Rosa 'Moonlight' (HM)

RHS Plant Profile
rose 'Moonlight'
rose 'Moonlight' RHS
Shrubs Roses

A vigorous, bushy Hybrid Musk rose with oval, serrated red to green leaves. Semi-double creamy-white fragrant flowers with a yellow flush appear in small clusters in summer and autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H6

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
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
Accepted
Horticultural Group
Hybrid Musk roses are vigorous shrubs with long, arching stems bearing glossy foliage, with large clusters of small fragrant double flowers in summer and autumn

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grows best in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in a sunny, open position. Mulch in late winter and, to improve flowering, apply a balanced fertiliser in late winter or early spring, and again in early summer. See rose cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or hardwood cuttings in autumn, or by T-budding in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

pruning group 21 (shrub roses)

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, including rose aphid, which are the most common rose pest. May also be susceptible to rose leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects, caterpillars, large rose sawfly, rose leaf-rolling sawfly and leaf-cutter bees. Deer and rabbits can also cause damage

Diseases

May be susceptible to rose black spot, rose rust, rose powdery mildews, which are the most common rose diseases. May also be susceptible to rose dieback, replant disease, a canker, a virus and sometimes honey fungus