Botanical rose

90-024-1
90-024-2

Rosa banksiae alba

Botanical rose

- – William Kerr

Pure snow-white tone, with a slightly silky sheen. - species rose - mild, restrained-scented rose - delicately floral character

– Graceful rambler for pergolas, arbours and walls.
– Abundant clusters of pure snow‑white pompon blooms.
– Mild, delicately floral fragrance adds refinement.
– Almost thornless growth, easier to handle.
– Good heat and moderate drought tolerance.
Special feature: Historic 1807 Kerr introduction with RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Everyday elegance – Continuous garden development
Rosa banksiae alba
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre own-root potted rose
19,20 £
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to ship to the United Kingdom; we only deliver to countries within the European Union. For more information, please contact us!
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BANKSIAE ALBA – white species rose – Kerr

This historic rambler brings a cloud of small, double white blooms in late spring, perfect for softening walls, pergolas and arbours with effortless elegance. Once established, its own-root vigour supports a long-lived, almost thornless structure that copes well with British summers even in more exposed, breezy gardens with good drainage. The flowers appear in abundant clusters, creating a romantic, cottage-style effect that suits family gardens where you want maximum visual impact from minimal work. Its medium maintenance needs are mainly light pruning and occasional pest checks, with flexible training for coverage over fences or into mature shrubs. In a large container of at least 40–50 litres it can frame a doorway or terrace, then be guided upwards for vertical interest. Over the first few years it knits in steadily, with roots developing first, then strong shoots, before delivering its full ornamental display in the third season for a stable, enduring garden feature that rewards patient gardeners.


BANKSIAE ALBA rose bloom with a mild, delicately floral fragrance.

Usage options

Target areaReasoning
Front-garden focal pergola Ideal where you want a single strong statement in a modest front garden: the once-a-year flowering is concentrated into a spectacular, snow-white flush that turns even a simple pergola into a seasonal feature for beginners.
Cottage-style arbour in a family garden Trains readily over an arbour to create a romantic arch of double pompon blooms, with moderate maintenance limited to tying in and light post-flower pruning, suiting family spaces where you prefer charm over intensive upkeep for homeowners.
Wall-trained climber for around-the-house planting Its climbing habit and almost thornless stems make it easier to manage against house walls or garage elevations, with fewer snags during tying-in and a gentle, mid-green backdrop outside windows for urbanites.
Park-style specimen in a larger back garden Given space as a specimen, its arching, fountain-like growth becomes a long-lived structural feature, rewarding patient care with impressive spring flowering that anchors the wider planting design for enthusiasts.
Mixed cottage border with vertical accent Works well as a tall vertical accent behind perennials and shrubs, its soft white clusters blending easily with blues and purples while the moderate disease resistance suits mixed borders without demanding specialist spraying for hobby-gardeners.
Large container rose near seating or entrance In a 40–50 litre or larger container, it offers a manageable way to enjoy a historic rambler on patios or small plots, with milder pruning demands and restrained scent that does not overwhelm close seating areas for balcony-owners.
Sheltered but breezy coastal-style garden Suited to reasonably exposed positions where its good heat tolerance and adaptable root system help it remain reliable, provided the planting area is prepared with soil that sheds excess moisture after heavy weather for coast-dwellers.
Lightly shaded boundary or fence line Tolerates partial shade, so can brighten a boundary that only gets sun for part of the day; moderate self-cleaning means less time deadheading and more time enjoying the arching white curtain effect for time-poor.

Styling ideas

  • Cottage Arch – Train over a simple timber arbour, underplant with Campanula carpatica and soft grasses for a romantic front-garden entrance – ideal for cottage-style admirers.
  • White Pergola – Cover a pergola with its snow-white clusters, adding blue Caryopteris and lavender beneath for a cool-toned scheme – suited to low-maintenance colour harmony seekers.
  • Soft Wall Veil – Fan it along a warm wall, mixing with climbing clematis in pastel shades for layered bloom interest – perfect for those enhancing plain brick facades.
  • Parkland Specimen – Let it form a free-standing fountain shape, ringed by Calamintha and groundcover roses for a naturalistic, park-like corner – for gardeners with a little extra space.
  • Patio Screen – Grow in a 50-litre container against a trellis to create a seasonal privacy screen beside seating, paired with potted herbs and salvias – ideal for compact urban terraces.

