Landscape Roses
Listed here are some of the roses that still seem to remain under the class of landscape and shrub roses. They are typically complicated crosses between Species Roses, Polyanthas and Hybrid Tea roses. These roses display compact growth and continuous blooming in clusters through summer and into fall. Classification of roses has become confusing and there are no longer clear lines between the classes. Many floribunda roses are included in the class of landscape and shrub roses, and many such as the Home Run roses seem to be of their own class now. Such roses are detailed on other pages.
Bonica Hardy Shrub Rose
- Class: Landscape/Shrub Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 3 feet
- Spread: 4 feet
- Growth Habit: Compact, mounded
- Bloom Color: Porcelain pink
- Flower Form: Fully double
- Flower Size: 2 1/2”
- Petal Count: 26-40
- Bloom Season: Continuous
- Fragrance: Very mild apple fragrance
- Foliage: Glossy green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy
- Hardiness: Zones 4-10
‘Bonica’ is a Meidiland bred floribunda rose that is tough and easy to grow. It just plain blooms like crazy in large clusters all season long, and so is one of the most popular roses. Disease resistance is excellent and the plant is strong and vigorous. Bright orange hips are produced in fall if the final blooms are not pruned off. With a small and compact habit this is an excellent rose for the front of the border or for containers. The mounded form covered with blooms is also very appealing as an accent or specimen plant.
‘Bonica’ will do very well in zone 4 with minimal winter protection. It will perform well in hot or cool regions and will tolerate a bit of shade, however blooming will not be as prolific. Remove spent blooms to encourage additional blooming. Prune as desired to maintain size or shape and to remove dead or diseased canes. This is an excellent rose for beginners.
Carefree Celebration Shrub Rose
- Class: Landscape /Shrub Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 4 1/2 feet
- Spread: 4 1/2 feet
- Growth Habit: Rounded
- Bloom Color: Orange red*
- Flower Form: Fully double
- Flower Size: 2 1/2”
- Petal Count: 15-18
- Bloom Season: Repeating
- Fragrance: Very mild
- Foliage: Matte green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy
- Hardiness: Zones 4b-10
Bred by William Radler and introduced by Meilland, ‘Carefree Celebration’ is another easy care landscape rose that is tough and cold hardy. Although it is supposed to be an orange red, gardeners in cool regions report the color as more peachy, coral or pink with orange undertones. You can see that those pictured here or not at all orange. The color is supposed to be most intense in hot humid climates, and perhaps that would be where we would see the orange color. Color aside, the cupped blooms are lovely and blooming repeats nearly continuously from early summer into fall. The shrub is rounded and somewhat loose and the glossy green foliage emerges a bronze red. Use this rose just about anywhere in your landscape, whatever color you get the bright blooms are stunning in masses. Also an excellent choice for foundation plantings and mixed borders. ‘Carefree Celebration’ is one in series of ‘Carefree’ Radler Roses.
Carefree Wonder Shrub Rose
- Class: Landscape/Shr ub Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 3-5 feet
- Spread: 2-4 feet
- Growth Habit: Upright and compact
- Bloom Color: Pink with white reverse
- Flower Form: Fully double
- Flower Size: 4 -4 1/2”
- Petal Count: 26-30
- Bloom Season: Continuous
- Fragrance: Mild fragrance
- Foliage: Semi-glossy, medium green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy
- Hardiness: Zones 4b-9
This Meilland Carefree series rose actually deepens its bloom color in cool climates. ‘Carefree Wonder’s’ petals are a vivid pink with a pale pink to creamy white reverse for a striking display of color. The pink will age to medium as the bloom matures. It blooms spectacularly from spring until frost. Masses of bright clusters of very large, very full blooms will attract all the attention. ‘Carefree Wonder’ will put up with a little shade, but too much shade will diminish the blooming and color.The foliage is glossy green, vigorous and disease resistant. Orange hips are produced in fall if the final blooms are not pruned off. And of course, so easy to grow and care for. Just prune this well behaved rose as desired to control size or form. A great shrub rose for mass plantings, perfect for a rose hedge or for foundation plantings, and does very well in containers. A hardy shrub rose that will do well even in zone 4, but some protection is advised. Another great beginner rose.
Golden Wings Shrub Rose
- Class: Landscape/Shrub Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 3 1/2 - 6 feet
- Spread: 4 - 6 feet
- Growth Habit: Upright and spreading
- Bloom Color: Golden yellow
- Flower Form: Single
- Flower Size: 4 1/2”
- Petal Count: 4-8
- Bloom Season: Repeating
- Fragrance: Mild tea fragrance
- Foliage: Light green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy
- Hardiness: Zones 4-10
‘Golden Wings’ is a lovely shrub rose with large golden yellow single blooms and golden orange centers and stamens that float like butterflies over the shrub. Blooms come in a heavy flush early in the season and lighter flushes will repeat until fall. The airy blooms are so lovely and the bush is attractive with light green foliage to add a little bright spot to your gardens. And ‘Golden Wings’ is pretty tolerant of some shade, as many of the single bloom roses are, too much shade though will diminish the blooming. Golden orange hips are formed in late autumn. This shrub rose will require little more than pruning out canes that are no longer producing. You may also prune to control size if you like, the shrub can get rather large. ‘Golden Wings’ is lovely at the edge of a woodland garden or in a mixed border. And this shrub rose really enjoys the colder climates. For a large space, this is one of the very best easy to grow and easy to care for shrub roses, and is considered one of the best yellow bloomers.
