PRINCESS HITOMI – pink tea hybrid rose - Kunieda
Step into a London front garden after rain and imagine a narrow path edged with pastel blooms: Princess Hitomi offers refined, cupped flowers in a soft, sugar‑glazed pink that hold their colour beautifully even in bright sun. This compact, upright hybrid tea is easy to place in a small urban plot or balcony container, coping reliably with wet, windy spells on exposed British streets while rewarding you with medium‑scented clusters all summer. Grown on its own roots, it settles in steadily for a long, dependable life, regenerating well if cut back hard and staying in character year after year. The pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL 2‑litre format is simple to handle and establishes quickly: lay the foundations in year one, enjoy stronger shoots in year two, and by year three you will have the full ornamental effect of a mature plant. Its dense, glossy foliage frames each bloom with a clean, contemporary outline, while medium maintenance needs and only occasional plant protection make it a reassuring choice for beginners. Team it with water‑wise companions and rain‑saving butts and you can keep your planting green, balanced and quietly sustainable.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Feature rose for a small London front garden |
Its compact, upright habit and 95–125 cm height make it ideal as a single statement rose by the path or gate, giving elegant structure without overwhelming a narrow space; a good fit for design‑conscious homeowners. |
| Rain‑aware, low‑fuss urban planting |
Performs well in typical British wet spells and breezy streets, remaining tidy with dense foliage, and only moderate disease concerns when planted in well‑drained soil and watered from stored rain, suiting time‑pressed city‑dwellers. |
| Long‑term own‑root investment plant |
Supplied on its own roots, it builds a stable framework that regenerates from the base if cut back or weather‑damaged, giving a long ornamental life and consistent shape that appeals to forward‑planning gardeners. |
| Cut‑flower source for the kitchen table |
Developed as a hybrid tea for cutting, its small but very double, cupped blooms sit neatly in vases, with a medium fragrance and long‑lasting pastel colour, delighting experimental home florists. |
| Season‑long colour focus in a mixed border |
Remontant flowering with a generous second flush keeps the border lively from early summer onwards; clusters of uniform pink blooms add continuity between other perennials, supporting busy but colour‑loving families. |
| Glossy foliage backdrop for soft pastel schemes |
Dense, medium‑green, glossy leaves create a smart background for its pastel pink flowers and neighbouring plants, maintaining a finished look even between flushes, valued by detail‑oriented beginners. |
| Large container or balcony feature (40–50 L+) |
Its upright habit and moderate spread suit a 40–50 litre or larger pot with good drainage, allowing you to enjoy exhibition‑quality blooms on balconies or paved front gardens, ideal for space‑limited renters. |
| Resilient show rose with proven performance |
Recognised with SAF Blue and Red Ribbon awards, it brings exhibition‑standard form and reliable bloom quality into everyday gardens, offering assurance for ambitious but non‑expert collectors. |
Styling ideas
- Pastel‑Ribbon – edge a narrow front path with Princess Hitomi and lady’s mantle for frothy lime contrast – for urban households softening hard landscaping.
- Tea‑Corner – plant as a specimen near a small bench, underplanted with dwarf calamint for a scented sitting spot – for busy professionals seeking an evening unwind space.
- Balcony‑Border – grow one plant in a 50‑litre pot with trailing thyme and soft grasses – for flat‑dwellers wanting low‑care romance in containers.
- Powder‑Pink – mix with nepeta and lavender in a sunny strip for a gentle, feminine palette – for “girly” terrace fronts that stay smart from pavement to doorstep.
- Gloss‑Hedge – repeat‑plant along railings at 50–55 cm, backed by Lonicera nitida ‘Maigrün’ – for homeowners aiming at a neat, contemporary green frontage.
Technical cultivar profile
| Property |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Hybrid tea rose marketed as PRINCESS HITOMI – pink tea hybrid rose - Kunieda; ARS exhibition name Princess Hitomi; commercial type and group both hybrid tea rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Kunieda Keiji at Rose Farm Keiji, Shiga Prefecture, Japan; bred 2018, registered 2018 in ICR, introduced 2019 through Wabara with parentage not publicly disclosed. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holds SAF Blue Ribbon and SAF Red Ribbon distinctions in cut‑flower competition, underlining its suitability for exhibition and decorative use in floral design contexts. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright bush reaching roughly 95–125 cm in height with a 50–70 cm spread, moderately thorny shoots and dense, medium‑green, glossy foliage that gives a well‑filled appearance. |
| Flower morphology |
Small, cupped, very double blooms with over 40 petals, borne mainly in clusters; remontant habit with a generous second flush providing repeated display through the flowering season. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Soft pastel pink flowers, ARS lp; RHS 65C outer and 65D inner petals, opening creamy pink then becoming a uniform sugar‑glazed pink, only lightly lightening under strong sunlight. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Medium‑strength, pleasantly spreading scent in line with classic hybrid tea character; no specific perfume notes recorded but noticeable enough for seating areas and cut‑flower use. |
| Hip characteristics |
Only occasional hips reported, very small and of negligible ornamental value, with no consistent data on diameter, shape or colour available from current descriptive sources. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −21 to −18 °C (USDA 6b; RHS H7; Swedish zone 3); black spot resistant, with moderate susceptibility to powdery mildew and rust under high humidity. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in full sun with regular watering in heat; medium maintenance, some deadheading needed; plant 50–90 cm apart depending on use, at 3.3–3.8 plants/m² for massed displays. |
PRINCESS HITOMI – pink tea hybrid rose - Kunieda offers long‑season pastel blooms, compact structure and reliable own‑root longevity; consider it where you value subtle fragrance, enduring form and gentle maintenance.