Technical cultivar profile
ParameterData
Name and registration Rosa banksiae alba, a botanical rambler from the Banksiae group; commercial type species rose within the Botanical rose collection, marketed as BANKSIAE ALBA – white species rose – Kerr.
Origin and breeding Species selection introduced by William Kerr for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London; bred and first distributed in the United Kingdom around 1807 as an ornamental climbing species.
Awards and recognition Holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), indicating reliable garden performance, sound ornamental value and generally good constitution under typical UK conditions when grown with reasonable care.
Growth and structural characteristics Vigorous climbing habit reaching 400–800 cm in height and 200–400 cm spread; moderately dense, mid-green, slightly glossy foliage and almost thornless stems, best trained to supports or allowed to fountain.
Flower morphology Small, very double globular pompon blooms, 0.5–1.5 inches across, borne in clustered trusses; each flower with 40 or more petals, not remontant, giving a single, abundant main flowering period in late spring.
Colour data and phenology Pure snow-white flowers with a silky sheen; buds greenish white, opening cream-white and brightening to white, with excellent colour retention and only slight browning of petal edges as the blooms age and fade.
Fragrance and aroma Delicately floral fragrance of mild strength, noticeable at close range without dominating nearby seating areas; primarily grown for visual effect rather than strong scent, but adds a gentle atmospheric note.
Hip characteristics Hip set is limited because of the very double flowers; where pollination succeeds, it can form small, spherical orange hips around 4–8 mm in diameter that add discreet seasonal interest in late season.
Resistance and winter hardiness Rated to approximately −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3); disease resistance moderate to main foliar diseases, with good heat tolerance and acceptable drought endurance given supplementary watering.
Horticultural recommendations Best on well-drained soils with support such as pergolas, arbours or walls; medium maintenance with light annual pruning and occasional pest control; suitable planting distances vary from 180 to 330 cm depending on use.

BANKSIAE ALBA offers spectacular spring clusters, near-thornless growth and adaptable training on a durable own-root framework that will mature gracefully over years, making it a thoughtful choice for relaxed, enduring garden structure.

Detailed product attributes

Product Identification Data

Product Name: BANKSIAE ALBA – white species rose - Kerr
Product Type: pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL - 2-litre own-root potted rose
Cultivar Authenticity: Verified:29.09.2025
Item Number: [681] 90-024 (14.02.2026) pharmarosa.co.uk

Name and Registration

Meaning of Cultivar Name: The name "banksiae" honours Lady Dorothea Banks, while "alba plena" is Latin for "completely white", referring to the fully double white flowers.
Cultivar Synonym: Banksiae Alba Plen’; Double White Banksian Rose; Lady Banks; White; Paul’s White Banksian; Rosier de Banks à fleurs blanches
Original Trade Name: Banksiae Alba Plena
Current Trade Name: Rosa banksiae alba Botanical rose Kerr
Rose Group: Rambler,Banksiae-Species
Commercial Type: species rose
Commercial Group: Botanical rose
Exhibition Category: species rose; climbing rose
Collection: Botanical rose

Origin and Breeding

Introduction Year: 1807 (United Kingdom)
Registration Year: Data not available
Breeder: William Kerr
Breeding Company / Institution: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Kew, London)
Breeding Year: United Kingdom, 1807
Parentage: Rosa banksiae

Awards and Honours

Horticultural Ratings and Recommendations: RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM)
Competition and Show Awards: RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM)

Growth and Structural Characteristics

Height: 13.1-26.2ft (400-800 cm)
Spread: 6.6-13.1ft (200-400 cm)
Growth Habit: climbing
Foliage: The variety has moderately dense foliage, and the leaves have a slightly glossy surface with a mid-green shade.
Prickliness: almost thornless
Self-Cleaning Description: Most spent flowers fall off naturally, while clusters may partially persist.
Self-Cleaning Intensity: Self-cleaning ability: moderate.

Flower Morphology

Flower Fullness: very double flowered
Flower Shape: globular, pompon
Flower Size: S (0,5-1,5 in)
Inflorescence Type: clustered
Colour Code: ARS code: W RHS code: 155C (outer), 155C (inner)
Repeat Flowering: Not remontant; blooms once.

