English rose
Rosa (English shrub roses) · Rosaceae Popular
David Austin's roses: the full, many-petalled, heavily scented flowers of old roses on bushy plants that repeat-flower through summer, in soft pinks, apricots, yellows, whites and crimsons.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early June to early October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around English rose
The planner designed this bed around English rose when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why English rose stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 English rose × 1, pink
- 2 Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' × 7, blue
- 3 Winter heath × 16, white
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 6 Purple coneflower × 3, purple
- 7 Easter lily × 5, white
- 8 Persian fritillary × 5, purple
- 9 Hardy gladiolus × 5, pink
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does winter heath.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 18 weeks. From early June to early October.
- Closes the season. For its last two weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. English rose flowers longest, for 18 weeks. A cool scheme: pink, blue, purple, white and cream.
The planner's own design check: 9 Excellent, 8 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where English rose goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
These are the roses to grow among perennials. Plant them in threes of one variety so they read as a single large shrub, with catmint, cranesbill and lady's mantle at their feet.
- The heart of an English mixed border
- Fragrance
- Cut flowers
What to plant with English rose
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Catmint 'Six Hills Giant': in flower together for 14 weeks, from early June; spires rising out of its mound.
- Lady's mantle: red against green, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for five weeks; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': blue against orange, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for 18 weeks; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Shrub rose 'Knock Out' vs English rose.
Questions about English rose
Does English rose need sun or shade?
English rose grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does English rose grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does English rose flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Early June to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early June to early October |
| Zone 7 | Late May to early October |
| Zone 8 | Late May to early October |
| Zone 9 | Late May to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should English rose be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many English rose plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is English rose poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
What flowers after English rose?
English rose is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does English rose look like in winter?
English rose drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
More Rosa
- Carolina rose Rosa carolina
- English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' Rosa 'Ausbord' (Gertrude Jekyll)
- English rose 'Graham Thomas' Rosa 'Ausmas' (Graham Thomas)
- Floribunda rose Rosa (Floribunda Group)
- Groundcover rose Rosa (Drift Group)
- Hybrid tea rose Rosa (Hybrid Tea Group)
- Hybrid tea rose 'Peace' Rosa 'Madame A. Meilland' (Peace)
- Redleaf rose Rosa glauca
- Rose 'Bonica' Rosa 'Meidomonac' (Bonica)
- Rose 'Carefree Beauty' Rosa 'Bucbi' (Carefree Beauty)
- Rose 'Double Knock Out' Rosa 'Radtko' (Double Knock Out)
- Rose 'Flower Carpet Pink' Rosa 'Noatraum' (Flower Carpet Pink)
- Rose 'Iceberg' Rosa 'Korbin' (Iceberg)
- Rose 'Julia Child' Rosa 'Wekvossutono' (Julia Child)
- Rose 'The Fairy' Rosa 'The Fairy'
- Rugosa rose Rosa rugosa
- Rugosa rose 'Blanc Double de Coubert' Rosa 'Blanc Double de Coubert'
- Rugosa rose 'Hansa' Rosa rugosa 'Hansa'
- Shrub rose 'Knock Out' Rosa 'Knock Out'
- Virginia rose Rosa virginiana
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early June to early October; open bowls; pink, white, yellow, red, orange
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate, in spring
- Family
- Rosaceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.