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Rosa

Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
RO-zuh
Description

The genus Rosa is native to the Northern Hemisphere.  They are attractive deciduous flowering shrubs or vines in the Roseaceae (rose) family.  There is a wide variety of sizes including shrub roses, vine roses, hybrid teas, English roses, and old garden roses.

Roses require full fun and organically rich well-drained soils.  Roses are relatively heat tolerant.  Deadheading the blooms on healthy plants will promote growth, until the end of summer then deadheading should be stopped to allow the plant to start its hardening off process before winter.  These high maintenance plants require yearly pruning but pruning can be different depending on the type of rose.  In general other than the removal of dead, diseased or dying tissue, roses should be pruned in the spring. 

Roses are grown for their incredibly beautiful, often large, and fragrant solitary blooms.  The flowers are often  white or in the warmer color pallet of pinks, reds, yellows and oranges.  True roses have 5 petals but many have been bred to have many many more.  The leaves are compound with toothed edges.  The sharp protrusions on the stems are actually not thorns but rather prickles and they can vary in intensity from species to species. 

Plant in formal English or Cottage gardens, cutting gardens, or planted at the back of a border.  Using tlarger speices as a hedge they can provide some security with their sharp prickles. The vining roses can accentuate vertical spaces in the landscape.  Small or teacup roses work well in containers.  More fragrant selections do well to be situated near a patio or walkway where their scent can be enjoyed.

Quick ID:

  • Flower parts in multiples of five (for example, sepals, petals, stamen, and pistils)
  • Prickles
  • Alternate and serrate leaves
  • Usually carotenoid colored petals
  • Generally fragrant
  • Fruit called a hip

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  Roses suffer from many insect and disease problems.  Pest problems include thrips, mites, aphids, scales, and whitefly. Disease problems include botrytis, blights, powdery mildew, leaf spots, and anthracnose.

VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
'Abraham Darby', 'Alain Blanchard', 'America', 'AUSbloom', 'AUSblush', 'AUSboard', 'AUSca', 'AUScat', 'AUShero', 'AUSlea', 'AUSleap' SWEET JULIET®, 'AUSlilac', 'AUSman', 'AUSmary', 'AUSmas', 'AUSperd', 'AUSreef', 'AUSrush', 'AUStamora', 'AUSwalker', 'Autumn Sunset', 'Awakening', 'Beauty Secret', 'Belinda's Dream', 'Belle de Baltimore', 'Belle de Londres', 'Belle Poitevine', 'BENblack', 'Bloomfield Courage', 'Bobbie James', 'BRlace', 'BUCbi', 'Cecile Brunner', 'Celestial', 'Champlain', 'Champney's Pink Cluster', 'Chevy Chase', 'CHEWily', 'ChewPatout', 'Christine Wright', 'City of York', 'Climbing Pinkie', 'Cornelia', 'Country Dancer', 'Dainty Bess', 'DELmur', ‘Desdemona’, 'DEVrudi', 'Don Juan', 'Dortmund', 'Dr. W. van Fleet', 'Easy Going', 'Echo', 'Excelsa', 'Fantin-Latour', 'Felicite Parmentier Alba', 'F. J. Grootendorst', 'F. K. Druschki', 'Flower Carpet Appleblossom', 'Flower Carpet Red', 'Frau Dagmar Hastrup', 'Golden Showers', 'Golden Wings', 'Great Maiden's Blush', 'Green Ice', 'Gros Choux d' Hollande, 'Hansa', 'HARquantum', 'HARwanted', 'Henry Hudson', 'Hermosa', 'Inspiration', 'INTerdust', 'INTerlada', 'INTerlav', 'Ispahan', 'JACarch', 'JACbow', 'JAChal', 'JACiraps', 'JAClover', 'JACpoy', 'JACpursh', 'JACsimpl', 'JACsnow', 'Jeanne Lajoie', 'John Davis', 'Joseph's Coat', 'Judy Fischer', 'Juno', 'Katherine Morley', 'KORconta', 'KORfullwind', 'KORgoas', 'KORtemma', 'KORturek', 'KORwest', 'Lady of Shalott', 'Lawrence Johnston', 'Leda', 'Loving Touch', 'MACcarpe', 'MACdub', 'MACha', 'Madame Hardy', 'Madame Isaac Pereire', 'Mary Wallace', 'Meg', 'Meizeli', 'MELbarke', 'MELbonrib', 'MELcoublan', 'MELcupag', 'MELdomonac', 'MELdrifora', 'MELgali', 'MELgekanu', 'Mellmera', 'MELmodac', 'MELmont', 'MELpitac', 'MElpotal', 'MELpsidue', 'MELtonie', 'Mermaid', 'MOORcap', 'MOORcar', 'MORpapplay', 'MORten', 'Mundi', 'Mutabilis', 'Navada', 'Nearly Wild', 'New Dawn', 'NOAla', 'NOAschnee', 'Nympenberg', 'Old Blush', 'Orange Honey', 'Paul Neyron', 'Penelope', 'Pink Grootendoorst', 'POULbero', 'POULclimb', 'POULnoz', 'Prosperity', 'Purple Pavement', 'Radral', 'Radtreasure', 'Red Fountain', 'Rene Andre', 'Rhonda', 'Robin Hood', Rosa hybrida 'Radrazz' PP #11836, Rosa x centifolia, Rosa x 'Fortuniena', Rosa x 'Meiviolin' (Eden Climber® Rose), 'Royal Sunset', 'Salet', 'Sally Holmes', 'SAVabeg', 'SAVachild', 'SAVahowdy', 'SAValife', 'Seafoam', 'Silver Moon', 'Sombreuil', 'Souvenir de la Malmaison', 'SPIcup', 'TANbeedee', 'TANprik', 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', 'The Fairy', 'The Garland', 'The Generous Gardener', 'Thelma', 'Therese Bugnet', 'TWOadvance', 'Vanity', 'WEKamanda', 'WEKcatlart', 'WEKcifrabaun', 'WEKdykstra', 'WEKroalt', 'WEKstephitsu', 'WEKvossutono', 'WEKzazette', 'WEOpop', 'Wollerton Old Hall', 'Yesterday', 'Zephirine Drouhin'
Tags:
#showy flowers#fragrant flowers#heat tolerant#rose#tsc#cottage garden#security plant#high maintenance#prickly#rose shrub#English garden#cutting garden#border back#walkway planting#patio planting#tsc-s#container plant#hedge
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
'Abraham Darby', 'Alain Blanchard', 'America', 'AUSbloom', 'AUSblush', 'AUSboard', 'AUSca', 'AUScat', 'AUShero', 'AUSlea', 'AUSleap' SWEET JULIET®, 'AUSlilac', 'AUSman', 'AUSmary', 'AUSmas', 'AUSperd', 'AUSreef', 'AUSrush', 'AUStamora', 'AUSwalker', 'Autumn Sunset', 'Awakening', 'Beauty Secret', 'Belinda's Dream', 'Belle de Baltimore', 'Belle de Londres', 'Belle Poitevine', 'BENblack', 'Bloomfield Courage', 'Bobbie James', 'BRlace', 'BUCbi', 'Cecile Brunner', 'Celestial', 'Champlain', 'Champney's Pink Cluster', 'Chevy Chase', 'CHEWily', 'ChewPatout', 'Christine Wright', 'City of York', 'Climbing Pinkie', 'Cornelia', 'Country Dancer', 'Dainty Bess', 'DELmur', ‘Desdemona’, 'DEVrudi', 'Don Juan', 'Dortmund', 'Dr. W. van Fleet', 'Easy Going', 'Echo', 'Excelsa', 'Fantin-Latour', 'Felicite Parmentier Alba', 'F. J. Grootendorst', 'F. K. Druschki', 'Flower Carpet Appleblossom', 'Flower Carpet Red', 'Frau Dagmar Hastrup', 'Golden Showers', 'Golden Wings', 'Great Maiden's Blush', 'Green Ice', 'Gros Choux d' Hollande, 'Hansa', 'HARquantum', 'HARwanted', 'Henry Hudson', 'Hermosa', 'Inspiration', 'INTerdust', 'INTerlada', 'INTerlav', 'Ispahan', 'JACarch', 'JACbow', 'JAChal', 'JACiraps', 'JAClover', 'JACpoy', 'JACpursh', 'JACsimpl', 'JACsnow', 'Jeanne Lajoie', 'John