Rose 'Bonica'
Rosa 'Meidomonac' (Bonica) · Rosaceae Popular
Arching sprays of small, fully double, shell-pink flowers from June to frost, followed by orange hips.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid June to early October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around rose 'Bonica'
The planner designed this bed around rose 'Bonica' 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 rose 'Bonica' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Rose 'Bonica' × 1, pink
- 2 Candytuft × 8, white
- 3 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 13, red
- 4 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 5 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 5, yellow
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Star of Persia × 5, purple
- 8 Easter lily × 5, white
- 9 Asiatic lily × 5, yellow
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are dense clusters, airy sprays, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only pink.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does palm sedge.
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 false sunflower 'Summer Sun' (3½ 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 17 weeks. From mid 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: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowers run from mid April to early October: 25 weeks in all. Low plants run along 94% of the front edge: candytuft and coral bells 'Firefly'.
The planner's own design check: 8 Excellent, 9 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where rose 'Bonica' 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.
The first shrub rose to win the All-America award, in 1987, and the start of the easy-care landscape roses. Healthy, generous and never out of flower.
- A flowering hedge
- Massing on a bank
- A mixed border with perennials
What to plant with rose 'Bonica'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': in flower together for 14 weeks, from mid June; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- English lavender 'Hidcote': in flower together for six weeks, from late June; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': in flower together for 17 weeks, from mid June; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about rose 'Bonica'
Does rose 'Bonica' need sun or shade?
Rose 'Bonica' 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 rose 'Bonica' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does rose 'Bonica' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Late June to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid June to early October |
| Zone 6 | Mid June to early October |
| Zone 7 | Early June to early October |
| Zone 8 | Early June 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 rose 'Bonica' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 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 rose 'Bonica' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is rose 'Bonica' 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 rose 'Bonica'?
Rose 'Bonica' 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 rose 'Bonica' look like in winter?
Rose 'Bonica' 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 Rosa (English shrub roses)
- 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 '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
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid June to early October; open bowls; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; dark green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 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.