Rose 'Veilchenblau', also known as the Blue Rose or Violet Blue, is a remarkable rambling rose that offers something truly unique in the rose world. This vigorous climbing variety produces clusters of semi-double flowers that shift from deep magenta-purple to an unusual blue-violet shade as they age, creating a captivating colour display that's rare amongst roses. First introduced in 1909, this German-bred rose remains a favourite for its distinctive colouring and robust, easy-care nature.
Key Features
Flower Characteristics:
Semi-double blooms measuring 3-4cm across
Distinctive colour progression from deep magenta-purple to blue-violet
Flowers appear in large, showy clusters
Light, sweet fragrance
Single flush of blooms in early to mid-summer
Attractive golden stamens when flowers open fully
Growth Habit:
Vigorous rambling rose reaching 3-5 metres in height
Spreads 2-3 metres wide when mature
Thornless or nearly thornless stems (a rare feature amongst roses)
Dense, healthy foliage with good disease resistance
Fast-growing once established
Ideal Location:
Thrives in full sun to partial shade
Requires sturdy support structure such as pergolas, arbours, or strong fences
Benefits from good air circulation to prevent disease
Suitable for cottage gardens, country gardens, and informal landscapes
Soil Requirements:
Adaptable to most soil types
Prefers well-draining, fertile soil
Tolerates slightly alkaline conditions
Mulching around the base helps retain moisture and suppress weeds
Watering:
Water regularly during first growing season to establish roots
Once established, relatively drought-tolerant
Deep, infrequent watering is preferable to frequent shallow watering
Feeding:
Apply a balanced rose fertiliser in early spring
Mulch with well-rotted compost or manure annually
Benefits from occasional liquid feed during growing season
Pruning:
Minimal pruning required due to rambling nature
Remove dead, diseased, or damaged wood in late winter
After flowering, lightly trim to maintain shape and remove spent blooms
Allow long canes to develop for best flowering display
Rose 'Veilchenblau' pairs beautifully with:
White or pale pink climbing roses for colour contrast
Clematis varieties (particularly white or purple cultivars)
Honeysuckle for extended seasonal interest
Lavender and other purple-flowering perennials
White or cream-coloured climbing plants like jasmine
Spring: Fresh green foliage emerges with vigorous new growth
Early Summer: Spectacular display of colour-changing blooms
Late Summer: Small orange-red hips may develop if flowers aren't deadheaded
Autumn: Foliage may develop attractive yellow tints before dropping
Winter: Architectural bare stems provide structure to garden
Low Maintenance: Once established, requires minimal care
Disease Resistant: Generally healthy with good natural disease resistance
Thornless: Safe and easy to handle, ideal near pathways
Unique Colour: Rare blue-violet tones add distinctive character
Wildlife Friendly: Attracts bees and other pollinators; hips feed birds
Versatile: Suitable for various garden styles and support structures
Single flowering period (not repeat flowering)
Requires substantial support due to vigorous growth
Can become quite large, so ensure adequate space
Flower colour may fade in very hot, direct sunlight
Fully hardy in the UK (RHS Hardiness Rating H5), 'Veilchenblau' tolerates temperatures down to -15°C. It's well-suited to British climate conditions and performs reliably across most regions, though it appreciates shelter from harsh winds in exposed locations.
This exceptional rambling rose offers gardeners the rare opportunity to grow a truly blue-toned rose whilst enjoying the benefits of an easy-care, vigorous climber that will provide years of distinctive beauty with minimal fuss.
Reasons to Buy Roses from Jacksons Nurseries
(1) ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot
Buy with confidence from the only online rose grower rated ‘Excellent’ 4.9* on Trustpilot. We have been a trusted supplier of roses for 3 generations. We take pride in growing our own roses in the field before potting them up, allowing for meticulous quality control to sale.

(2) Best Prices Guaranteed – Direct from the Grower
Save £££s by buying direct from a grower you can trust. We’ve already price checked all of our roses against competitors so you don’t have to. We are so confident we offer the best value, if you find a rose of the same type and grade elsewhere, we’ll beat it by 10%.

(3) 12 Month Plants Guarantee
We offer a 12 month guarantee on every plant that you buy from us that we have classified as Fully Hardy. If a plant you've bought from us fails in the first year, we will either replace it or refund you. See our satisfaction guarantee page for more details and conditions.

(4) Third generation family-owned nursery specialising in roses
Jackson’s Nurseries is a 3rd generation family owned business which has been growing roses for over 60 years. Roses have always been our specialty, as you can see from the colourful array of blooms in the background to the old family photo below. Today, we offer over 200 different varieties of floribundas, hybrid teas, patio, shrub and David Austin roses. Our roses are initially grown in the field before being potted up for website dispatch.

