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Rose 'The Fairy'

Rosa 'The Fairy' · Rosaceae

Rose 'The Fairy' (Rosa 'The Fairy') in flower
Photo: Wilrooij, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sprays of small, double, shell-pink flowers smother a low, spreading mound of tiny, glossy leaves from early summer to frost.

Size
2½ ft tall, 3½ ft wide
Zones
5 to 9
Light
Full sun
Flowers
Late June to mid October
Pets
No toxicity recorded
Job in a bed
Drift

A bed built around rose 'The Fairy'

The planner designed this bed around rose 'The Fairy' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 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 'The Fairy' stands where it does.

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in late August: Rose 'The Fairy', Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe', Alpine aster, Italian bugloss 'Dropmore', Wild quinine, Star of Persia, Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'.
A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun, seen from the path in late August.
4. Italian bugloss 'Dropmore'44. Italian bugloss 'Dropmore'44. Italian bugloss 'Dropmore'45. Wild quinine55. Wild quinine55. Wild quinine51. Rose 'The Fairy'13. Alpine aster33. Alpine aster33. Alpine aster32. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'22. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'22. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'22. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'22. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'26. Star of Persia66. Star of Persia63. Alpine aster33. Alpine aster33. Alpine aster33. Alpine aster33. Alpine aster32. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'22. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'22. Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe'26. Star of Persia67. Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'7. Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'7. Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'7. Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'7. Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'7. Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'7. Hyacinth 'Delft Blue'
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 Rose 'The Fairy' × 1, pink
  2. 2 Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe' × 8, pink
  3. 3 Alpine aster × 8, purple
  4. 4 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 3, blue
  5. 5 Wild quinine × 3, white
  6. 6 Star of Persia × 3, purple
  7. 7 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 7, blue

Why this plant

  • The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
  • The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, daisies, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.

Why here

  • At the back. At 2½ ft it is seen over alpine aster (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
  • A step in the back row. Next to star of Persia (20 in) and wild quinine (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 18 weeks. From late June to mid October.
  • Closes the season. For its last 8 weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.

Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' and wild quinine, the tallest plants on the plan. Pink, purple, blue and white make a cool, restful scheme.

The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.

Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.

Where rose 'The Fairy' goes in a border

At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).

Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.

A rose that behaves like a groundcover. The soft pink mixes with everything, and it flowers best later in the season, when other roses are tiring.

  • A low, spreading rose for the front of a border
  • Low hedges
  • Trailing over a wall

What to plant with rose 'The Fairy'

Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:

  • Catmint 'Walker's Low': in flower together for 13 weeks, from late June; spires rising out of its mound.
  • English lavender 'Hidcote': in flower together for six weeks, from late June; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
  • Lady's mantle: in flower together for three weeks, from late June; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.

Questions about rose 'The Fairy'

Does rose 'The Fairy' need sun or shade?

Rose 'The Fairy' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.

What zones does rose 'The Fairy' 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 rose 'The Fairy' flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late June to mid October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Roughly when rose 'The Fairy' is in flower
Zone 5Late June to mid October
Zone 6Late June to mid October
Zone 7Mid June to mid October
Zone 8Mid June to mid October
Zone 9Early June to mid 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 'The Fairy' be planted?

3 ft (90 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 (100 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many rose 'The Fairy' plants do I need?

At 3 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
  • 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is rose 'The Fairy' poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and 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 rose 'The Fairy'?

Rose 'The Fairy' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

What flowers after rose 'The Fairy'?

Rose 'The Fairy' is over by mid October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

What does rose 'The Fairy' look like in winter?

Rose 'The Fairy' 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

In these guides

Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9

In flower in: June · July · August · September · October

Every fact on record

Type
Shrub
Size
2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
Plant
3 ft (90 cm) apart
Height class
Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
Place in the bed
Middle
Flowers
Late June to mid October; dense clusters; pink
Leaves
Fine texture, deciduous; green
Shape
Mounding, clumping
Hardy in
USDA zones 5 to 9
Light
Full sun
Soil
Average, well-drained
Water
Moderate
Feeding
Light, in spring
Family
Rosaceae

Checked against NC State Extension and 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.