ICE COOL – white climbing rose – Delbard
Let ICE COOL frame your seating area like a living lacework, its pure white blooms setting a romantic tone for afternoon tea and quiet evenings. This Delbard climber quickly forms a well-furnished wall of glossy dark foliage and semi-double flowers, giving a gently elegant cottage look with very little fuss. Own-root plants offer reassuring longevity, regenerating from the base and keeping a stable shape even after harder pruning or bad weather. Plantable throughout the season, this 2‑litre rose slips easily into busy family gardens, coping well with blustery sites where wind and rain test less robust climbers. Over the first three years it moves naturally from building roots, to putting on shoots, to its full picture-book display, rewarding patient beginners and time-pressed homeowners alike. Ideal for pergolas, arches, façades or a single statement pillar in a small to medium garden.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Rose arch over a garden path |
Medium-height, flexible canes and dense foliage make ICE COOL perfect for clothing a standard arch without overwhelming a narrow path, while semi-double white flowers create a welcoming, romantic entrance for lovers of cottage style |
| Pergola or arbour for afternoon seating |
Its climbing habit and reliable repeat flowering provide an airy, dappled canopy of white, casting soft shade without feeling heavy, ideal for framing a table or bench used by tea-and-book garden users |
| House façade or garage wall greening |
The 2,4–3,6 m height range covers single-storey walls comfortably, and own-root vigour helps the plant recover if pruned back for maintenance, suiting practical home improvers |
| Fence or boundary screen in small family gardens |
Regular but not excessive growth makes it easy to train along wires or panels, giving a soft, flowered screen that remains manageable for busy family gardeners |
| Large container on terrace or balcony |
In a 40–50 litre or larger container with support, this climber offers vertical impact without taking floor space, bringing cottage-garden charm within reach of urban patio owners |
| Mixed cottage border with perennials and herbs |
Snow-white blooms harmonise with most colour schemes and companions, from lavender to sedges, creating a unified look that is easy to plan and maintain for colour-conscious beginners |
| Coastal or exposed positions with wind and rain |
Strong canes, dense foliage and an established root system give good anchoring and reliability where weather is changeable, suiting gardens frequently used by all-weather families |
| Low-maintenance long-term feature planting |
Moderate maintenance needs and the long-lived, own-root structure support sustainable design, as the plant can be shaped, rejuvenated and kept for many years by low-fuss rose owners |
Styling ideas
- Cottage Archway – Train ICE COOL over a wooden arch with lavender and dwarf sedges at the base for a soft white-and-blue entrance – ideal for romantic traditionalists
- Elegant Arbour – Cover a small seating pergola, adding white cushions and zinc planters to echo the blooms – perfect for afternoon tea lovers
- Calm Façade – Fan it along wires against a brick wall, underplanted with New Zealand flax ‘Tom Thumb’ for contrast – suited to design-conscious homeowners
- Terrace Screen – Grow in a 50 litre pot with a simple obelisk, paired with potted herbs for scent and practicality – good for compact city gardens
- Country Fence – Weave stems along a post-and-rail fence, mixing in cottage perennials for an informal hedge – appealing to rural kitchen-garden keepers
Technical cultivar profile
| Property | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
Climbing, large-flowered rose from the Grand Colours collection; registered as DELgribla, marketed as ICE COOL and also exhibited under the French name Blanche Colombe. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Georges Delbard in France and introduced in 1995 by Roseraies Georges Delbard; parentage remains unknown, but selection focuses on ornament and structural reliability. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Climbing rose reaching about 2,4–3,6 m high and 1,6–2,4 m wide; dense, glossy dark green foliage, moderately thorny canes and a growth rate suited to arches, pergolas and façades. |
| Flower morphology |
Semi-double, medium-sized blooms with approximately 13–25 petals; high-centred, pointed buds of classic cut-rose form, generally borne singly on stems, with good remontant behaviour. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Pure white flowers with a creamy sheen; buds milky white with light green tinge, opening icy white and later softening to milky cream, sometimes with a faint yellowish-white edge in strong sun. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Fragrance is very weak and usually barely noticeable, so the cultivar is chosen mainly for visual impact and structure rather than for scent-led planting schemes or sensory gardens. |
| Hip characteristics |
Sparse hip set due to semi-double form; small, spherical hips around 6–10 mm diameter develop occasionally, ripening to orange-red and adding a light decorative note in late season. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to around −21 to −18 °C (RHS H7, USDA 6b); generally good black-spot resistance with moderate tolerance to mildew and rust, needing occasional control in humid conditions. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Ideal for arches, pergolas, fences, façades and specimen use; prefers well-drained soil with irrigation in long dry spells, and benefits from regular deadheading and annual formative pruning. |
ICE COOL offers pure-white repeat flowering, manageable climbing growth and long-lived own-root reliability, making it a thoughtful choice for those planning a calm, romantic garden feature.
