PICASSO™ – red-white bedding floribunda rose - McGredy
Step outside after rain and PICASSO™ greets you with hand-painted blooms, each flower a unique red‑and‑white pattern that enlivens even the smallest London front garden. This compact floribunda forms a neat, bushy structure, ideal for narrow beds and low hedges where you want strong colour without fussy pruning. Robust health and proven disease resistance suit humid, changeable British summers, while its own‑root longevity means the plant rebuilds and stays attractive year after year. Semi‑double clusters provide flashes of nectar interest for visiting insects, and the rose’s reliable remontant flowering keeps the show going through the season. Working well in heavy clay once drainage is improved for wetter, wind‑exposed plots, PICASSO™ is designed for low‑effort gardening that matures from root building in year one, to stronger top growth in year two, to full ornamental impact by year three.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Small London front garden bed |
The compact, bushy habit and vivid “painted” blooms give instant kerb appeal in the limited depth of a terraced‑house front border, without demanding complex pruning or staking, making it easy for the time‑pressed beginner. |
| Rainwater‑friendly urban planting strip |
Clustered semi‑double flowers repeat through the season, adding colour above a mulch or gravel surface that can soak up diverted downpipe water, while own‑root resilience copes well with modest fluctuations for the sustainability‑minded homeowner. |
| Mixed clay‑soil border in a family garden |
Once planted into improved, free‑draining clay, the strong root system supports long‑term performance and reliable flowering, offering stable colour and structure with little intervention for busy garden‑sharing families. |
| Pollinator‑aware flower bed |
Semi‑double blooms provide accessible stamens, giving moderate interest to visiting insects while still looking full and decorative, a practical compromise for those wanting wildlife touches in a tidy setting for urban gardeners. |
| Low flowering hedge along a path |
The 65–85 cm height and 35 cm spacing create a coherent, colourful edging; clusters of patterned flowers read well from both sides, and own‑root plants knit together steadily over years, suiting long‑term planning owners. |
| Statement container on balcony or patio |
Grown in a 40–50 litre peat‑free container, PICASSO™ forms a compact, repeat‑flowering shrub whose striking colour pattern becomes a living artwork, rewarding regular watering and occasional feed for style‑conscious balcony residents. |
| Coastal or exposed suburban plot |
Reliable disease resistance and moderate hardiness keep foliage and flowers looking clean despite wind and damp, while its bushy frame is easy to maintain as a low anchor plant for weather‑tested gardeners. |
| Long‑term family garden redesign |
Own‑root plants establish below ground first, then build shoots and finally a durable flowering framework, giving you a rose that can be reshaped and renewed over many seasons, ideal for forward‑thinking garden planners. |
Styling ideas
- Painter’s-Edge – Line a narrow front path with PICASSO™ and low lavender to echo the red‑white blooms with soft purple, creating a simple, fragrant route home – ideal for busy commuters.
- Urban-Gallery – Plant a trio in a large container with silvery sage and slate‑coloured gravel, letting the striped flowers act as vivid “art pieces” – perfect for design‑conscious balcony dwellers.
- Rain-Ribbon – Combine PICASSO™ with nepeta and ornamental grasses beside a raingarden channel, where repeating flowers and airy textures frame the water‑absorbing strip – suited to sustainability‑focused homeowners.
- Family-Canvas – Mix PICASSO™ with compact cornus and spring bulbs in a small back‑garden bed, giving children year‑round colour and easy‑care structure – great for young families.
- Girly-Front – Pair the rose with soft pink perennials and white groundcover in a terraced‑house frontage for a playful, feminine look that still stays neat – appealing to low‑maintenance style seekers.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Floribunda bed rose; registered as MACpic, sold as Picasso™ Hand-painted roses MACpic; ARS exhibition name Picasso; cluster-flowered exhibition floribunda used mainly in bedding schemes. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy IV (McGredy Roses International, New Zealand) from ‘Marlena’ × (‘Evelyn Fison’ × (‘Orange Sweetheart’ × ‘Frühlingsmorgen’)); introduced and registered in 1971. |
| Awards and recognition |
RNRS Certificate of Merit (United Kingdom, 1970); Special Prize Belfast (Northern Ireland, 1970); New Zealand Rose Society Gold Star of the South Pacific (1973), confirming strong garden and show value. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, moderately dense shrub 65–85 cm high and 50–75 cm wide, with dark green, slightly glossy foliage and moderate prickliness; forms a compact, well-branched outline suitable for bedding and low hedging. |
| Flower morphology |
Semi-double, cup-shaped clusters with 13–20 petals, small blooms about 0.5–1.5 inches across; reliably remontant with plentiful second flush, producing showy heads suited to both beds and exhibition cutting. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Red-white bicolour: cherry red with white base and irregular streaks; ARS pb, RHS 53C and 155D; colours soften to pink and cream as blooms open, while the characteristic striping remains clearly visible until petal fall. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Light, unobtrusive scent detectable at close range rather than distance; fragrance character not fully documented, making this variety best chosen for visual impact rather than as a dedicated scent feature. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rosehip set usually sparse due to semi-double, exhibition-style flowers; where formed, hips are small, spherical, orange-red, around 6–10 mm across, adding discreet late-season interest rather than a heavy display. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Good resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust; hardy to about −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, Swedish zone 3, USDA 6b); withstands typical UK winters and moderate heat, needing watering in extended dry spells. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny beds or borders at 35–65 cm spacing; 5.7–6.5 plants/m² for mass effect. Fares well in urban and park plantings with low maintenance; prefers improved drainage on heavy soils and regular water in drought. |
PICASSO™ – red-white bedding floribunda rose - McGredy offers distinctive patterned colour, compact reliable flowering and long-term stability from its own-root form, making it a thoughtful choice for enduring, low-effort planting.
