Commercially available

• FRAntasia

95 favorite votes.  
Average rating: EXCELLENT-.  

Mauve or mauve blend Shrub.
Registration name: FRAntasia
Exhibition name: Rhapsody in Blue ™

Bred by Frank R. Cowlishaw (United Kingdom, before 1999).
Introduced in United Kingdom by Warner's Roses in 2000 as 'Rhapsody in Blue'.
Introduced in United States by Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc. in 2007 as 'Rhapsody in Blue'.

Shrub.  

Flowers open plum purple and fade to slate blue.  Smoke blue-purple blend with yellow stamens.  Mild to strong, spice fragrance.  16 petals.  Average diameter 2.5".  Medium, semi-double (9-16 petals), cluster-flowered, in large clusters bloom form.  Blooms in flushes throughout the season.  

Tall, climbing, upright.  Medium, glossy, light green foliage.  
Height of 6' 7" to 8' (200 to 245 cm).  

USDA zone 6b through 9b (default).  Can be used for garden, landscape or pillar.  Vigorous.  does not do well in warmer climates.  prefers cool sites..  Disease susceptibility: susceptible to blackspot .  

Australia - Application No: 2002/085  on  2002   VIEW PBR PATENT
United States - Patent No: PP 17,518  on  27 Mar 2007   VIEW USPTO PATENT

A new variety of Shrub rose suitable for garden decoration, having flowers
of purple-blue coloration.

Inventors:	Cowlishaw; Frank R. (Derby, GB)
Assignee:	Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc. (Upland, CA)

The Weeks label notes: True to her English upbringing, having a definite preference for cool conditions...sulks in the heat...Demands moderate temps.
Rhapsody in Blue, by George Gershwin, premiered on February 12, 1924.