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9 Roses That Landscape Designers Love
See which beautiful and reliable rose varieties are favored by designers around the country
The rose world is vast, with new and improved varieties arriving every year. With so many beautiful blooms to choose from, how do you know which rose is best for your garden and will deliver the traits you want: fragrance, disease resistance, color or all three?
We asked landscape pros around the country to share a favorite rose variety they like to include in their designs. Their answers include new introductions and tried-and-true standbys, vigorous climbers and ones you could mass in a smaller garden. There’s even a native rose. If you’re planting your first rosebush this year or expanding your rose collection, let the following nine varieties inspire your selection.
We asked landscape pros around the country to share a favorite rose variety they like to include in their designs. Their answers include new introductions and tried-and-true standbys, vigorous climbers and ones you could mass in a smaller garden. There’s even a native rose. If you’re planting your first rosebush this year or expanding your rose collection, let the following nine varieties inspire your selection.
Growing tips: “Its growing requirements are the same as other roses,” Johnson says. “In the desert garden, roses do best with some afternoon shade.”
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide; can grow larger in warm climates
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Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide; can grow larger in warm climates
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2. ‘At Last’ Rose
(Rosa x ‘HORCOGJIL’)
Loved by: Amy Martin of Amy Martin Landscape Design in Cohasset, Massachusetts
Why this rose: “They have finally bred a landscape shrub rose which is hardy and also has a cupped bloom like the English roses and finally has fragrance,” Martin says of this Proven Winners introduction. “This is a rose worth cutting and putting in a vase to fill the room with a delightful fragrance,” she adds.
(Rosa x ‘HORCOGJIL’)
Loved by: Amy Martin of Amy Martin Landscape Design in Cohasset, Massachusetts
Why this rose: “They have finally bred a landscape shrub rose which is hardy and also has a cupped bloom like the English roses and finally has fragrance,” Martin says of this Proven Winners introduction. “This is a rose worth cutting and putting in a vase to fill the room with a delightful fragrance,” she adds.
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Special features: “The orange-peachy color is refreshingly different,” Martin says. “[It] can work with a warm color scheme of reds and yellows, or offer the perfect hot spot to a blue-purple combination.”
Growing tips: “This is an easy, low-maintenance rose with a repeating bloom and disease resistance. You couldn’t ask for more,” Martin says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide
Growing tips: “This is an easy, low-maintenance rose with a repeating bloom and disease resistance. You couldn’t ask for more,” Martin says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide
3. ‘New Dawn’ Rose
(Rosa ‘New Dawn’)
Loved by: Will Lehnert of Outdoor Space Design in Columbus, Ohio
Why this rose: ‘New Dawn’ has a long growing history and is considered one of the best repeat-blooming climbing roses. It “can soften arbors [and] trellises and add a lot of dimension and texture throughout the year,” Lehnert says.
Special features: This vigorous grower produces clusters of medium-size light pink flowers on glossy green foliage. It’s known for its disease resistance and sweet, fruity fragrance.
(Rosa ‘New Dawn’)
Loved by: Will Lehnert of Outdoor Space Design in Columbus, Ohio
Why this rose: ‘New Dawn’ has a long growing history and is considered one of the best repeat-blooming climbing roses. It “can soften arbors [and] trellises and add a lot of dimension and texture throughout the year,” Lehnert says.
Special features: This vigorous grower produces clusters of medium-size light pink flowers on glossy green foliage. It’s known for its disease resistance and sweet, fruity fragrance.
Growing tips: “These are some of the easiest climbing roses to grow,” Lehnert says. His biggest gardening tip: “Keep them watered!”
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 8 to 12 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide
What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 8 to 12 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide
What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?
4. Smooth Rose
(Rosa blanda)
Loved by: Heather Holm of Holm Design & Consulting in Minnetonka, Minnesota
Why this rose: “This rose has beautiful medium-pink single flowers that are buzz-pollinated by native bees. You can actually hear the bumblebees buzzing the flowers,” Holm says. Later in the summer, you’ll find native leafcutter bees on them. “The female leafcutter bees cut oval and round pieces out of the leaves to line their nests,” Holm says.
Special features: “I find this rose to be disease-free, and [it] does not require any supplemental watering once established. Also, the new growth lacks thorns,” Holm says. Smooth rose is a native species, found along woodland edges and in sunny prairies from the Great Lakes region to the East Coast. (Gardeners in California can try California wild rose.)
