Rich, velvety deep violet with a delicate slate-grey shading. - historic, portland rose - strongly scented, far-carrying rose - scent description not available
– Strongly scented, far‑carrying classic perfume
– Rich velvety violet blooms with slate‑grey shading
– Reliable remontant flowering with generous rebloom
– Robust health with high disease resistance
– Very hardy shrub, tolerates down to –32 °C
– Special feature: Historic Portland rose from 1844, ideal for nostalgic plantings.
Expert background – Shapes and contours
darinaROSE® ORIGINAL 2-litre own-root potted rose
19,00 £
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INDIGO – violet historic Portland rose - Laffay
Bring a touch of storybook romance to your garden with ‘Indigo’, a genuine 1840s Portland rose that combines historic charm with reassuring modern reliability. Its velvety violet flowers and strong, far‑carrying fragrance create a dreamy afternoon‑tea atmosphere around arbours, seating areas or a cottage‑style kitchen garden. This own‑root shrub establishes steadily for a long garden life, quietly rebuilding from the base if damaged and holding its shape year after year. Well‑branched, medium‑tall growth and dense mid‑green foliage make it easy to place in small family plots, even where gardens are exposed to windswept conditions near the coast and need roses that keep their footing. Repeat flowering adds a generous second flush of colour, so borders never feel bare, while low day‑to‑day maintenance and good disease resistance suit busy households and beginners. It suits free‑draining clay or chalky soil in well‑prepared beds, and will give its best when planted where its colour can glow against pale companions; over the first few seasons the plant focuses on roots, then builds stronger shoots and finally settles into its full ornamental presence in the border.
Closed bud of Indigo, a historic violet Portland rose.
Closed bud of Indigo, with dark violet outer petals and a velvety matt finish.
Usage options
Target area
Reasoning
Main rose border in a family garden
Medium height and upright habit make ‘Indigo’ easy to weave into existing mixed borders without overshadowing other shrubs, giving a romantic focal point that still leaves space for children’s play and everyday use of the garden, ideal for the busy home gardener.
Cottage-style bed near a seating area
The velvety violet blooms and strong, far‑carrying scent create a cosy, afternoon‑tea atmosphere around benches or patios, so you can enjoy classic rose perfume at close quarters without needing a large, formal rose garden, perfect for the lover of fragrance.
Feature rose in a small or medium front garden
Its historic character and refined flower form give instant period charm by the front door, while the bushy, upright shape stays manageable with simple annual pruning, offering kerb appeal that suits traditional houses and cottages for the style‑conscious owner.
Informal flowering hedge or row
Planted at the recommended spacing, ‘Indigo’ forms a gently upright, dense line of foliage and blooms that can soften fences or mark boundaries without feeling harsh, providing privacy and colour with only routine deadheading for the practical family gardener.
Raised beds or improved heavy clay borders
In raised or well‑drained beds on clay, its robust own‑root system anchors the plant securely and steadily thickens over time, so the shrub copes better with exposed, breezy spots and typical UK soil challenges, suiting the weather‑aware planter.
Partially shaded corners and north‑east aspects
Good tolerance of partial shade allows you to place it where many modern roses sulk, still rewarding you with repeat violet blooms and scent, making awkward, lightly shaded corners feel cared‑for and intentional for the space‑maximising gardener.
Long‑term planting for low‑intervention gardens
As an own‑root, disease‑resistant historic shrub, ‘Indigo’ is bred for longevity, rebuilding from its base after hard pruning or weather damage and holding decorative value for decades with simple seasonal care, ideal for the hands‑off rose owner.
Informal cutting patch or kitchen‑garden edge
The medium, double blooms on clustered stems lend themselves to occasional cutting for small jugs indoors, while remontant flowering and a generous second flush keep the border colourful even after picking, rewarding the home flower arranger.
Styling ideas
Cottage Edging – Line a path with ‘Indigo’ and airy grasses like Stipa tenuissima to frame walks to the kitchen garden with soft movement and vintage colour – perfect for nostalgic cottage‑style enthusiasts.
Tea‑Corner – Plant near a small seating nook with pale foxgloves and lavender so the violet blooms and strong scent wrap around afternoon tea or evening reading – ideal for gardeners who prize relaxation spaces.
Heritage Focus – Use ‘Indigo’ as a central specimen among old‑fashioned perennials and clipped Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’ to echo a period‑garden look – suited to lovers of historic, characterful schemes.
Kitchen‑Garden Border – Soften the edge of vegetable beds with a loose row of ‘Indigo’ interplanted with Scabiosa columbaria for a productive space that still feels ornamental – appealing to kitchen‑garden families.
