Rosa rugosa 'Alba'

rose (shrub)

4 litre pot £12.99 Email me when in stock
available to order from autumn 2013 Buy

Pure-white single flowers set against apple-green crinkled foliage followed by orange-red hips on this wild, romantic rose

Val Bourne - Garden Writer

1 year guarantee

  • Position: full sun
  • Soil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil
  • Rate of growth: fast-growing
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Flower colour: white
  • Other features: excellent cut-flowers
  • Hardiness: fully hardy

    Masses of fragrant, single, yellow-centred, white flowers from July to September, followed by large, red or orange-red rose-hips. This vigorous, white species rose makes a great, informal, flowering hedge for an open, sunny site. An excellent choice for the wildlife garden, the leathery, dark-green leaves turn butter-gold in autumn.

    To find out more about how to plant a hedge,click here

    All our roses are grown in an open field and then dug up when the weather conditions are right in October or November. Some suppliers send out their roses as 'bare root' plants (ie without pots or compost), but we pot ours up as it helps to keep the roots hydrated and in good condition. As they are dormant throughout the winter, they will not produce any new roots until spring, so don't be surprised if the compost falls away from the roots when you take them out of their pots. The roses can be kept in their pots throughout the winter provided they are kept well fed and watered, however ideally they should planted out as soon as possible. They will already have been cut back so no further pruning will be required, apart from snipping off any tips that have died back. Routine pruning can begin in late winter the year after planting.

  • Garden care: If planting in winter, choose a frost-free spell when the soil is not frozen. Roses are quite deep-rooted plants so dig a deep hole roughly twice as wide as the plants roots and mix in a generous amount of composted organic matter. A top-dressing of a general purpose fertiliser can be worked into the surrounding soil and we also recommend using Rose Rootgrow at this stage to encourage better root development. This is particularly important when planting into a bed where roses have previously been grown as Rose Rootgrow is said to combat rose sickness (aka. replant disease).

    Remove the plants from their pots and gently spread out the roots before placing them in the centre of the hole. Try to ensure that the 'bud union' (the point where the cultivated rose has been grafted onto the rootstock, and from where the shoots emerge) is at soil level. You can judge this quite easily by laying something flat, like a spade handle or bamboo cane, across the top of the hole. When they are at the right height, back-fill the hole, firming the soil down gently before watering the plant well.

    Water generously until well established, and apply a specialist rose fertiliser (following the manufacturers instructions) each spring. They will also benefit from a generous mulch of composted farmyard manure in spring, but make sure this is kept away from the stems.

    As most shrub roses tend to flowers best on older stems, they only need a little light formative pruning. Hard pruning should be avoided unless absolutely necessary as it can often ruin the plants shape. The best time to prune is in late summer after they have finished flowering. While wearing tough gloves, remove dead, damaged, diseased or congested branches completely. If the centre of the shrub is becoming congested, remove one or two of the older stems to their base. If they have become too leggy, then you can often encourage new growth to form by cutting one or two stems back to within 10 - 15cm above ground level.

There are currently no 'goes well with' suggestions for this item.

 

Do you want to ask a question about this?

If so, click on the button and fill in the box below. We will post the question on the website, together with your alias (bunnykins, digger1, plantdotty etc etc) and where you are from (Sunningdale/Glasgow etc). We'll also post the answer to your question!

5 Questions | 5 Answers
Displaying questions 1-5

  • Q:

    Madame 'Alfred Carriere' Rose- does it have thorns?

    Hi there, the above rose would seem perfect for my garden, but I need to know one thing, ....is it thorny? I particularly want a thorny rose as I am planting it as a security aspect as well as for its looks. Many thanks, Sharon
    Asked on 4/14/2010 by Sharon Boothroyde

    1 answer

    • A:

      Hello Sharon, These are beautiful roses and they do have thorns, but not masses of them. If you want as particularly thorny rose, then the Rosa rugosa species are the best - but they are large shrubs rather than climbers. http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.rugosa/ I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

      Answered on 4/14/2010 by Crocus Helpdesk

  • Q:

    Hedging ideas

    Hello and hope you can help,- I'm a novice and a hopeless gardener hoping to learn quickly. Do you have any suggestions for mixed hedging for an approx 60 feet boundary? No preference or favourites, though a bit of colour would be appreciated at some time in the seasons but it needs to grow to at least five feet preferably six feet high and act as a barrier to human. I would like it to attract wildlife, particularly the birds and provide some year round interest with colour (hopefully). Lawrence
    Asked on 3/14/2010 by lawrence dixon

    1 answer

  • Q:

    Suggestions for planting low maintenance border please

    Hello, I recently had my garden extended by a piece of land measuring 34 metres by 14 metres, and my son purchased 23 Phormiums from you in last August on my behalf. I was delighted with the service I received, and the plants appear to be thriving well especially considering the dreadful weather we have suffered this winter. We also bought Rootgrow from you to assist with their development ,and also for use when we moved mature Acers and other shrubs. I still need more shrubs or other types of plants and would appreciate some advice as to what to use. Along one of the 14 metre lengths there is a "hedge" of bamboo plants, and adjacent to these on the return (long) length there is a small rise of earth, tapering down to ground level, with a specimen black bamboo at the end of the mound. There is also a mature acer, which we had to move, situated at the edge of the dividing path (between the lawn) on the field side of the garden. Would it be possible for you to suggest the names of suitable plants which I could purchase from you and which would compliment the existing ones. I am in my eighties and therefore need a very low maintenance garden. I would also like to introduce a little colour if possible. My garden is very exposed and is on quite a windy site. I look forward to your reply.
    Asked on 2/15/2010 by Marian Burgess

    1 answer

  • Q:

    Disease resistant roses for a coastal area

    Hi, Before I order some roses I need some information on which ones would grow well in our local conditions. I live in the far west of Cornwall, the soil is fairly acid,- Camellias grow well here. It's windy and the air is quite salt laden since we're not far from the sea. I'd like disease resistant plants if possilbe since the climbing roses by the cottage door do get black spot. At the moment, even here, where we hardly ever have a frost, there is 4 inches of snow on the ground and the temperature has been 0 to minus 1 for the past five days.... the postman hasn't reached us for four days! ...So, I won't be ordering the roses right now. Thanks, Trudi
    Asked on 1/9/2010 by Trudi Gurling

    1 answer

    • A:

      Hello Trudi, All roses need similar growing conditions, although a couple are slightly more tolerant of shade than others. If you click on the following link it will take you to all our roses that show some resistance to diseases. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/roses/plcid.8/vid.243/ I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

      Answered on 1/11/2010 by Crocus Helpdesk

  • Q:

    Hedging and Osmanthus plants

    Dear Crocus, I am looking for two Osmanthus burkwoodii plants but notice on your website that you only offer them for sale in 2 litre size. Do you have any larger Osmanthus burkwoodii plants? I am also looking for suggestions on which plants would make a good hedge. I am looking for something hardy, able to stand the frost, evergreen, not poisonous to horses and if possible, not just green possibly red / purple or variegated, any thoughts? Also, as these plants are grown in Surrey, will they be suitable to grow in the Scottish Borders? Many thanks, Jane
    Asked on 11/29/2009 by Janey Mitch

    1 answer

    • A:

      Hello Jane, I'm afraid we have all the plants we sell displayed on our website so we do not sell larger sizes of the Osmanthus. As for the hedging, if you click on the link below it will take you to our full range of hedging plants. Unfortunately we do not have anything that meets all your criteria, but if you click on the smaller images it will give you a lot more information on hardiness levels (fully hardy means they can cope with the weather in Scotland) as well as leaf colour etc. Unfortunately though I do not have a list of plants which are not poisonous to horses, but your local vet may be able to help you with this. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/hedging/plcid.30/ Best regards, Helen Plant Doctor

      Answered on 11/30/2009 by Crocus Helpdesk
Displaying questions 1-5

Do you have a question about this product? 

How to get more flowers

How to get more flowers

Many flowering plants can be encouraged to produce better and longer-lasting displays with the minimum of effort. A plant produces flowers in order to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. Once a plant has flowered and fertilisation has...

Read full article

How to create a wildlife-friendly garden

How to create a wildlife-friendly garden

An organic garden should also be a wildlife-friendly garden. Not only is it wonderful to see nature at work, but many creatures will help you achieve better results. The ponds in my garden act as a magnet to dragonflies and...

Read full article

July pruning of trees, shrubs and climbers

Early-summer- flowering shrubs can be pruned this month to keep them vigorous and flowering well. It is also the ideal time to prune several trees that are prone to bleeding if pruned at other times, and it’s not too late...

Read full article

Cottage garden

The traditional cottage garden was an intensive, yet carefree mixture of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers all crowded into a tiny space. Today, this informal charm can be recreated using modern varieties that largely take care of themselves around an...

Read full article

Town

Create an ‘outside room’ that overcomes the three challenges of shade, exposure and lack of space using uplifting, shade-tolerant shrubs, perennials and bulbs. A sense of seclusion can be achieved with decorative screens and trellis covered in deciduous, fragrant...

Read full article

Pruning roses

roses Early spring is a good time to start pruning roses The exact time will depend on where in the country you are and how cold it is. Pruning time is between mid-March through to early April, watch for...

Read full article