(5) Grown at altitude to produce strong, healthy plants
Our North Staffordshire nursery is situated at 250 metres above sea level, producing strong, hardy plants that will thrive in your garden. Our nursery sits on clay, so you can be sure our roses can handle heavy soil too.

(6) Help & Advice and Aftercare
We are help to help you with any help and advice you need in choosing, planting and growing your roses before, during and after your purchase from us. The help and advice section of our website has extensive information, see below some examples of articles you may find useful:

How our roses are supplied through the seasons
All our roses are cultivated in an open field and are carefully dug up when the weather is optimal, typically in October or November. While other nurseries supply roses bare root, once our field-grown roses have been potted up we supply them freshly potted. This better protects the roots and helps keep them moist in transit, ensuring your roses arrive as healthy as when they left our nursery. So don’t be alarmed if the compost comes away from the roots when you remove them from the pot.

The roses can remain in their pots over the winter, as long as they are properly watered and fed, but it's best to plant them out as soon as possible. If you do plant them straight away make sure the planting mix is prepared first, hold the root close to the top of the hole as you tip the pot upside down and try to keep as much compost as possible from falling away. They will already be pruned, so no additional pruning is needed except for trimming any dead tips. Regular pruning can start in late winter, the year after planting.

Rose Types
Hybrid Tea Roses (HT)
Hybrid Tea roses are probably the most popular group of roses, available in both bush and standard form they have long flower stems and shapely blooms. Blooms are typically medium to large in size, with many petals which form a distinct central cone.
Floribunda Roses (FL)
Floribunda roses bears its flowers in clusters or trusses, with several blooms open at time in each truss. A popular choice the Floribunda rose group is unrivalled for colour, reliability and longevity as a bedding display however the flower form in generally inferior to the Hybrid Tea.
Patio Roses (PATIO)
Patio roses were introduced in the 1980’s and the group now contains several popular varieties. Generally low-growing roses that were once grouped with the Floribuna group but have now been put in their own group of compact versions. Usually growing about 50cm high they make excellent plants for patio containers or at the front of borders.
Climbing Roses (CLM)
Climbing roses as the name suggests are the perfect choice for covering a wall or screen. Often grouped together with Ramblers, Climbers tend to have stiffer stems, larger flowers but smaller trusses than Ramblers.
Rambling Roses (RAM)
Rambling roses are often grouped with Climbing Roses but the ramblers tend to have a more pliable stems that can be used to run along the soil to use as groundcover or can be used to make weeping standards.
Miniature Roses (MINI)
Miniature roses have increased in popularity in recent years due to their versatility, even grown indoors as temporary pot plants that grow to a maximum height of 40cm. An ideal choice for planting in tubs, edging beds and rockeries.
English Roses (ENG)
Often referred to as Austin or David Austin Roses, English roses are hybrids of old English roses and more modern varieties bread by David Austin to provide the best of both, mixing old rose shapes and scents with more modern colour range, compact habits and repeat flowering.

Planting Advice
Roses like a generous root space, so dig a deep hole approximately twice as wide as the current root system, preferably adding composted organic matter to the soil. Never plant into frozen soil – in winter, await a frost-free period. Carefully remove the pot and gently tease the roots apart to spread them around the hole. Position the plant so that the ‘bud point’ (the place where the shoots emerge from, where the cultivated rose was grafted onto the rootstock) is at soil level. Replace the soil, firming it down gently, then water copiously. Ideally, a general purpose fertiliser should be applied to the surrounding soil as a top dressing. We also highly recommend the use of Rose Rootgrow, which provides a friendly fungus that prevents ‘rose replant syndrome’.

Buying our Roses
Most of our roses are supplied in a 4 litre pot although this may vary slightly depending on rose variety. If the size of pot differes significatly from 4 litres then we will make this clear somewhere on the product page.
Seasonality
Our roses are grown outdoors and as such are subject to seasonal changes. As we sell potted stock throughout the year your rose may not arrive and look like you expect it to. If you are uncertain how your rose will arrive (especially if buying for a gift) then we suggest you contact us prior to making a purchase.
Freshly Potted
Each year a new batch of roses is potted up ready for the following season. Once potted (usually November/December time) they go on sale as 'Freshly Potted'. If you purchase a freshly potted rose and plant it soon after you will find that when removing the rose from the pot there will be a lot of loose soil as the roots will not have had time to grow and bind the compost.

Pruned/Cut Back
In autumn the majority of our roses have finished flowering and begin to look untidy, at this point we prune them quite hard in preparation for the following season. We continue to sell roses throughout the year, when a rose has been pruned in such a way we will identify it has being so. If you are not sure what to expect then please ask prior to making a purchase. Some garden centres/supermarkets sell stock that has been grown abroad or in poly-tunnels so they look 'picture perfect' out of season, while this is ideal for a gift they are short lived once planted.

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