Growing tips: “This rose needs a lot of room in the garden and is best used massed in a large landscape. It suckers, and it is therefore not appropriate for small spaces or gardens,” Holm says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 42.8 degrees Celsius (zones 2 to 6)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: 4 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
Learn more about growing smooth rose
(Rosa blanda)
Loved by: Heather Holm of Holm Design & Consulting in Minnetonka, Minnesota
Why this rose: “This rose has beautiful medium-pink single flowers that are buzz-pollinated by native bees. You can actually hear the bumblebees buzzing the flowers,” Holm says. Later in the summer, you’ll find native leafcutter bees on them. “The female leafcutter bees cut oval and round pieces out of the leaves to line their nests,” Holm says.
Special features: “I find this rose to be disease-free, and [it] does not require any supplemental watering once established. Also, the new growth lacks thorns,” Holm says. Smooth rose is a native species, found along woodland edges and in sunny prairies from the Great Lakes region to the East Coast. (Gardeners in California can try California wild rose.)
Growing tips: “This rose needs a lot of room in the garden and is best used massed in a large landscape. It suckers, and it is therefore not appropriate for small spaces or gardens,” Holm says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 42.8 degrees Celsius (zones 2 to 6)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: 4 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
Learn more about growing smooth rose
5. White ‘Iceberg’ Rose
(Rosa ‘Iceberg’)
Loved by: Jeffrey Halper of Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design in Houston
Why this rose: “They are prolific bloomers and have a low tendency to get fungus,” Halper says.
Special features: This floribunda rose is known for its crisp white blooms and vigorous, bushy shape. Medium-size flowers produce a light fragrance.
(Rosa ‘Iceberg’)
Loved by: Jeffrey Halper of Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design in Houston
Why this rose: “They are prolific bloomers and have a low tendency to get fungus,” Halper says.
Special features: This floribunda rose is known for its crisp white blooms and vigorous, bushy shape. Medium-size flowers produce a light fragrance.
Growing tips: “Make sure to have well-draining soil and fertilize every six weeks in the spring,” Halper says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
6. ‘Strike It Rich’ Rose
(Rosa ‘Strike It Rich’)
Loved by: Janie McCabe of M.J. McCabe Garden Design in Northford, Connecticut
Why this rose: “The color is an amazing golden amber with pink edges; [this rose also] is abundant with flowers in June, and will repeat bloom later in the season. The foliage is a dark green, and it is quite resistant to diseases,” McCabe says. “It has a nice spicy, rich fragrance, making it a lovely addition to the garden — great for cutting too.”
Special features: In addition to its stunning flowers, continuous bloom and distinct scent, ‘Strike It Rich’ is also considered to be naturally vigorous and disease resistant.
Growing tips: “When initially planting, I dig a very generous hole, adding an organic slow-release fertilizer along with green sand,” McCabe says. Once the rose is in the ground, McCabe surrounds it with plenty of compost and then waters it well with a seaweed-and-fish-emulsion fertilizer. “I continue to fertilize my roses with a diluted liquid seaweed-and-fish-emulsion solution about every two to three weeks,” she says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
(Rosa ‘Strike It Rich’)
Loved by: Janie McCabe of M.J. McCabe Garden Design in Northford, Connecticut
Why this rose: “The color is an amazing golden amber with pink edges; [this rose also] is abundant with flowers in June, and will repeat bloom later in the season. The foliage is a dark green, and it is quite resistant to diseases,” McCabe says. “It has a nice spicy, rich fragrance, making it a lovely addition to the garden — great for cutting too.”
Special features: In addition to its stunning flowers, continuous bloom and distinct scent, ‘Strike It Rich’ is also considered to be naturally vigorous and disease resistant.
Growing tips: “When initially planting, I dig a very generous hole, adding an organic slow-release fertilizer along with green sand,” McCabe says. Once the rose is in the ground, McCabe surrounds it with plenty of compost and then waters it well with a seaweed-and-fish-emulsion fertilizer. “I continue to fertilize my roses with a diluted liquid seaweed-and-fish-emulsion solution about every two to three weeks,” she says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
7. ‘Gruss an Aachen’ Rose
(Rosa ‘Gruss an Aachen’)
Loved by: Pamela Bateman of Pamela Bateman Garden Design in Northern California
Why this rose: “[It] has beautiful pink flowers with the largest bloom in spring, and then repeat blooms several times through late fall,” Batemen says.
Special features: “This rose makes a lovely flowering shrub with dark green healthy foliage, and is disease- and drought-resistant,” Batemen says.
Growing tips: “I do not prune them unless they need shaping or when they are starting to outgrow their location,” Batemen says, adding that she doesn’t prune most of her roses. When she does prune ‘Gruss an Aachen’, she does so in winter. “I do not fertilize my roses,” she adds. “I raise my roses organically using permaculture and regenerative gardening practices.”
