Uniform surface in a mid‑green shade. - historic, china rose - very weak, barely perceptible fragrance rose - spicy character
– Unusual green flowers for collectors
– Strongly remontant with abundant rebloom
– Compact, bushy habit for beds, containers
– Good hardiness and heat tolerance
– Resistant to powdery mildew, black spot
– Special feature: Historic 19th‑century China sport, a true conversation piece.
Built on experience – Naturalistic style
pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2-litre own-root potted rose
22,90 £
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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ROSA VIRIDIFLORA – green historic China rose - Smith
For gardeners who enjoy the unusual, Rosa viridiflora offers a quietly striking, green presence that works beautifully in small British gardens. Its compact, bushy habit fits effortlessly into front borders, cottage-style plantings and containers, while the glossy mid-toned foliage gives a neat, orderly look for most of the year. The small, pompon-like blooms open repeatedly through the season, so the effect builds steadily as the plant matures, following a natural rhythm of Year 1 roots, Year 2 shoots, Year 3 full ornamental value. As an own-root, mid-height shrub it settles securely even where you need good anchoring in breezier or more exposed plots, gradually shaping itself to your soil and care routine. Moderate maintenance needs, reliable remontant flowering and tolerance of partial shade make it reassuringly straightforward once planted, especially when combined with simple deadheading. Over time it forms a characterful, long-lived specimen that holds its place in mixed plantings without demanding complex pruning, offering a historically interesting, quietly distinctive focal point for design-conscious yet time-pressed beginners.
Small, double pompon blooms with a rounded flower form.
Usage options
Target area
Reasoning
Feature plant in a small front garden bed
Used as a compact feature rose, its bushy, upright habit and mid-green foliage create a tidy vertical accent that does not overpower a modest British front garden. The unusual green pompon blooms add interest close to the door with only moderate care for beginners.
Cottage-style mixed border with perennials
In a cottage border it weaves in naturally among campanulas, salvias or airy grasses, its historic China rose character and repeated flowering bringing quiet rhythm through the season. Moderate size and medium maintenance needs stay manageable for hobby-gardeners.
Specimen rose in a medium-sized container (40–50 L+)
Planted in a 40–50 litre or larger container, it becomes an eye-catching specimen for patios or paved front gardens where soil is limited. Own-root growth adapts well to the confined space, giving long-term structure with simple watering and feeding for busy-owners.
Small group planting in a front border (1–3 plants)
Planting one to three together at the recommended spacing creates a low, gently undulating line of characterful shrubs. The consistent green colouring ties the group together, while remontant flowering sustains the effect without complex pruning for style-conscious-beginners.
Loose, informal hedge or path edging
At hedging distances it forms a soft, informal edging that defines paths or separates garden rooms without becoming visually heavy. Bushy growth and repeat flushes of distinctive blooms provide a subtle boundary that is easy to keep in scale for family-gardeners.
Part-shade planting near walls or taller shrubs
Its suitability for partial shade makes it valuable where other roses may struggle, such as east-facing walls or the bright edge of shrub canopies. You gain reliable structure and flowering with only occasional plant protection and deadheading for urban-owners.
Naturalistic or collectors’ corner with historic roses
In a small historic or collectors’ area, this sport of ‘Slater’s Crimson China’ provides a conversation piece with authentic nineteenth-century origins. Moderate disease resistance and own-root longevity support a stable display over many years for rose-enthusiasts.
Exposed or breezier family gardens needing secure planting
Where gardens are more open to prevailing winds, the mid-height, upright shrub form establishes a stable framework that anchors well over time, even in less sheltered positions with reliable structural presence for coastal-gardeners.
Styling ideas
Cottage-front mix – Combine with lavender, nepeta and trailing bellflower for a soft, romantic verge along a path, where its compact, upright habit and repeat flowering keep the frontage neat – ideal for cottage-style homeowners.
Patio focal container – Plant it alone in a 50–60 litre terracotta pot with fine gravel mulch so the unusual green blooms read clearly against glossy foliage – suited to design-aware urban balcony and patio gardeners.
Historic vignette – Pair with old-fashioned perennials and a weathered bench to create a small “heritage corner”, where its 19th-century China rose origins become a quiet talking point – perfect for lovers of garden history.
Soft boundary strip – Repeat plant along a low fence with underplanting of hardy geraniums for a gentle, textural division between drive and garden, using its bushy form to define space without harsh lines – good for family gardens.
Part-shade tapestry – Set near a north-east wall with ferns, hostas and Midwinter Fire dogwood so the green blooms and mid-green foliage link spring to winter stems – attractive for small, shade-affected town plots.
Technical cultivar profile
Parameter
Data
Name and registration
Historic China rose cultivar known as Rosa viridiflora, marketed as Rosa viridiflora Heritage rose Smith; ARS exhibition name ‘Green Rose’; the Latin epithet describes its distinctive green flowers.
Origin and breeding
Spontaneous sport of ‘Slater’s Crimson China’ (Rosa chinensis), discovered by John Smith in the United States around 1827, later introduced into Europe in 1855; exact registration details remain incomplete.
Growth and structural characteristics
Bushy, upright shrub rose typically 80–130 cm high and 60–100 cm wide, with slightly thorny stems and moderately dense, glossy mid-green foliage, giving a compact structure suited to beds, borders and containers.
Flower morphology
Small, double, pompon to ball-shaped flowers with 26–39 petals, borne in clusters on the stems; strongly remontant, producing repeated flushes with an abundant second flowering when reasonably well fed and watered.
Colour data and phenology
Uniquely green flowers: buds deep oil-green, opening vivid mid-green, then pale yellow-green with bronzed edges before fading; ARS code Gr, RHS 137A outer and 146A inner; colour holds moderately well in strong sun.
Fragrance and aroma
Fragrance is very weak and barely perceptible, with only a faint spicy nuance detectable at close range; grown primarily for its unusual flower colour and historical interest rather than for strong scent or cut-flower use.
Hip characteristics
Double blooms may form small, spherical hips around 6–10 mm across, usually green to brownish in tone; hips are not produced abundantly and are of mainly botanical interest rather than ornamental display value.
Resistance and winter hardiness
Hardy to about −21 to −18 °C (USDA zone 6b, RHS H7, Swedish zone 3); generally resistant to powdery mildew and black spot, with moderate rust susceptibility; needs irrigation during extended heat or drought.
Horticultural recommendations
Best for beds, specimen use and containers; medium maintenance with some deadheading and occasional plant protection; suitable for partial shade; plant 55–100 cm apart depending on hedging, massing or solitary use.
Rosa viridiflora offers compact structure, repeat green flowering and adaptable own-root longevity, making it a distinctive yet straightforward shrub rose to introduce into a small British garden.
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 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.
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.
