Image credit: Thompson & Morgan
It might be fair to say that there's no shortage of beautiful rose varieties... But if you're a rose lover, it's hard not to be tempted by some of the glorious new blooms that have recently been developed.
Perhaps you have a tiny balcony and want to fill your favourite pot with a small rose that will fit in the space.
Or perhaps you’ve always struggled with common problems like black spot (a fungal disease that remains the bane of all rose growers) and are desperately seeking a new bloom with greater disease resistance.
Maybe you want a rose that none of your neighbours have. Or the name of the variety gives it a special significance for you or a loved one.
Whatever your reason for considering a new rose, Saga Magazine has spoken to some of the UK’s most prestigious growers, who have shared their favourite rose varieties of the last couple of years, as well as some tips on how to plant them properly.
Whatever your growing needs, there’s a rose that’ll reward you with beautiful blooms.
Best for ground cover, or small spaces
This adorable little rose is a recent introduction from Thompson & Morgan. At only 10cm high, ‘Cutie Pie’ is perfect as ground cover or for container growing.
This completely thorn-free rose forms “dinky mounds” according to Thompson & Morgan, “which from July to September, creates a carpet of pink flowers like drifts of apple blossom”.
Why we love this rose variety: With a height of 10cm (4in) and spread of 30cm (12in), ‘Cutie Pie’ does what it says on the tin. If you have a small garden, or don’t fancy tackling a large new planting project, it’s perfect.
Rose 'Cutie Pie' - from £9.99
The Emma Bridgewater English rose is a 2024 introduction from David Austin Roses. It has medium-sized blooms which look like an impressionist painting even in real life, offering a kaleidoscope of colours, at first pink with a yellow button eye, then brighter coral-pink tones softening to mauve and lilac.
The flowers start off as shallow cups and then mature into full and majestic blooms. Every flower will look slightly different.
It will do best in full sun, but can also cope with partial sun. You can expect it to grow 4ft (125cm) high and the same wide. It will look great next to blue or purple flowers such as lavender.
Why we love this rose variety: For its glorious, romantic shades of pink and its English tea rose sent.
Rose 'Emma Bridgewater' - from £26.50
Harkness Roses, who introduced this rose at the Chelsea Flower Show 2024, describe it as a rose "bursting with beauty, resilience, and depth of character... clothed in red petals that mirror the iconic scarlet coats of its namesakes."
It's a hybrid tea rose with a delicate, complex scent with subtle hints of spice. The blooms have up to 50 red petals, against mid to dark glossy green foliage. It should repeat flower through the summer.
Why we love this rose variety: The large flowers are up to 10cm (4in) across and are resilient in wet and windy weather. The sale of each rose will mean a donation of £2.50 to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a charity-run home for retired veterans of the British Army.
Rose 'Chelsea Pensioner' - From £29.99
Ideal for a shaded city garden
This rose variety has been carefully bred by David Austin Roses and spent 12 years in development.
‘Dannahue’ is named for gardener Danny Clarke’s full first name. The choice of name came about after David Austin was impressed with Clarke’s jointly-designed 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden ‘Hands off Mangrove’ with not-for-profit Grow2Know.
Grow2Know formed when a community of guerrilla gardeners in west London came together following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. Appropriately enough, ‘Dannahue’ is ideal for city spaces, but will also work in a cottage-style garden.
Why we love this rose variety: Its fragrance, described as “fruity lemon, lychee and fresh apricot, wrapped in a softer layer of tea and myrrh.”
Planting tips: 'Dannahue' will be happy in a shaded area and would suit a container close to a wall. It will also work well in a border, surrounded by its own, or blended with other plants offering warm hues of orange and golden tones.
Dannahue - from £23
If you seek disease-resistant roses
A new rose from Sarah Raven is ‘Heart’s Delight’, a floribunda with superb disease-resistance, long-blooming time and lovely scent.
Raven told us that this rose is brilliant for growing in a container, too. Its dark, red-to-purple petals are tinged with paler pink on the reverse, and will bloom between June and September.
Why we love this new rose variety: Not recognising the early signs of disease is a common rose-growing mistake many gardeners make.
Thankfully, ‘Heart’s Delight’ should set your mind at ease, as it’s naturally disease-resistant.
Planting tips: As with Raven’s ‘Sweet Honey’ (below), ‘Heart’s Delight’ is sold as a bare root rose (a way of selling plants that have no soil attached to the root, so are not actively growing).
Heart's Delight - RRP £24.95
For fragrant cut flowers
This highly fragrant hybrid tea rose is a National Trust collaboration with Blue Diamond Garden Centres.
Bred by Rosen Tantau, ‘Mottisfont’ produces numerous layered petals of a dark magenta shade, against glossy green foliage, and is highly disease-resistant.
It is ideal as a cut flower or for planting in groups – with a fully grown height of approximately 100cm.
Why we love this rose variety: It’s a rose named after the National Trust property of the same name in Romsey, Hampshire.
It’s a fitting tribute to the property’s world-famous rose garden, including the National Collection of pre-1900 old-fashioned roses.
