A Guide to the World’s Most Unusual Rose Colors

Roses have been bred for centuries, resulting in a spectacular array of colors that extends far beyond classic reds and pinks. From striped marvels to near-black beauties, here’s your florist guide to the most extraordinary and unexpected hues in the rose world.

The Striped and Painted

Candy Stripes and Swirls ‘Scentimental’ produces white petals dramatically striped with burgundy-red, with no two blooms identical. ‘Purple Tiger’ features deep purple stripes on white, while ‘Camelot’ swirls coral and cream together like an artist’s palette. These striped varieties often become more intensely patterned in cooler weather.

Painted and Brushed Effects ‘Claude Monet’ lives up to its name with impressionistic splashes of yellow, pink, and cream on each petal. ‘Fourth of July’ explodes with red and white stripes reminiscent of fireworks, earning it an All-America Rose Selection award.

The Dark and Mysterious

Near-Black Roses While truly black roses don’t exist in nature, several varieties come remarkably close. ‘Black Baccara’ produces the darkest red roses available, appearing almost black in bud form with velvety, deep crimson petals. ‘Black Jade’ offers miniature blooms in the deepest possible red-black, while ‘Ebb Tide’ combines deep plum-purple with an intense clove fragrance.

Deep Chocolate and Coffee ‘Hot Cocoa’ delivers extraordinary rusty orange and chocolate-brown blooms with a smoky quality. ‘Terracotta’ opens in burnt orange tones that age to coffee-brown, creating a stunning gradient effect on the same bush.

The Green Revolution

Lime and Chartreuse ‘Greensleeves’ produces clusters of pink-tinged lime-green blooms that are unlike anything else in the rose world. ‘Limona’ offers pale yellow flowers with distinct green undertones, while ‘Super Green’ lives up to its name with the truest green roses available—though they’re quite rare and temperamental.

Jade and Mint The vintage rose ‘Viridiflora’ (the green rose) is one of the most unusual of all—it has no true petals, only green sepals arranged in a rosette. It’s been cultivated since the 18th century and remains a curiosity in rose collections.

The Blues and Lavenders

True Lavender (Almost) While blue roses only exist through dyeing or genetic modification, several varieties achieve stunning lavender and mauve tones. ‘Ebb Tide’ offers deep plum-purple with smoky blue undertones. ‘Blue Girl’ and ‘Blue Moon’ produce silvery-lavender blooms, especially vivid in cool climates.

Smoky Mauves and Grays ‘Blueberry Hill’ creates soft lilac blooms with a bluish cast. ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ is perhaps the closest to true blue, with purple-magenta flowers that fade to a smoky blue-gray, displaying golden stamens.

The Unusual Warm Tones

Rust and Copper ‘Westerland’ produces extraordinary apricot-copper blooms that shift to coral-pink. ‘Oranges and Lemons’ lives up to its name with golden yellow petals heavily striped with orange-red. ‘Brass Band’ offers peachy-apricot with amber undertones.

Smoky Peach and Dusty Rose ‘Distant Drums’ is renowned for its unique smoky mauve-tan coloring—a dusty, muted tone that resembles aged leather. ‘Julia’s Rose’ produces parchment-brown petals with peachy-tan centers, looking almost sepia-toned.

The Multicolored Spectacles

Hand-Painted Effects ‘Rainbow Knock Out’ displays yellow centers that graduate through pink to hot pink at the edges, creating an ombré watercolor effect. ‘Henri Matisse’ features red petals with white stripes and reverse coloring, named for the artist’s bold color use.

Sunset and Sunrise Blends ‘Joseph’s Coat’ is a climbing rose that produces flowers in yellow, orange, pink, and red—often all simultaneously on the same plant. ‘Chaihuo’ offers orange, pink, and yellow blends that shift as they age, creating a flame-like appearance.

The Pale and Ethereal

Ghostly Whites with Color Shifts ‘Quicksilver’ produces silvery-lavender-white blooms that appear almost luminous. ‘Silver Jubilee’ offers peachy-pink petals with a silvery-cream reverse, creating an opalescent quality.

Green-Tinged Whites Many old garden roses and species roses produce white blooms with distinct green tints, particularly ‘Madame Hardy’ and ‘Sombreuil’, which have green buttons at their centers.

The Science Behind Rose Colors

Rose colors are determined by pigments called anthocyanins (reds, purples, blues) and carotenoids (yellows, oranges). The absence of blue-producing delphinidin makes true blue roses impossible without genetic modification.

Unusual colors result from:

• Genetic mutations creating unique pigment combinations
• Temperature fluctuations intensifying or muting colors
• Soil pH and nutrients affecting pigment production
• Age of bloom as most roses shift color from bud to full bloom to fade
• Light exposure with colors often deepening in partial shade
• Hybridization combining unexpected parent genetics

Cultivating Unusual Colors

To encourage the most dramatic and unusual hues:

Choose the right climate: Cool nights intensify colors, while extreme heat can bleach delicate shades. Many unusual colors perform best with morning sun and afternoon protection.

Feed properly: Potassium enhances color vibrancy, while nitrogen promotes green growth. Balanced feeding produces the truest colors.

Watch the progression: Most roses change color dramatically from bud to open bloom to fade—photographing different stages reveals the full spectrum.

Consider companionship: Unusual rose colors shine when paired with complementary foliage or companion plants that echo their unique tones.

Preserve the moment: Many unusual colors are most vivid for just a day or two. Daily garden observation ensures you catch roses at their peak.

The true magic of unusual rose colors lies in their complexity—these aren’t simple, solid colors but living paintings that shift with age, light, and season. A single bloom can tell a story of transformation, moving through multiple hues in its brief but spectacular life.