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Rosa old blush

monthly rose

Bushy, upright rose to about 1.5-2m if trained as a climber, with twiggy, almost thornless stems, glossy mid-green leaves and very fragrant, double soft-pink blooms to 6cm across with a deeper flush, repeat-flowering from early summer to late in autumn

Other common names
the last rose of summer
Thomas Moore rose
see moreold blush china
old blush rose
Parson's pink China rose
Synonyms
Rosa chinensis 'Old Blush'
Rosa Parson's pink China
see moreRosa old blush China
Rosa old blush
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Size
Ultimate height
1.5–2.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
1–1.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green
Summer Pink Green
Autumn Pink Green
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–facing or North–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Rosaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Genus

Rosa can be deciduous or semi-evergreen shrubs or scrambling climbers, with usually thorny stems bearing compound pinnate leaves and solitary or clustered flowers. Flowers may be followed by showy red or purple fruits in some varieties.

Name status

Accepted

Horticultural Group
China roses are slender bushes with almost thornless stems bearing glossy foliage and single or double, sometimes fragrant flowers intermittently in summer and autumn

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or part shade, suitable for a north-facing situation. Mulch with well-rotted organic matter in late winter or early spring, and for best flowering apply a general rose or shrub fertiliser in early spring and again in early summer. See rose cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings in autumn, softwood cuttings (under glass) in spring or summer or by chip budding in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Climber and wall shrubs
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Wall side borders
Pruning

See pruning group 21 (shrub roses), or if grown as a short climber see pruning group 17 (climbing roses)

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, rose leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects, caterpillars, large rose sawfly, rose slugworm sawfly and rose leaf-rolling sawfly. Deer and rabbits can cause damage

Diseases

May be susceptible to rose black spot, rose rust, replant disease, rose dieback, and rose powdery mildew. May also be susceptible to disorders rose blindness and flower balling and sometimes honey fungus

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