LAKE COMO® – cream-pink bedding floribunda rose – Barni
Imagine stepping out after rain into a London front garden where balance and calm come from creamy, softly pink blooms held above dark, glossy foliage, coping steadily with blustery showers and heavier downpours. LAKE COMO® is an easy-going floribunda bred by Barni, designed for dependable colour in modest family plots and compact, rainwater-conscious spaces. As an own-root shrub, it offers reassuring longevity, rebuilding from its base if stems are damaged and giving you a stable outline year after year with minimal fuss. In its first seasons it quietly establishes – roots in year one, stronger framework in year two, and full ornamental value from year three – supporting low-input, sustainable planting on clay or chalk when combined with simple drainage preparation. Use it to soften paving, green a narrow terrace frontage or give a subtly romantic accent in containers of at least 40–50 litres, where its bushy habit and gentle fragrance create a composed everyday retreat.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Small front garden bed in a terraced street |
Compact, bushy growth to around 70–95 cm high and 50–75 cm wide makes LAKE COMO® easy to position in narrow borders, giving structure without overpowering neighbouring plants in typical terraced-house front gardens – ideal for the busy urban gardener. |
| “Girly” cream-pink feature beside the front door |
The cup-shaped, medium-sized, double blooms in soft cream with pastel pink edging create a romantic yet tasteful welcome, pairing well with painted doors, railings and simple gravel for an immediately charming entrance – especially appealing to the style-conscious homeowner. |
| Low-maintenance mixed bed with perennials |
Reliable repeat flowering through the season and moderate care needs make it easy to weave among lavender, nepeta or low catmint for long-running colour with minimal deadheading, suiting beds where you only have occasional time for upkeep – perfect for the time-poor beginner. |
| Rainwater-aware clay or chalk garden strip |
Once given basic drainage preparation, its bushy habit, dense foliage and good heat tolerance sit well in small front gardens using stored rainwater and coping with exposed, showery weather in coastal or urban settings, simplifying watering routines for the sustainability-minded owner. |
| Medium to large container on balcony or patio |
In a 40–50 litre or larger pot, the plant’s moderate height and dark glossy foliage frame the cream-pink blooms neatly, providing a stable, long-lived feature that can move with you if you change homes – reassuring for the long-term balcony gardener. |
| Informal flowering low hedge |
Recommended spacing of about 35–40 cm allows you to create a softly rounded, low hedge with repeating clusters of flowers, providing gentle privacy and a defined boundary without harsh lines or complex clipping – attractive for the family-garden planner. |
| Urban pocket park or shared courtyard bed |
Moderate disease resistance, robust structure and remontant flowering suit communal spaces where maintenance visits are occasional, giving dependable colour and tidy form without high inputs, an advantage for the community-focused gardener. |
| Long-lived own-root accent for evolving gardens |
The own-root habit helps the plant regenerate from its base after hard pruning or winter damage, supporting a longer lifespan and stable performance as your garden layout changes over the years – a thoughtful choice for the future-oriented homeowner. |
Styling ideas
- Front-row charm – Line a narrow front bed with LAKE COMO® and low-growing nepeta, letting blue haze set off the cream-pink blooms – for terrace owners wanting soft, romantic kerb appeal.
- Container focal – Plant one rose in a 50-litre clay pot with gravel mulch and underplant with silver Artemisia ‘Nana’ – for balcony gardeners seeking an elegant, low-fuss centrepiece.
- Pastel ribbon – Create a low hedge along a path, interspersed with soft pink or white salvias to extend colour and movement – for families wanting a gentle guide to the front door.
- Urban woodland – Combine with Lonicera nitida ‘Maigrün’ and spring bulbs under a small tree, using LAKE COMO® as the summer highlight – for courtyard spaces needing layered greenery.
- Rainwise romance – In a rainwater-fed strip on improved clay, mix this rose with drought-tolerant lavender and catmint to balance wet winters and dry spells – for eco-conscious homeowners planning resilient beds.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Floribunda bedding rose, Registered Cultivar Name BAR 7752, traded as LAKE COMO® – cream-pink bedding floribunda rose, shrub rose exhibition category, part of the Bedding rose collection. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Enrico Barni in Pistoia, Italy, with parentage not recorded; introduced by Rose Barni in 2016, representing contemporary Italian floribunda breeding for urban and landscape planting. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy shrub rose, typically 70–95 cm tall and 50–75 cm wide, with dense, dark green, glossy foliage and moderate prickliness, forming a rounded, well-filled outline suited to beds, hedges and larger containers. |
| Flower morphology |
Medium-sized, double, cup-shaped blooms with 26–39 petals, produced in clusters; remontant flowering with an especially abundant second flush, offering extended display with basic maintenance. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Cream to ivory base with pastel pink edges; buds ivory with powder-pink tips, pink intensifying at full bloom then fading to a pale dewy tone; ARS code W, RHS 155D outer and 62C inner petal zones. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Mild rosy fragrance with a subtle character best appreciated at close range; primarily grown for colour and form rather than perfume, yet offering a gentle scent on still, warm days. |
| Hip characteristics |
Occasional spherical bright red hips, about 8–12 mm in diameter, may form after flowering; mainly ornamental and sparse, so they do not significantly affect the plant’s overall display. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to around −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish Zone 3, USDA 6b); heat tolerant, needing watering in prolonged drought; moderate resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust in typical garden conditions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited to beds, small hedges, parks, urban green spaces and large containers; prefers full sun, moderate maintenance with routine pest and disease checks, and spacing of 35–65 cm depending on planting scheme. |
LAKE COMO® offers compact, repeat-flowering cream-pink colour, reliable performance in modest front gardens and containers, and the regenerative, long-lived advantages of an own-root shrub, making it a sound, quietly charming choice to plant now.
