Long sought by rose breeders, the blue rose flower does not exist in nature.
The blue rose flower does not occur in nature, as roses lack the gene that produces blue pigmentation. Genetic engineering produced the first blue cultivated rose in 2008. Scientists from the Japanese company Suntory and the Australian company Florigene made the breakthrough.
Blue Pigment
To get the delphinidin, the blue pigment needed for the blue rose, scientists extracted genetic material from a petunia. This was implanted into an old, hybrid China rose, 'Cardinal Richelieu'. The first offspring was too purple, but further genetic manipulation ultimately produced the blue rose.
History
Rose breeders have been trying to create a blue rose through selective cross breeding of existing species and hybrids for many years. Before the Suntory breakthrough, the best hybridizers could produce were roses in shades of pale, silvery purple. These often have names with "blue" in them.
Considerations
The genetically engineered blue roses are not yet commercially available for home gardeners. Before the shrubs can be produced in quantity, the blue color has to be stable (produced uniformly by generations of plants).
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