Front‑Garden Welcome – Combine ‘Indigo’ with white roses and silver foliage plants in a compact front border to create a refined, storybook entrance – ideal for homeowners seeking elegant but manageable planting.
Technical cultivar profile
Parameter
Data
Name and registration
Historical Portland rose, trade name Indigo – violet historic Portland rose - Laffay; ARS exhibition name Indigo; unregistered cultivar within the wider heritage rose collection.
Origin and breeding
Historic French shrub rose attributed to Jean Laffay; introduced around 1844–1845, parentage undocumented, representing the Portland/Damask Perpetual group of repeat‑flowering heritage roses.
Growth and structural characteristics
Upright shrub reaching about 100–150 cm in height and 80–120 cm spread; dense, mid‑green, slightly glossy foliage with moderate prickles, forming a bushy, well‑filled outline over time.
Flower morphology
Double, flat blooms with roughly 26–39 petals, medium‑sized and borne in clusters; remontant character with a generous second flush provided basic deadheading and seasonal care are carried out.
Colour data and phenology
Rich deep violet with slate‑grey shading; outer petals RHS 86A, inner 79A; colour may lighten in strong sun and deepen in cool weather, gently fading towards lilac‑grey and soft brownish tones.
Fragrance and aroma
Strongly scented heritage rose with a far‑carrying perfume typical of old garden varieties; precise aroma notes are undocumented but valued for intensity and presence in traditional plantings.
Hip characteristics
Low hip production overall; occasional small spherical orange‑red hips 10–15 mm in diameter may appear after flowering if spent blooms are not removed, adding modest late‑season interest.
Resistance and winter hardiness
Rated resistant to black spot, powdery mildew and rust; reliably hardy to about −32 to −29 °C (RHS H7, USDA 4b, Swedish zone 5), suitable for exposed and colder UK garden situations.
Horticultural recommendations
Best in well‑prepared beds or raised borders with good drainage; spacing 90–180 cm depending on use; tolerates partial shade; low general maintenance, benefits from routine deadheading and annual pruning.
Indigo – violet historic Portland rose - Laffay offers richly scented violet blooms, reliable repeat flowering and a long‑lived own‑root shrub form; a considered choice if you wish to anchor a romantic, easy‑care cottage border.
Detailed product attributes
Product Identification Data
Product Name:
INDIGO – violet historic Portland rose - Laffay
Product Type:
darinaROSE® ORIGINAL - 2-litre own-root potted rose
Pollinator Attraction:
The very double flower form and reduced accessibility of the stamens mean it attracts pollinators poorly.
Pollinator-Friendly Rating:
Its double flowers partially cover the stamens, so it attracts pollinators poorly; pollinator-friendliness is limited, primarily an ornamental cultivar.
Our product is a rose grown with pharmaROSA®’s unique cultivation technology!
2-litre, own-root, potted rose.
With a shoot system appropriate to the season.
With a root system that thoroughly permeates the growing medium.
Quality compliant with the requirements of the E.N.A. (European Nurserystock Association).
Supplied in unique packaging that prevents damage.
Can be planted during frost-free periods.
True-to-variety rose bush with a unique identifier.
The pharmaROSA® own-root potted rose is a well-rooted plant that supports reliable establishment when planted and cared for properly, so it can be planted whenever the soil is not frozen.
Crop overview: several varieties and growth stages in a short crop section.Shoot system: intensive growth of fresh basal shoots on a young plant.Root system: demonstration of a vigorous root system permeating the growing medium, by removing the pot.Balance: mature plant with root system and shoots in harmony with each other.
Information about the videos
The video series is not a “seasonal showcase”; it illustrates the essence of pharmaROSA® own-root cultivation in a tangible way: how the plant is built up, what the root system is like and how the shoot system regenerates. The recordings were therefore made at different times and with plants at various stages of development, so mixed foliage levels and differing stages of growth may appear in the videos. They are not a ‘sample’ of the batch dispatched, but a visual explanation of how the technology works. The current condition of the rose available to order — typical for the given period and similar to what you can expect to receive in the parcel — is shown in the upper part of the product page.
Pages for private customers Garden roses for the family garden, with minimal care → ORIGINAL® Premium garden roses – instant impact, a truly showpiece garden → EXTRA® Pages for professionals and private customers Roses for public spaces – large areas, sustainable maintenance → NATURAL® Roses for projects – hedge and row planting, fast implementation → RAPID® For professional partners only Production – propagation material for garden roses, wholesale → NEONATAL®
Company details
PharmaRosa Ltd. Company registration number: 01-09-717479 VAT number: 13075314-2-43 Plant health registration no.: HU130721 Bank account (IBAN): HU85117631891388688400000000 BIC (SWIFT): OTPVHUHB Bank name: OTP Bank Nyrt.
