LA PALOMA 85 ® – white bedding floribunda rose
Bring a feeling of gentle contentment to your garden with LA PALOMA 85 ®, a compact white floribunda that suits the relaxed charm of an Irish cottage border or a neat terraced-house front. Its bushy, upright habit and pure-white cupped blooms create soft light effects even on grey days, while the tidy size slips easily into smaller beds and narrow strips along paths. In changeable Irish weather, with its frequent rain and humidity, this rose performs best in a well-drained, open spot where the air can move freely. The snow-white clusters look especially romantic against dark foliage or stone, echoing the image of a quiet walk under raindrops in a green, intimate space. Planted as an own-root shrub in your soil rather than on a short-lived graft, it is designed for long-term presence, steadily building up its roots and framework so that, over the first three years, it matures from a modest youngster into a reliable feature of your everyday garden views.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Cottage-style front border beside a path |
The compact, bushy habit and 50–70 cm height keep La Paloma 85 ® neatly at ankle-to-knee level, ideal along a front path where you want white colour without blocking light or views; own-root planting supports long-term structure for beginners. |
| Formal bedding blocks in a small family garden |
Even spacing at around 45 cm creates a low, regular white bedding effect that reads clearly from windows and patios; repeat blooming through the season helps beds look “kept” with minimal shaping, especially appreciated by busy gardeners. |
| Mixed white-and-green “girly” cottage bed |
The pure white, cupped flowers blend softly with hostas and houseleeks, giving a gentle, feminine cottage feel; own-root durability means the shrub can stay in place for many years, suiting sentimental, long-term planting by homeowners. |
| Dublin terraced-house frontage with limited depth |
Its 40–60 cm spread and upright habit make it a practical choice for the narrow strip between railings and pavement, where reliable white flowering brings brightness to the street without overwhelming the space, ideal for urban residents. |
| Feature shrub in a large container (40–50 L+) |
Grown in a generous 40–50 litre pot with sharp drainage, it offers a movable white focal point for rented or paved spaces; the own-root form copes better with occasional neglect than grafted plants, suiting time-poor city gardeners. |
| Family garden viewing from kitchen or living room |
Clustered flowers in calm, snow-white tones catch low Irish light, so beds remain visually pleasing on dull days; steady, repeat flowering builds a familiar, reassuring backdrop over the years for family-focused owners. |
| Urban green space or communal bed |
Planted at the recommended densities, groups of La Paloma 85 ® form a continuous, low white carpet that reads clearly from a distance; with thoughtful drainage and air movement it copes with frequent rain and lingering damp appreciated by local communities. |
| Cutting patch for casual indoor arrangements |
The 7–10 cm double blooms on clustered stems give soft, informal bunches in vases; while the scent is very light, the calm white colour and clean petals suit kitchens and hall tables for visually oriented florists. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Romance – Combine La Paloma 85 ® with dwarf hostas and soft grasses for a low, lacy front border that feels quietly romantic – ideal for homeowners who like a gentle, storybook look.
- Terrace-Glow – Plant in a tall 40–50 litre pot by the front door, underplanted with sempervivums to catch sunlight and brighten shaded entrances – perfect for busy urban residents.
- White-Carpet – Mass-plant in a rectangular bed at 45 cm spacing for a clean, white “carpet” that reads well from windows – suited to families who enjoy a tidy, simple layout.
- Green-Contrast – Set clusters of La Paloma 85 ® against dark-leaved shrubs or Phormium ‘Tom Thumb’ to highlight the snow-white flowers – appealing to design-conscious gardeners.
- Kitchen-View – Position a short row below a frequently used window so repeat white blooms become part of your everyday view – great for those who value small daily pleasures outdoors.
Technical cultivar profile
| Property |
Data |
| Name and registration |
La Paloma 85 ® is a floribunda bedding rose (Rósra bhláthchlóis), registered as TANamola, bred for shrub and bedding use and authenticated for antoniaROSE® ORIGINAL own-root production. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Hans Jürgen Evers at Rosen Tantau, Germany, with parentage not publicly disclosed; introduced and registered in 1985, reflecting classic mid-1980s floribunda breeding aims. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Compact, bushy, upright shrub 50–70 cm high and 40–60 cm wide, with dense, glossy dark-green foliage and moderate prickles, shaping naturally into low bedding blocks or short edging rows. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double, cupped blooms 7–10 cm across, with 26–39 petals carried in clusters of 3–5 flowers per stem; remontant habit gives a strong main flush followed by abundant repeat flowering. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Buds open cream-white with a lemon-white centre, then develop a pearlescent, pure-white surface (RHS 155C/155D); colour holds well in sun, staying white without pink or yellow tones as blooms age. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Light, delicately rose-scented fragrance that is barely noticeable in the garden; designed more for visual effect than perfume, so it suits areas where a strong scent is not required or desired. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is modest due to the double flowers; occasionally produces small, spherical orange-red hips 8–12 mm in diameter, adding a discreet seasonal accent in late season if not deadheaded. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to around −21 to −18 °C (H7, USDA 6b, Swedish zone 3), but very susceptible to black spot, powdery mildew and rust, so it requires regular fungicidal care and good air circulation. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in moist but well-drained soil, with attention to drainage on heavy clay; allow 35–75 cm spacing depending on use, water reliably in dry spells, and plan a routine fungicide and hygiene programme. |
LA PALOMA 85 ® offers compact white flowering, long-term garden presence and dependable structure from its own-root form; consider it if you’d like a calm, enduring focus in a modest family space.
