STAINLESS STEEL® – lavender hybrid tea rose - Carruth
Bring a mood of quiet elegance to your Irish garden with STAINLESS STEEL®, a lavender hybrid tea rose whose cool, silvery blooms feel like a calm escape after a busy day. The large, high-centred flowers open from pointed buds into perfectly formed blooms, ideal for cutting and enjoying indoors, while the strong, citrus-fresh fragrance adds a gentle lift on damp mornings and soft evenings. Bred for reliable disease resistance, it copes well with Ireland’s moist air and changeable summers, giving you healthy foliage and flowers without complicated spraying routines, even where frequent showers meet heavier soils and you simply improve the drainage a little to keep the roots comfortable. As an own-root rose it builds strength steadily, with roots in the first year, bolder shoots in the second, and full ornamental presence by the third, promising reassuring longevity and natural renewal in a family garden you can enjoy for years with easy-going confidence.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Feature rose near the front door |
Planted as a single specimen by the entrance or along a short path, its tall, upright habit and large, classic blooms create an immediate sense of welcome, with strong, fresh fragrance catching you each time you pass – perfect for fragrance-loving homeowners. |
| Irish cottage-style front border |
In a mixed cottage border, the pastel silvery-lilac flowers blend beautifully with soft whites and mauves, while good disease resistance keeps foliage smart and presentable without fuss in typical damp Irish weather – ideal for relaxed gardeners. |
| Cutting patch for home bouquets |
The high-centred, exhibition-type blooms on long, straight stems are made for cutting; you can gather scented, elegant flowers throughout the season to enjoy indoors, adding a touch of luxury to everyday life for creative flower-loving families. |
| Sunny terrace in a large container |
Given a 40–50 litre pot with free-draining compost, this upright rose forms a vertical accent that perfumes a small patio or balcony, making the most of limited space while remaining easy to look after for busy urban residents. |
| Statement plant in a small lawn |
Used as a solitary rose in the grass, its height and dense foliage give it presence from a distance, while the unusual lavender colour draws the eye and offers a refined, “girly” focal point for compact front gardens and style-conscious beginners. |
| Romantic seating-area backdrop |
Planted behind a bench or small seating nook, the continuous, remontant flowering and strong scent create a softly romantic atmosphere, with colour that remains elegant rather than overpowering – well suited to evening-relaxation-loving couples. |
| Low-maintenance family rose bed |
Combined with a few sturdy shrubs and perennials, this rose’s low maintenance needs and own-root resilience mean less worry about gaps or replacement, even as children play around it and seasons pass – reassuring for practical parents. |
| Clay-soil garden with improved drainage |
Once the planting hole is loosened and enriched with organic matter, it settles well into heavier Irish soils, its disease resistance and remontant habit ensuring steady flowering even where frequent showers meet heavier soils and you simply improve the drainage a little to keep the roots comfortable – encouraging for time-pressed newcomers. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-Romantic – Mix with white foxgloves, pink campion and airy grasses to soften its silvery-lilac blooms in a storybook cottage border – ideal for dreamily inclined homeowners.
- Terrace-Accent – Grow one plant in a large stone-effect pot with trailing thyme at the base to perfume a small sitting area – suited to balcony and patio dwellers.
- Cutting-Row – Plant a simple single-row bed with Stainless Steel® and pale gypsophila for easy, always-ready bouquets – appealing to home florists and creative hosts.
- Calm-Contrast – Pair with deep purple salvias and dark-leaved heucheras so the cool lavender flowers glow softly against richer tones – perfect for colour-conscious gardeners.
- Soft-Hedge – Line a short path or driveway with evenly spaced plants, underplanted with low catmint, for a gentle, scented “girly” avenue – great for front-garden renovators.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose, registered as WEKblusi, marketed as Stainless Steel® hybrid tea rose; exhibition name Stainless Steel, belonging to the Rós taehibride commercial group. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Tom Carruth in the United States from ‘Blue Nile’ × ‘Silverado’; introduced by Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc. in 1995, with breeding completed in 1991. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Strong, upright bush reaching 150–190 cm high and 100–140 cm wide, with dense, dark green, slightly glossy foliage and moderate prickliness; forms a vertical, elegant presence. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, double, 7–10 cm high-centred blooms with 26–39 petals, classic pointed buds and solitary presentation on stems; remontant, with a notably abundant second flush of flowers. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cool lavender to silvery-lilac flowers (RHS 76C–76D) with metallic sheen; colour lightens slightly in heat, remains more vivid in cool weather; very good colour retention throughout bloom. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, clearly perceptible fragrance combining fresh citrus notes with traditional rose character, noticeable both in the garden and in cut stems placed indoors in vases. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose-hip set is usually sparse due to the double flower form; occasional small, ellipsoid, orange-red hips 10–14 mm across may appear, adding modest late-season interest. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated resistant to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C (H7, USDA zone 6b), with moderate heat tolerance and a need for regular watering in drought. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny positions with well-drained, fertile soil; recommended for borders, specimen planting and cutting; space 110–180 cm depending on use, ensuring good air circulation and root room. |
Stainless Steel® hybrid tea rose offers elegant lavender blooms, strong fragrance and reliable disease resistance on a long-lived own-root plant; an excellent choice if you value lasting beauty with little complication.