Lena Shrub Rose
- Class: Landscape/Shrub Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 2 1/2 - 3 feet
- Spread: 3 feet
- Growth Habit: Mounded and spreading
- Bloom Color: White with pink petal tips
- Flower Form: Single
- Flower Size: 2”
- Petal Count: 4-8
- Bloom Season: Everblooming
- Fragrance: Very mild
- Foliage: Bright green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy
- Hardiness: Zones 4-9
The University of Minnesota developed the Northern Accent Rose series that includes ‘Sven’, ‘Lena’ and ‘Ole’. I just have to mention that the Norwegian influence in Minnesota prompted the marketing lines on the tags of these roses: “One end smells good. Ya put the udder in da dirt”. Anyway, all these roses are actually polyantha (many flowered) and are compact and well branched. Masses of small flowers are borne in large clusters. Each branch terminates in a flower cluster creating a mounded spreading form. These prolific bloomers nearly always have open blooms. They are ideal for just about any spot in your landscape, perfect for mixed borders, flower beds, foundation plantings, rose hedges or containers. ‘Lena’ has single frilly blooms of blushed pink that look like apple blossoms. It is remarkably similar to ‘Ballerina’ but much hardier and more compact. Red hips are produced in fall. In theory ‘Lena’ is hardy to zone 2. They are grown own-root, so in the coldest regions ‘Lena’ will die back to the ground and quickly grow back each season.
Ole Shrub Rose
- Class: Landscape/Shrub Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 2 - 2 1/2 feet
- Spread: 3 feet
- Growth Habit: Mounded and spreading
- Bloom Color: White and light pink blend
- Flower Form: Semi-double
- Flower Size: 2”
- Petal Count: 17-25
- Bloom Season: Everblooming
- Fragrance: Very mild
- Foliage: Light green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy
- Hardiness: Zones 4-9
‘Ole’ is one of the other Northern Accent Roses like ‘Lena’ described above. The semi-double flowers are white blushed with pink and cover the plant nearly continuously through the season. ‘Ole’ has a bit more of a spreading habit than ‘Lena’ and is an excellent ground cover rose and great in borders or foundation plantings. ‘Ole’ too may be hardy to zone 2. They are grown own-root, so in the coldest regions ‘Ole’ will die back to the ground and quickly grow back each season. If you want prolific flowering shrub roses in the north, you just can’t go wrong with easy to grow and care for ‘Ole’ and ‘Lena’.
Sigrid Shrub Rose
- Class: Landscape/Shrub Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 3-4 feet
- Spread: 4 feet
- Growth Habit: Upright
- Bloom Color: Cherry red
- Flower Form: Double
- Flower Size: 2”
- Petal Count:
- Bloom Season: Everblooming
- Fragrance: Fragrant
- Foliage: Glossy dark green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy
- Hardiness: Zones 4-9
‘Sigrid’ is the newest introduction (2011) to the Northern Accent Rose collection. (See ‘Lena’ for most complete description) The flower color is intense and everchanging through the season. Cool weather will produce deeper red color in the blooms, hot weather results in a vibrant lilac pink. Fully double flowers are borne in enormous clusters. ‘Sigrid’ will form a stunning rose hedge or use her in foundation plantings, mixed borders, mass plantings, just about anywhere.
Apple Species Rose
- Class: Species Rose/Wild Rose
- Sun: Full sun
- Height: 6-7 feet
- Spread: 6-7 feet
- Growth Habit: Upright
- Bloom Color: Cherry red
- Flower Form: Double
- Flower Size: 1 1/2 - 2”
- Petal Count: 4-8
- Bloom Season: Once blooming
- Fragrance: Light apple fragrance
- Foliage: Light green
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Soil: Enriched well drained, but not particularly fussy but will not like very wet sites.
- Hardiness: Zones 4b-9
Wild Apple is not a landscape or shrub rose, but rather a species rose, Rosa pomifera Apple Rose. Species roses, often referred to as wild roses, A species rose is a natural shrub rose with no interference from humans. When grown in there preferred region and environment they generally thrive on neglect and are supremely hardy. They are typically not fussy at all about soil conditions and not bothered by seasonal extremes. So if you are able to purchase a species rose that is native to your region it should be an exceptionally hardy and care free shrub rose. You really should not even prune a species rose.
The Apple rose is just one great example of species roses. It is a single flowering rose with small blooms of clear pink. It has a lovely apple fragrance. It can get quite large, reaching up to 11 feet tall. Lovely large red hips are formed in fall that are very flavorful. The Apple rose only blooms once in spring or early summer, but some species roses do repeat bloom. And the fall display of large red hips is lovely.