Rosa 'Penelope' (HM)

RHS Plant Profile
rose 'Penelope'
Award of Garden Merit
Roses

Large, bushy rose about 1.5m tall, with copious amounts of dark green foliage and stems, both shaded plum-red. Clusters of fragrant, large, semi-double, creamy-pink flowers 8cm across, with slightly frilled petal edges, almost continuously in flower from summer to autumn; rounded coral-pink hips follow

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

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 Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5

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
Spreading branched, Trailing, 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 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 and shade; suitable for hedging

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
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Hedging and screens

Pruning

See pruning group 21 (shrub roses)

Pests

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

Diseases

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