Colour Data and Phenology

Colour: white
Flower Colour Description: Pure snow-white tone, with a slightly silky sheen.
Closed Bud: Greenish-white base with a pale white tip.
Newly Opened Flower: Cream-white outer petal edges, bright white inside.
Full Bloom: Uniform snow-white bloom with a delicate creamy tint at the centre.
Before Fading: Fading white petals with slightly brown-tinged edges.
Colour Fading Description: The colour holds well and fades only minimally; spent blooms may become slightly brown over time.

Fragrance and Aroma

Fragrance Strength: mild, restrained-scented rose
Fragrance Character: delicately floral character
Pollinator Attraction: Highly double, with small flowers and inaccessible stamens, it attracts pollinators poorly.
Pollinator-Friendly Rating: Its highly double flowers conceal the stamens; primarily an ornamental variety.

Hip Characteristics

Hip Shape: spherical
Hip Colour: orange
Hip Comment: Hip formation is expected to be limited due to the double flowers; occasionally forming globose orange hips 4–8 mm in diameter.

Resistance and Hardiness

Hardiness (°C): -21–-18 °C
Heat and Drought Tolerance Description: Tolerates heat well; remains viable under moderate drought but requires irrigation during prolonged drought.
Disease Resistance: moderate
  • powdery mildew – moderate
  • black spot – moderate
  • rust – moderate

Horticultural Recommendations

Recommended Planting Distance: for mass planting 210 cm, for hedging 180 cm, as a specimen 330 cm
Planting Density: square planting 0,23 plants/m², hexagonal arrangement 0,26 plants/m²
Partial Shade Tolerance: suitable for partial shade
Maintenance Requirement: Maintenance requirement medium; occasionally requires pest control.
Primary Uses: pergola, arbour, wall-trained, park, specimen

Comments

Strengths: Everyday elegance – Continuous garden development
Companion Plants: Calamintha grandiflora ‘Elfin Purple’ - Large-flowered calamint
Caryopteris clandonensis 'Grand Bleu' - English bluebeard
Campanula carpatica - Carpathian bellflower
Comment: -
BANKSIAE ALBA – white species rose - Kerr
Pure snow-white tone, with a slightly silky sheen. - species rose - mild, restrained-scented rose - delicately floral character
Online rose purchase - white - species rose - Rosa banksiae alba - (13.1-26.2ft (400-800 cm))
Inflorescence: clustered Height: 13.1-26.2ft (400-800 cm) Flower shape: globular, pompon Winter hardiness: 6b white - - species rose - Flower size: !- Flower size: !- - Height: 13.1-26.2ft (400-800 cm) Height: 13.1-26.2ft (400-800 cm) - Flower fullness: very double flowered Rosa banksiae alba - Roses in the garden | pharmaROSA® Original - standard William Kerr

We showcase the external appearance of the roses available for online purchase from our webshop.


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Information

In what condition do we dispatch the rose from our online webshop?

Let us ask ourselves the question: What would I like to use the rose for?
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Care guide

Our product is a rose grown with pharmaROSA®’s unique cultivation technology!

2-litre, own-root, potted rose.
With a shoot system appropriate to the season.
With a root system that thoroughly permeates the growing medium.
Quality compliant with the requirements of the E.N.A. (European Nurserystock Association).
Supplied in unique packaging that prevents damage.
Can be planted during frost-free periods.
True-to-variety rose bush with a unique 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.


Crop overview: several varieties and growth stages in a short crop section.
Shoot system: intensive growth of fresh basal shoots on a young plant.
Root system: demonstration of a vigorous root system permeating the growing medium, by removing the pot.
Balance: mature plant with root system and shoots in harmony with each other.

Information about the videos
The video series is not a “seasonal showcase”; it illustrates the essence of pharmaROSA® own-root cultivation in a tangible way: how the plant is built up, what the root system is like and how the shoot system regenerates. The recordings were therefore made at different times and with plants at various stages of development, so mixed foliage levels and differing stages of growth may appear in the videos. They are not a ‘sample’ of the batch dispatched, but a visual explanation of how the technology works. The current condition of the rose available to order — typical for the given period and similar to what you can expect to receive in the parcel — is shown in the upper part of the product page.

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Product types

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.