Shrub · Rosaceae
Old Garden Rose
Rosa
Prickled canes, deep-scented petals, and easygoing on their own roots, old garden roses hold their character year after year.
Full sun
Every 5–7 days
USDA 4–9
3–8 ft · 0.9–2.4 m
Overview
Old garden roses are the heritage classes introduced before 1867, the gallicas, damasks, albas, and their kin grown long before modern hybrids, and each wears its own foliage and cane. Compared with today's florist roses they are hardier and more forgiving, and many carry leaves clean of the diseases that mark up newer types. The dense, many-petaled flowers pour out a fragrance as memorable as their form.
The classes split into two by where the buds form on the wood. Once-blooming roses, gallica, damask, alba, centifolia, and moss, open a single early-summer flush on canes held over from last year. Repeat-bloomers such as bourbon, Portland, China, tea, and noisette set flowers along fresh new growth through the season, and that one difference in the wood decides when and how hard you cut.
These are stout, woody shrubs whose arching canes carry both leaf and prickle. Given sun, decent soil, and air moving between the stems, most take hold and grow on their own roots for decades. The hard, curved thorns studding the canes are the one feature to handle with care.
Care
The short version: set these thorny, leafy shrubs where full sun and morning light reach the foliage, in loose organic-rich ground that drains freely, give the root zone a deep soak each week in the morning, and cut according to whether the blooms come in one flush or keep repeating.
Light
Old garden roses want full sun, ideally with strong morning light that lifts the dew from the leaf surfaces early. They will take a little partial shade, but bloom thins and disease creeps in when the canes sit damp. Aim for 6 to 8 hours of direct sun.
Water
Water deeply in the morning so the leaf surfaces dry quickly, which keeps black spot and powdery mildew off the foliage. A soak every 5 to 7 days suits most plants, more in heat or sandy ground. Skip the evening overhead watering that leaves the leaves wet all night.
Soil
Plant in loose, well-drained soil worked full of organic matter so the roots run free. A pH between 6.0 and 7.0, slightly acidic to neutral, is the sweet spot. Heavy, soggy ground is the one thing roses won't forgive.
Temperature
These are tough, woody shrubs, hardy from roughly -20°F to 100°F (-29°C to 38°C) depending on the class. Many old roses carry their canes through zone 4 winters intact, part of why they have lasted so long. Heat rarely troubles an established plant with steady water.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is no problem, so there is no number to chase. Airflow matters far more than the moisture in the air, since still, crowded canes are how black spot and mildew coat the leaves. Space and thin so the wind can pass between the stems.
Feeding
Use a balanced rose or general-purpose fertilizer, starting when growth begins in spring and again after each flush of bloom. Stop about six weeks before your first frost so the canes can harden off. Too much nitrogen just pushes out soft, mildew-prone shoots.
Pruning
Pruning hangs on the class and where the buds sit on the wood. Once-blooming roses flower on old wood, so prune them lightly right after they bloom to shape the shrub and cut out dead canes. Repeat-bloomers take a harder cut in late winter or early spring before growth starts.
Repotting
Old garden roses are long-lived, deep-rooted shrubs and rarely need repotting once they are in the ground. In a container, move up a size when you see roots circling the drainage holes, water running straight through, or stunted growth despite regular watering. Most are happiest planted out for good.
Size & spacing
These shrubs run from about 3 to 8 feet (90 to 245 cm) tall, their canes spreading roughly 3 to 6 feet (90 to 185 cm) wide depending on the class. Give each plant room to reach its mature spread so air moves between the stems and disease stays down.
When to plant
Old garden roses go in dormant, as bare canes and roots rather than seed. Set out bare-root or container plants in early spring once the soil can be worked, or in fall where winters stay mild. The once-blooming classes give a single early-summer flush, while the repeat-bloomers keep opening flowers into fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Not typically grown from seed by home gardeners; propagate vegetatively instead
- Plant: Plant dormant bare-root or container plants in early spring after the soil can be worked, or in fall in mild-winter regions
- Harvest: Late spring to summer; once-blooming classes flower in a single early-summer flush, repeat-blooming classes rebloom into fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Most rose trouble surfaces on the foliage first, in spots, coatings, or clustered insects, and damp, crowded canes lie behind nearly all of it. Read the marks on leaf and shoot early, and a quick cleanup usually settles things. Match what you see below, then act before it climbs the plant.
Black feather-edged flecks ringed with yellow across the leaves
Dark, feather-edged blotches ringed with yellow spreading across the upper leaf surfaces are black spot, a fungus that rides on splashing water once the foliage stays wet more than about 7 hours. The lowest leaves darken and drop first, and the bare marks climb the plant. Pull the blemished leaves, gather the fallen ones off the ground, and water at the base in the morning so the leaf surfaces dry quickly.
Fix:
- Remove and dispose of infected leaves and prune out infected canes
- Rake up and discard fallen leaves to reduce spore sources
- Water at the base in the morning so foliage dries quickly
- Apply a labeled fungicide (such as neem oil, potassium bicarbonate, or sulfur) when conditions favor severe infection
Chalky white bloom coating tender shoot tips and swelling buds
A chalky white to gray dusting over the youngest shoots and buds is powdery mildew, which settles in where shade and humidity meet at 68°F to 86°F (20°C to 30°C). The soft new growth curls and puckers, and the leaves shift from yellow toward brown. Cut away the worst-coated shoots, open the plant so air threads through the canes, and hold back the nitrogen that pushes out the soft, shaded growth it clings to.
