
| Front-garden arch or pergola by the entrance |
Ideal where you want a welcoming, romantic focal point that is not too brash: the large, cream, cup-shaped flowers and tea-fruity scent dress an arch beautifully while keeping the look calm and elegant for beginners |
| Wall or fence in a family back garden |
Its bushy, clump-forming climbing habit clothes walls and fences effectively without becoming excessively vigorous, giving you a manageable screen of dense, medium-green foliage and cream blooms suited to small and medium Irish gardens for homeowners |
| Low-maintenance, disease-conscious planting |
Good resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust allows fewer sprays and simpler care routines, particularly valuable in wetter regions where fungal pressure is high and you prefer robust varieties for busy-gardeners |
| Extended flowering season on a feature structure |
Remontant flowering with an abundant second flush means your arch, pergola or trellis carries blooms over a long season, providing repeat interest from early summer into autumn with only basic deadheading needed for colour-lovers |
| Scented seating area or patio corner |
The medium-strength tea-fruity fragrance is noticeable but not overwhelming, perfect near benches or patios where you can enjoy the scent at close quarters while still combining it with other plants and family activities for scent-seekers |
| Naturalistic or cottage-style mixed border |
The slightly glossy foliage and soft cream colouring blend easily with perennials and grasses, supporting “soft-edged” designs that look considered rather than formal, and suiting informal Irish cottage and country styles for romantic-gardeners |
| Long-term, low-fuss garden structure |
As an own-root climber, it forms its permanent framework in place, giving better regeneration and a stable shape over years, so simple annual pruning and feeding are enough to keep it attractive for long-term-planners |
| Statement rose in small group or solitary planting |
Plant one as a specimen or 1–3 together on a structure to build up impact across the first three years as roots establish, shoots develop and full ornamental effect appears, suiting those who appreciate steady, visible progress for patient-gardeners |
Decorating ideas
- Cream Arch Welcome – Train SHISEIDO over a metal or wooden arch by the front path, underplanting with lavender and dwarf catmint for soft blues that emphasise the cream flowers – ideal for homeowners who want a classic, easy-care entrance.
- Cottage Wall Blend – Let the climber fan out on a sunny house wall, partnered with Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ and Geranium ‘Rozanne’ for red and violet highlights against the pale blooms – for fans of relaxed, cottage-style schemes.
- Romantic Pergola Room – Cover a simple pergola with SHISEIDO on two posts, adding Agapanthus and airy ornamental grasses in large 40–50 litre containers to create a scented outdoor “room” – perfect for small families using the garden for evening meals.
- Calm Seating Corner – Grow SHISEIDO on a trellis behind a bench, pairing with Ilex crenata spheres and white hydrangeas for a restrained green-and-cream palette – suited to busy urban gardeners seeking a peaceful, low-fuss retreat.
- Elegant Fence Screen – Space plants along a boundary fence at the recommended distances, weaving stems horizontally for a flowering screen, and edge the bed with rosemary and dwarf pinks – good for those wanting privacy without heavy maintenance.
Technical cultivar profile
| Property |
Data |
| Name and registration |
SHISEIDO Climbing rose pharmaROSA®, large-flowered climber in the Climbing rose collection; trade name used for consumer sales, own-root pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre garden rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Parentage and breeding institution are unknown; discovered and selected by pharmaROSA®, introduced to the market by PharmaRosa® Ltd. (Hungary) as a premium silver-rated garden climber. |
| Awards and recognitions |
Highly decorated fragrant rose: Bagatelle (Paris) First Prize 2006 and Coupe du Parfum 2006; Geneva International Rose Competition Merit Certificate 2006; Saverne Fragrance Award 2007; Nagaoka Most Fragrant Rose. |
| Growth and structure |
Climbing rose with bushy, clump-forming habit; height about 180–280 cm, spread 80–160 cm. Dense, medium green, slightly glossy foliage and moderate prickles; best trained on supports such as arches, pergolas, walls or fences. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double, cup-shaped flowers with 26–39 petals, typically produced in clusters. Remontant habit with an abundant second flowering; recommended regular deadheading as self-cleaning is poor to sustain continuous flowering. |
| Colour and phenology |
Cream-coloured blooms with a soft vanilla yellow centre and faint peachy undertone on opening, ageing to uniform cream and finally white; colour retention is good, though strong sun and heavy rain can further lighten the petals. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium-strength, well-scented tea-fruity fragrance, refined rather than overpowering. Best appreciated near paths, seating areas or entrances where the repeated flushes of bloom bring regular scent through the season. |
| Rose hip characteristics |
Rose-hip formation generally limited due to double flowers; occasional ellipsoidal hips 11–18 mm across may develop, coloured red (RHS 40A), adding a modest decorative element in late season if spent blooms are not removed. |
| Resistance and hardiness |
Good overall disease resistance: rated resistant to black spot, powdery mildew and rust. Hardy to around −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish Zone 3, USDA 6b), suitable for most Irish garden conditions in sunny, airy positions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Prefers a sunny site with well-drained soil and support. Space 150 cm in mass plantings, 140 cm for hedging, 240 cm as a specimen. Train and tie in new canes, prune lightly after main flushes, and use a minimum 40–50 litre container for patio culture. |
SHISEIDO Climbing rose pharmaROSA® offers cream, tea-fruity scented blooms, strong disease resistance and a stable own-root framework that matures beautifully over time, making it an appealing long-term choice if you are considering a climbing rose.
