One of the most classic and beautiful things to do in a garden is to plant a bed of pure-white roses. It brings immediate elegance and charm to your garden, like nothing else can. For a long time the classic rose for this, especially in warmer areas, was an old variety called ‘Iceberg’. But beautiful as it is, that rose can grow tall and a little ungainly. On top of this, in hot weather the center of the flowers turn pink, losing the impact of its white coloring. Also, this rose does best in warmer zones, and does not do well in colder areas. Like other older types of roses, it can also suffer from all the rose diseases. Now we have a modern replacement for that classic rose, and one that eliminates those defects. Let’s welcome the Icecap Rose – a new generation of pure-white shrub rose.

Growing Icecap Roses

This spectacular plant has only been released in the last couple of years, after 8 years of careful testing and trials. This broad rose stays under 3 feet tall, and grows more than 3 feet wide, so it fills a bed with dense, bushy growth. Planted alone it has real presence and perfect symmetry. Planted in a grouping, or as a row along a path or drive, it will form a solid wall of dense, dark-green foliage, that makes the pure-white flowers look even more striking.

Appearance

The flowers are born in profusion for months – from spring, through summer and well into fall. Each branch carries from 10 to 20 blooms, and on average a bush has 85 blooms on it – a spectacular, profuse display by any terms. Each open, cup-shaped flower has about 25 pure-white petals, and is over 2 inches across. The white color is pure right into the center – no pink can be seen, even during the heat of summer. The Icecap Rose is also resistant to all the common rose diseases, such as black-spot and mildew. Without the need to spray, you will always have beautiful clean, healthy foliage to show off those beautiful blooms.

Hardiness

The Icecap Rose will grow well throughout zone 5, and grow just as well in southern Florida or California. No matter where you live, you will see spectacular results from this new, exciting variety.

Uses in Your Garden

Grow it as a single plant in a small garden, among other flowers. White looks beautiful with all other colors, so you don’t need to worry that it will clash with your other planting choices. Plant it in a large container, and you can enjoy its beauty on your terrace or patio. Use it against a fence to bring a dull narrow space to life. Planted along a path, or alongside your driveway, it will look fabulous for month after month. In groups of three, five, seven or more it can be used to create wonderful landscape effects in a larger garden. A circular bed in a lawn will be amazing, or plant it in front of a clipped hedge for more formal beauty.

Planting and Initial Care

Choose a sunny location for your Icecap Rose – the more sun it receives, the more profusely it will bloom. This rose grows well in most soils, doing best in loams and soils with some clay in them. Prepare the soil well, by digging into it plenty of rich organic material. This could be well-rotted manure, compost, soil-conditioning blends, rotted leaves, or other similar materials.

Mulch around the plants with a similar rich material each winter, and make sure to use a rose fertilizer regularly, as directed for the brand you buy. In winter or early spring, when the plants are dormant, prune them lightly. Remove any thin, twiggy branches completely. Trim back the remaining branches to leave between 6 and 12 inches of strong stem. Always cut back to an outward-facing bud. After a few years, remove some of the oldest branches completely.

History and Origins of the Icecap Rose

The Icecap Rose is the result of a remarkable collaboration between two of the world’s top rose breeders. From America we have Will Radner, the breeder of the Knockout series of roses, plants that have revolutionized rose growing with their disease resistance, continuous flowering and easy growth. In France we have Alain Meilland, the current representative of the famous Meilland family, which brought the world such classic roses as ‘Peace’ and ‘Papa Meilland’.

In the summer of 2007, at their breeding facility in Le-Luc-en-Provence, France, Alain took a rose called Pink Lady (‘Radsweet’) that Will Radner had bred some years before. He crossed it with a seedling he had grown, which had many desirable characteristics. From the seeds produced he selected a spectacular plant, which they called ‘Meirandena’, combined their two names. Plants were produced from it, and subjected to rigorous growing trials in different environments, which it passed with top scores. In 2016 they jointly released this fabulous new rose under the name Icecap™.

Buying Icecap Roses at The Tree Center

This rose is the result of complex breeding, and must be produced under license from the two breeders. You can be sure that the plants you buy from us are truly the correct plant, created from stem pieces taken from original parent plants. Other white roses that lack the name Icecap™ are not the ‘real deal’, and while the price may be lower, you will be very disappointed with the result. When new roses of this quality are released, the demand for them from knowledgeable gardeners is enormous. Although we have a good supply from the best growers licensed to produce this rose, we know that stocks will not last, so order now. You won’t regret it.