Davis', 'Joseph's Coat', 'Judy Fischer', 'Juno', 'Katherine Morley', 'KORconta', 'KORfullwind', 'KORgoas', 'KORtemma', 'KORturek', 'KORwest', 'Lady of Shalott', 'Lawrence Johnston', 'Leda', 'Loving Touch', 'MACcarpe', 'MACdub', 'MACha', 'Madame Hardy', 'Madame Isaac Pereire', 'Mary Wallace', 'Meg', 'Meizeli', 'MELbarke', 'MELbonrib', 'MELcoublan', 'MELcupag', 'MELdomonac', 'MELdrifora', 'MELgali', 'MELgekanu', 'Mellmera', 'MELmodac', 'MELmont', 'MELpitac', 'MElpotal', 'MELpsidue', 'MELtonie', 'Mermaid', 'MOORcap', 'MOORcar', 'MORpapplay', 'MORten', 'Mundi', 'Mutabilis', 'Navada', 'Nearly Wild', 'New Dawn', 'NOAla', 'NOAschnee', 'Nympenberg', 'Old Blush', 'Orange Honey', 'Paul Neyron', 'Penelope', 'Pink Grootendoorst', 'POULbero', 'POULclimb', 'POULnoz', 'Prosperity', 'Purple Pavement', 'Radral', 'Radtreasure', 'Red Fountain', 'Rene Andre', 'Rhonda', 'Robin Hood', Rosa hybrida 'Radrazz' PP #11836, Rosa x centifolia, Rosa x 'Fortuniena', Rosa x 'Meiviolin' (Eden Climber® Rose), 'Royal Sunset', 'Salet', 'Sally Holmes', 'SAVabeg', 'SAVachild', 'SAVahowdy', 'SAValife', 'Seafoam', 'Silver Moon', 'Sombreuil', 'Souvenir de la Malmaison', 'SPIcup', 'TANbeedee', 'TANprik', 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', 'The Fairy', 'The Garland', 'The Generous Gardener', 'Thelma', 'Therese Bugnet', 'TWOadvance', 'Vanity', 'WEKamanda', 'WEKcatlart', 'WEKcifrabaun', 'WEKdykstra', 'WEKroalt', 'WEKstephitsu', 'WEKvossutono', 'WEKzazette', 'WEOpop', 'Wollerton Old Hall', 'Yesterday', 'Zephirine Drouhin'
Tags:
#showy flowers#fragrant flowers#heat tolerant#rose#tsc#cottage garden#security plant#high maintenance#prickly#rose shrub#English garden#cutting garden#border back#walkway planting#patio planting#tsc-s#container plant#hedge
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Rosa
    Family:
    Rosaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Grafting
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Temp. & Subtropical Northern Hemisphere (such as Europe & Asia)
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    heat and frost
    Edibility:
    The fruit (called the hip) is edible.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Edible
    Perennial
    Rose
    Shrub
    Vine
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Climbing
    Erect
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Maintenance:
    High
    Texture:
    Coarse
    Appendage:
    Prickles
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Available Space To Plant:
    Less than 12 inches
    12 inches-3 feet
    3 feet-6 feet
    6-feet-12 feet
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Green
    Red/Burgundy
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Achene
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    The accessory fruit is called a hip and forms after the flowers finish blooming. The hip will appear under the sepals of where the flower was after the flower dies. They will turn from green to red. They are filled with many achenes surrounded by irritating hairs.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Cream/Tan
    Gold/Yellow
    Orange
    Pink
    Purple/Lavender
    Red/Burgundy
    Variegated
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Solitary
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Good Cut
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Cup
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    7 - 20 petals/rays
    more than 20 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    1-3 inches
    Flower Description:
    Flowers range in size, shape, color, and scent. Petal count can range from 5 petals (single-flowered) to many petals (double-flowered). Each has five, pointed sepals at the base.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    This genus has pinnately compound leaves and an odd number (3-11) of leaflets. Some have stipules on the leaf stems.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    The stems are lined in prickles– commonly misunderstood as thorns.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Container
    Patio
    Walkways
    Landscape Theme:
    Cottage Garden
    Cutting Garden
    Edible Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Hedge
    Mass Planting
    Screen/Privacy
    Specimen
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Heat
    Problems:
    Problem for Children