Fix:
- Prune out and dispose of heavily infected shoots and leaves
- Improve air circulation by thinning and proper spacing
- Wash spores off foliage with a morning water spray
- Apply a protectant or eradicant fungicide at the earliest sign on susceptible plants
Pink, green, or black specks massed on the buds, leaving a shiny stickiness
Tight clusters of small, soft-bodied insects in green, pink, or black crowd the succulent tips and buds, and a sticky honeydew coats the growth beneath them: these are aphids. Their feeding leaves the new foliage curled and misshapen, though little lasting harm follows. A firm morning jet of water sweeps them from the stems, lady beetles and lacewings pick off the rest, and leaving the broad insecticides aside keeps those predators alive.
Fix:
- Hose aphids off plants with a strong stream of water in the morning
- Tolerate light infestations and conserve natural enemies such as lady beetles and lacewings
- Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that kill beneficial predators
Toxicity
Good news for pet owners: true roses are non-toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and every other animal in the home or pasture, and the petals and round hips are even edible for people. There is no poison in leaf, stem, or flower to fear. The one real hazard is mechanical, the hard, curved thorns on the canes, which can scratch a mouth or paw, so the only care needed is around the prickles.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
A true rose carries no toxins for a cat. The curved prickles along the stems are the only concern, since they can scratch a mouth or paw.
Dogs None
A dog takes no poisoning from a rose. The hazard is the thorny stem itself, whose prickles can scrape the gums and, swallowed in quantity, lodge in the gut.
Horses Safe
Horses graze roses with no ill effect, and many browse the woody canes by choice. Only the prickles catching a soft lip are worth watching.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits nibble the leaves and even the petals safely. The prickles studding the stems are the sole hazard.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep handle roses without trouble, and goats in particular strip the foliage. Nothing in the plant poisons them.
Birds Safe
Birds come to no harm from roses, and many eat the round ripe hips through autumn. Those hips are a natural part of their diet.
People Safe
Roses are safe for people, and the hips and petals are edible. A finger caught on the thorns is the only thing to mind.
The plant is non-toxic, but thorns (prickles) can cause mechanical injury to mouths, paws, and skin, and ingesting large amounts of stem material could risk gastrointestinal obstruction.
Varieties
Old garden roses fall into a handful of classes, each with its own habit, foliage, and flower. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
Gallica (e.g. Rosa gallica 'Officinalis', the Apothecary's Rose)
A stocky, upright shrub to about 4 feet, its canes set with fine prickles and clothed in deep green leaves, carrying intensely fragrant flowers in a single early flush.
Damask (e.g. Rosa × damascena 'Kazanlik')
A vigorous shrub of 5 to 8 feet with long arching canes, its powerfully scented blooms are the ones distilled for attar of roses, and it stays hardy into zone 4.
Alba
A tall rose with smooth, nearly thornless arching canes and cool blue-green foliage, it comes through hard winters and opens its flowers once a year.
Bourbon
A repeat-bloomer whose flowers form on both old and new wood, which is why it takes a harder pre-bloom cut than the once-blooming classes.
Centifolia (Provence or Cabbage Rose) and Moss
Full, densely many-petaled fragrant flowers, with the moss types bristling with a sticky, scented growth over their buds and stems.
How to propagate
Old garden roses are easy to multiply from their own canes, and most grow well on their own roots without any grafting. Pick the method that suits your patience and the reach of the plant's stems.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Take softwood or hardwood cuttings from late spring through summer or fall · Several weeks to root; one growing season to establish
Most old garden roses root well from cut lengths of cane and go on to grow on their own roots, so no grafting is needed. Soft green softwood or firm, brown hardwood pieces both strike, taken any time from late spring through fall. Roots push out over a few weeks, and a full growing season sees the young plant established.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer while canes are flexible · One growing season for layered canes to root before separating
Layering is the simplest method with the long, arching canes of the old types. While a low cane is still supple in spring or summer, it is pinned down against the soil and left to root where it touches. A full growing season passes before the rooted cane is cut free from the parent.
GraftingDemanding
Dormant season or late summer budding · One season to unite and establish
Grafting is the demanding method, worked on the bare wood in the dormant season or by budding in late summer. It unites a chosen cultivar with a rootstock, and the join needs a season to knit and establish. Most old garden roses make it unnecessary, growing on their own roots instead.
Myths
Rose petals and leaves carry a poison that sickens cats and dogs.
The ASPCA lists true roses as non-toxic to both dogs and cats, with no toxic principles at all. The only real danger is the thorns, the hard prickles along the stems that can scratch a mouth or paw, and a belly full of woody stem could in theory snag the gut. No chemical poisoning is involved.
The antique rose classes are as fuss-bound and disease-ridden as any modern hybrid.
Many old garden roses shrug off the pests and diseases that plague modern hybrids. They tend to ask for less water and fertilizer, grow on their own roots, and stand up to cold far better than the newer types.