Rose
Rosa spp.
📖 About this plant
The world’s most beloved garden flower, roses have been cultivated for over 5,000 years for their unmatched beauty, fragrance, and diversity. Modern roses come in every color except true blue and black, in forms ranging from hybrid tea to floribunda, grandiflora, shrub, climbing, and groundcover types. Roses bloom repeatedly through the season and provide spectacular garden displays, incredible cut flowers, and rich symbolism.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6-8 hrs)
Every 2-3 days
Moderate (40-60%)
15-28°C
Well-draining, fertile loam rich in organic matter; pH 6.0-6.5 (slightly acidic). Heavy clay soil must be amended for good drainage
Balanced rose fertilizer or granular fertilizer (10-10-10) in early spring as growth begins; repeat every 4-6 weeks through growing season; discontinue 6 weeks before first expected frost
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Asia (Rosa chinensis), Europe (Rosa gallica), Middle East (Rosa damascena) — most modern roses are complex hybrids
- 📏 Max height
- 30 cm (miniature) to 3-6 m (climbing varieties)
- 📐 Spread
- 60-120 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring - Fall
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Red, Pink, White, Yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Dark Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Mildly toxic — leaves and stems contain tannins and other compounds that cause gastrointestinal upset if ingested; thorns cause mechanical injury. Non-toxic to touch except for thorn punctures
- 🌱 Propagation
- Take semi-hardwood cuttings 15-20 cm long in late summer; remove lower leaves, wound base, dip in rooting hormone; root in sand/perlite mix (4-8 weeks). Budding/grafting onto rootstock by nurseries
🛡️ Health & Safety
Mildly toxic — leaves and stems contain tannins and other compounds that cause gastrointestinal upset if ingested; thorns cause mechanical injury. Non-toxic to touch except for thorn punctures
Common issues
- Black spot disease — the most common rose problem
- Powdery mildew on new growth
- Aphid and thrip infestations on buds
- Japanese beetle defoliation
- Rose rosette disease — fatal viral disease spread by eriophyid mites
💡 Care tips
- Prune in early spring before new growth starts
- Mulch heavily to retain moisture and suppress weeds
- Fertilize monthly during growing season
- Monitor for aphids and black spot disease
