English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll'
Rosa 'Ausbord' (Gertrude Jekyll) · Rosaceae
Large, flat rosettes of glowing deep pink with the perfect old-rose scent, so strong that the variety has been grown for perfume.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid June to early October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll'
The planner designed this bed around English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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 'Gertrude Jekyll' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' × 1, pink
- 2 Cottage pinks × 17, white
- 3 Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' × 16, lavender
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 Foxglove beardtongue × 5, white
- 6 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 7 Goldenrod 'Golden Fleece' × 3, yellow
- 8 Allium 'Globemaster' × 4, purple
- 9 Asiatic lily × 4, yellow
- 10 Easter lily × 3, white
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are daisies, spires, airy sprays 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 little bluestem.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant 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 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' (4 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.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 10 groups (90%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink, lavender and purple) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them. The flowering is at its height from late June, with 5 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 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 'Gertrude Jekyll' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 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.
Twice voted Britain's favourite rose. It is upright and thorny, and best with three planted close together to make one full shrub.
- Old-rose scent
- Cottage borders
- Cutting
What to plant with English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for four weeks, from mid June; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Six Hills Giant': in flower together for 13 weeks, from mid June; low enough (3 ft) 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.
Questions about English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll'
Does English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' need sun or shade?
English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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 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 English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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 3½ ft (110 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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.
Is there a native plant like English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll'?
English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Virginia rose: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in wider, flowers mid June to mid July.
- Summersweet 'Ruby Spice': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in taller, flowers mid July to mid August.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll'?
English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall.
What does English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' look like in winter?
English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' 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 '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'
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In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 3½ ft (110 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid June to early October; open bowls; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Upright, 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.