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: Up to 4 feet tall and wide
(Rosa ‘Gruss an Aachen’)
Loved by: Pamela Bateman of Pamela Bateman Garden Design in Northern California
Why this rose: “[It] has beautiful pink flowers with the largest bloom in spring, and then repeat blooms several times through late fall,” Batemen says.
Special features: “This rose makes a lovely flowering shrub with dark green healthy foliage, and is disease- and drought-resistant,” Batemen says.
Growing tips: “I do not prune them unless they need shaping or when they are starting to outgrow their location,” Batemen says, adding that she doesn’t prune most of her roses. When she does prune ‘Gruss an Aachen’, she does so in winter. “I do not fertilize my roses,” she adds. “I raise my roses organically using permaculture and regenerative gardening practices.”
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: Up to 4 feet tall and wide
8. ‘Sally Holmes’ Rose
(Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’)
Loved by: Margie Grace of Grace Design Associates in Santa Barbara, California
Why this rose: “It looks like a wild rose — five petals and a burst of stamens,” Grace says, adding that it has an “old-timey” and “unpretentious” look.
Special features: “The buds are a lovely pale pink,” with the petals turning white as they age, Grace says. The rose hips, which form after the flowers, also are decorative. This climbing shrub is also known for its subtle spicy scent.
(Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’)
Loved by: Margie Grace of Grace Design Associates in Santa Barbara, California
Why this rose: “It looks like a wild rose — five petals and a burst of stamens,” Grace says, adding that it has an “old-timey” and “unpretentious” look.
Special features: “The buds are a lovely pale pink,” with the petals turning white as they age, Grace says. The rose hips, which form after the flowers, also are decorative. This climbing shrub is also known for its subtle spicy scent.
Growing tips: Grace doesn’t offer any specific tips for growing ‘Sally Holmes’, stating that “it’s tough and unfussy.”
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: Climbs to 15 feet; can be trained as a shrub
Read more about growing ‘Sally Holmes’ rose
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: Climbs to 15 feet; can be trained as a shrub
Read more about growing ‘Sally Holmes’ rose
9. Flower Carpet White Rose
(Rosa ‘Noaschnee’)
Loved by: Maggie Baran of the The Todd Group in Far Hills, New Jersey
Why this rose: “[It’s] an extreme bloomer. They make a huge visual impact in small spaces when planted in a mass. Yet, it is still noticeably delicate and looks sweet as could be hanging over a terrace wall,” Baran says.
Special features: “These roses are known for disease resistance, and we find this to be true when they are cared for properly. While we tend to deadhead roses on a regular schedule for maximum flowering and overall plant and bed hygiene, the Flower Carpet rose is self-cleaning and lower maintenance for home gardeners,” Baran says.
(Rosa ‘Noaschnee’)
Loved by: Maggie Baran of the The Todd Group in Far Hills, New Jersey
Why this rose: “[It’s] an extreme bloomer. They make a huge visual impact in small spaces when planted in a mass. Yet, it is still noticeably delicate and looks sweet as could be hanging over a terrace wall,” Baran says.
Special features: “These roses are known for disease resistance, and we find this to be true when they are cared for properly. While we tend to deadhead roses on a regular schedule for maximum flowering and overall plant and bed hygiene, the Flower Carpet rose is self-cleaning and lower maintenance for home gardeners,” Baran says.
Growing tips: “Moisture control and healthy soil are super important for maintaining healthy roses. Healthy plants start with healthy soil, so doing soil testing prior to designing and planting will reward you in the long run,” Baran says. She adds that keeping a close eye on the plants, even ones that are considered low-maintenance, is important for long-term success. Additionally, “overhead irrigation should always be avoided,” Baran says.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2½ feet tall and 3 feet wide
More on Houzz
Learn the Secret to Bigger and Better Roses
Read more gardening guides
Find a landscape designer in your area
Shop for gardening and other outdoor products
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2½ feet tall and 3 feet wide
More on Houzz
Learn the Secret to Bigger and Better Roses
Read more gardening guides
Find a landscape designer in your area
Shop for gardening and other outdoor products
(Rosa ‘Olivia Rose Austin’)
Loved by: Noelle Johnson of Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting near Phoenix
Why this rose: As part of a test, Johnson grew this newer David Austin English rose in her Phoenix-area garden to see how it would handle the low-desert climate. “It outperforms all other roses in my garden in that it handles the intense heat of summer better than the others,” she says.
Special features: “While most roses stop blooming in summer, ‘Olivia Rose Austin’ blooms further into summer than others I have grown,” Johnson says. “I also enjoy its disease resistance.” This repeat-flowering David Austin rose is also known for its blush-pink blooms and intense fruity scent.