English rose 'Graham Thomas'
Rosa 'Ausmas' (Graham Thomas) · Rosaceae Popular
Cupped, many-petalled flowers of rich, pure butter yellow, a colour missing from the old roses, with a strong tea scent.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 4 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 'Graham Thomas'
The planner designed this bed around English rose 'Graham Thomas' 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 'Graham Thomas' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 English rose 'Graham Thomas' × 1, yellow
- 2 Common thyme × 11, lavender
- 3 Winter heath × 10, pink
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 Southernwood × 3, grey-green leaves
- 6 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 3, tan
- 7 Eastern bee balm × 3, pink
- 8 Easter lily × 5, white
- 9 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 10 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are dense clusters, bells, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do winter heath and little bluestem 'The Blues'.
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 two of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 9 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Low plants run along 100% of the front edge: common thyme and winter heath. The scheme leans cool (lavender, pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow for warmth, with tan and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 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 'Graham Thomas' 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.
Named for the great English plantsman, and voted the world's favourite rose in 2009. Tall and vigorous: in warm climates it can be trained as a short climber.
- Yellow for a rose border
- Scent
- The back of a mixed border
What to plant with English rose 'Graham Thomas'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- 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': purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for six weeks; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for 17 weeks; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about English rose 'Graham Thomas'
Does English rose 'Graham Thomas' need sun or shade?
English rose 'Graham Thomas' 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 'Graham Thomas' 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 'Graham Thomas' 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 'Graham Thomas' 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 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 'Graham Thomas' 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 'Graham Thomas' 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 'Graham Thomas'?
English rose 'Graham Thomas' 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 'Graham Thomas' look like in winter?
English rose 'Graham Thomas' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
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In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 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; yellow
- 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.