Rosa Birthday Girl ('Meilasso') (F)
rose [Birthday Girl]
A small spreading floribunda rose, with mid green glossy foliage. Clusters of lightly scented semi-double blooms, creamy yellow centres edged with a pretty pink blush. Becoming more open with age, great for passing pollinators. Flowering from late spring and into autumn
Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.5–1 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Well–drained, Moist but well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Cream Yellow Pink | Green | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Cream Yellow Pink | Green | ||
| Autumn | Cream Yellow Pink | Green | ||
| Winter |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered Hardiness
H5Botanical details
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Spreading branched
- Potentially harmful
- Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
- 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
Trade
- Horticultural Group
- Floribunda or Cluster-flowered bush roses are bushy, upright shrubs with dark, glossy, foliage and single or double, sometimes fragrant flowers in small or large clusters from summer to autumn
How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in full sun with fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. For best flowering apply a balanced fertiliser and mulch in late winter or early spring and a balanced fertiliser again in early summer. See rose cultivation. Tolerant of poor soil, suitable for hedging and container growing. Fairly disease resistant and makes an ideal birthday gift
Propagation
Propagate by hardwood cuttings in autumn or by chip budding in summer
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Patio and container plants
- Hedging and screens
Pruning
Pruning group 16 (roses)
Pests
May be susceptible to aphids, rose leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects, caterpillars, large rose 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 mildews. May also be susceptible to disorders rose blindness and flower balling and sometimes honey fungus
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.