June Plant of the Month

This is the first rose I ever planted! I love wild looking roses. Rosa glauca, with its unique grey green foliage and pink single flowers, appealed to me after all the stiff, hybrid tea roses found in the suburban gardens of my childhood.

A shrub rose that grows big over time (180cm high x150cm spread) with arching branches. Flowering in June – July, the small pink flowers are beautifully offset by the foliage. In the autumn, as an added bonus, the bush is clothed in dark red hips. Finally, the foliage turns an attractive yellow before dropping while the hips remain. Well, until an adventurous squirrel or blackbird finds them! Which also makes this rose an excellent plant for wildlife. Bees also like the single flowers.

Tolerant of poor soil and able to withstand sun or partial shade, the only fault with this rose is that it has little scent. 

I noticed it made an appearance this year in Andy Sturgeon’s show garden at Chelsea. Good choice I thought!