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Rose (hybrid tea, shrub, climbing)

Rosa (garden hybrids) · Rosaceae

America's national flower and an iconic garden shrub

Photo: Agnes Monkelbaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sun: Full sun (6+ hours)
Soil: Well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter
Soil pH: Slightly acidic, about 6.0-6.5
Water: Water deeply, 1-2 in per week. Keep leaves dry
Hardiness: USDA zones 3-11, depending on type. Garden roses generally zones 3-9 or 5-11; hardy shrub roses to zones 3-4
Height and spread: Typically 3-6 ft x 3-6 ft; 1-8 ft x 1-6 ft depending on type

Guv's tipPrune roses in late winter or early spring as buds swell, cutting to an outward-facing bud. Once-blooming roses get pruned after flowering.

Through the year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sow or plant

In flower

Prune

Months are a rough guide. Time it by your own frost dates.

When to plant

Bare-root roses in early spring (Mar-Apr); container plants spring to fall

Flowering

May-Oct (repeat bloomers)

Pruning

Prune in late winter or early spring as buds swell; prune once-blooming roses after flowering. Cut to an outward-facing bud

Making more plants

Cuttings, or budding and grafting

Watch out for

Pest

Japanese beetle

Look for: Skeletonized leaves and flowers

What to do: Hand-pick into soapy water

Pest

Aphids

Look for: Clusters of small soft insects on shoots, sticky honeydew, curled leaves

What to do: Hose off; insecticidal soap; conserve lady beetles

Pest

Thrips

Look for: Browned, deformed blooms

What to do: Remove spent flowers

Disease

Black spot

Diplocarpon rosae

Look for: Black spots with fringed edges, yellowing, defoliation

What to do: Resistant cultivars, remove fallen leaves, keep foliage dry; labeled fungicide

Disease

Powdery mildew

Podosphaera pannosa

Look for: White powdery coating on leaves and buds

What to do: Air circulation, resistant cultivars; labeled fungicide if severe

Disease

Rose rosette

Rose rosette virus (spread by eriophyid mite)

Look for: Witches' brooms, excessive thorns, red distorted growth

What to do: Remove and destroy entire plant incl. roots; remove nearby wild multiflora rose

Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.

Safety and spread

Pets and people: Non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA). Thorns are a physical hazard, especially for children

Weed risk: Garden roses: none. Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) is a state-listed noxious weed (for example in Pennsylvania) and has noxious status in the USDA PLANTS database

Checked against two or more reputable gardening sources. How we check our facts

Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK and Australia.

Keep it by the back door

The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book

Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 USA plants in one book.

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