When it comes to the hue of a rose, one person’s blue is another’s pallid purple. ”Applause”, the new rose unveiled by Japanese company Suntory this week is said to have ”a bluish tinge reminiscent of the sky just after dawn”. To my eye, it’s just a wishy-washy mauve. People have claimed the blue-rose title before, with boldly named varieties such as ”Blue Moon” or ”Rhapsody in Blue”.