Cultivars to Select
There’s a dizzying array of shrub rose options out there. Any Knock Out, Kordes, or Drift series plant is going to be a reliable option.
‘Sweet’ Drift
‘Sweet’ Drift® ground cover roses with pink flowers are available from My Perfect Plants.
Here are just a few other outstanding choices to consider:
Charles de Mills
The blossoms on ‘Charles de Mills’ look so full that you couldn’t possibly squeeze another petal into the mix. The petals are dark magenta and they emit an intense rose fragrance.
This cultivar has a beautiful arching growth habit and blooms profusely starting in the late spring.
Euphoria
This one is aptly named, because you’ll feel extreme joy when the full pink, yellow, and apricot blossoms emerge in the spring.
Low maintenance and disease-resistant, this cultivar’s ideal if you want to cut the blossoms for a floral display indoors.
Euphoria
Our friends at Fast Growing Trees will help you bring the euphoria feeling home with a plant in a three-gallon pot.
Eustacia Vye
‘Eustacia Vye’ is a David Austin rose that features big, bold, very full apricot and pink flowers.
The flowers have pretty ruffled petals and a strong fragrance. Plus, this is one of the few roses out there that will do just fine in a partially shady area.
This cultivar also has a reputation for being one of the most disease-resistant roses out there.
Grandma’s Blessing
There’s no doubt that any grandma would be overjoyed to see ‘Grandma’s Blessing’ in your garden.
This is an Easy Elegance series rose with full, dark, smoky pink blossoms. It blooms all summer long and is resistant to black spot. It’s also an own-root option.
‘Grandma’s Blessing’
If you live in a hot region, this is a good pick, since it won’t falter in extreme heat.
Nature Hills Nursery carries ‘Grandma’s Blessing’ as a bare root dormant specimen if you’re dreaming of making this cultivar a part of your garden.
Knock Out Double Red
Knock Outs are extremely popular, and for good reason. They’re reliable, disease-resistant, and oh-so-easy to care for.
Knock Out ‘Double Red’
This one is a red cultivar with double blossoms, making it fuller and frillier than the original Knock Outs.
‘Double Red’ plants in gallon-size containers are available from Home Depot.
And a selection of other cultivars in the Knock Out series are also available from My Perfect Plants.
Molineaux
With a strong, perfume-like fragrance and sunny yellow blossoms, ‘Molineaux’ is a David Austin cultivar with a lovely compact growth habit.
It’s a repeat flowering type that will give you a dramatic show from late spring until fall comes to your neck of the woods.
‘Molineaux’
Visit Burpee to add ‘Molineaux’ to your floral family.
Olivia Rose Austin
If I walk by your yard and I spot an ‘Olivia Rose Austin,’ I’m pulling out the camera and swooning.
It’s such a gorgeous bloomer, with very full, pink, cupped flowers that pop up month after month during the summer. It does just as well in a container as it does in the ground and it is extremely disease-resistant.
‘Olivia Rose Austin’
If you want your rose garden to be the talk of the town, nab yourself one of these beauties in bare root form at Burpee.
Maintenance
Many, though not all, shrub roses are self-cleaning. That little tag that is included on most nursery plants should tell you whether one that you’re considering for the garden is or not. If it doesn’t tell you, try looking up the particular rose that you have online.
All Knock Outs are self-cleaning, and these are very popular.
If your plant is self-cleaning, there’s no need to deadhead. For all others, it’s a good idea to remove any spent flowers with a pair of secateurs. This prevents a hip from forming and encourages new blossoms to form instead.