Mottisfont - from £22.99
Best for a perfect pink
David Austin has named this rose variety Penelope Lively, after the Booker-Prize-winning author (and self-confessed gardening addict).
The brand’s CEO, David Austin Junior, calls this “a rose as captivating as the writer’s words who inspired it".
He adds that he decided to name this rose “while reading Lively’s memoir Life in the Garden [Amazon, £9.65], which mentions my father David Austin Senior.
“The rose itself is a wonderful character, with delightful fragrant pink blooms.”
Why we love this rose variety: Its berry-red buds bloom into cute cupped flowers that gently fade from varying shades of pink to a lavender hue over time.
What's more, the plant has very few thorns, though you might still want to wear gardening gloves when handling.
Planting tips: Penelope Lively is suitable to grow in both sun and shade, with strong, upright stems that are ideal for cutting. Colour-block by planting multiples or, for contrast, blend this rose with blue and purple companions in a mixed border.
Penelope Lively - from £23
Where should you plant your new roses?
“When it comes to choosing the perfect spot for your rose garden, remember that almost all species thrive in full sun,”
Angharad James, product manager at Phostrogen, told us: “If possible, somewhere that enjoys six-to-eight hours of good sun a day is ideal, but try and protect them from harsh winds, which may damage the stems.
“Roses need plenty of room to grow and don’t like to share their soil, so ensure you plant them with plenty of space to grow and move.
“Space your roses approximately 1m (3ft 2in) away from other plants and around 50cm (1ft 6in) or more away from other roses to allow them space to grow.
“Planting bushes along your borders in groups of three or more forms a dense shrub for extra impact and added privacy, while placing potted rose trees along walkways or framing your front door offers a quaint look.”
A keen patio climber
‘Peter’s Persica’ is a climbing rose named as a tribute to gardener Peter Seabrook. Seabrook was “won over by the rose when he saw it blooming in trial fields,” according to Thompson & Morgan, “and he clearly spotted a winner as it has also been recognised with an RHS Award of Garden Merit."
This colourful rose bears masses of 10cm, vibrant yellow flowers with a flaming red eye. Compact in size, it’s ideal for small spaces and makes a perfect patio climber for a large container. It'll reach heights of 2.5-2.7m (8-9ft) and spread to 1m (3ft 2in).
Why we love this rose variety: A repeat bloomer, ‘Peter’s Persica’ boasts outstanding disease resistance and glossy, healthy foliage.
Planting tips: Peter Freeman, buyer and product development manager at Thompson & Morgan, told us: “Stems of climbing roses will require training against a suitable support, such as a pergola, fence or wall."
Peter’s Persica - from £19.99
A densely-flowered climbing rose
This elegant climbing rose from Harkness Roses is an addition to its Jane Austen Collection, created in partnership with Jane Austen’s house.
Its blushing buds open to pearly white flowers, busy with petals, with the company describing them as “countless pom poms dancing around on the breeze.”
“The sheer quantity of blooms makes this rose a magnet for pollinating insects, in particular hoverflies,” says Philip Harkness, chair of Harkness Roses. “Their presence on and around the plant only adds to the visual experience.”
Why we love this rose variety: ‘Sense and Sensibility’ produces swathe after swathe of flowers between June and October.
Planting tips: This rose grows to a height of 2m (6ft 5in) and will spread to nearly the same distance. It would be happy scrambling up a fence, or the front of a house. Alternatively, plant in a large container and allow it to cover an obelisk for a free-standing, structural feature.
Sense and Sensibility - from £19.99
For late autumn flowers
The ‘Sweet Honey’ rose from Thompson & Morgan is a fabulous floribunda with loads of soft pink blooms that will adorn your garden throughout summer and even as late as November.
It establishes quickly and is great for picking. The rose gives off a delicious perfume, if you’re keen to cut the blooms for a fragrant vase display at home.
Why we love this rose variety: ‘Sweet Honey’ is very quick to establish itself, and then grows fast, too.
Excellent news if you want quick results and prefer a low-maintenance garden flower.
Sweet Honey - from £19.95
Saffron-yellow petals for borders
Harkness Roses has launched ‘The Rob Burrow MND’ rose in partnership with the Motor Neurone Disease Association, with £2.50 from every sale going to the charity.
Burrow, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2019 and died in 2023, campaigned alongside other sportspeople to shine a light on the condition.
“This beautiful saffron-yellow rose has a compact, bushy growth habit, making it suitable for both small and generous spaces,” says Philip Harkness.
“It will also thrive in a large pot.”
Why we love this rose variety: As the buds form, they’re tinged with a delightful light green, teasing you before they burst open into the warm, saffron-yellow faces you see here.
Planting tips: This bush/floribunda hybrid rose will survive in windy or exposed conditions, and any soil type, but will prefer full sunlight. Avoid placing it in a north-facing spot. It will bloom repeatedly between June and October, and is perfect for growing in a large pot or in a border.
The Rob Burrow MND rose - from £19.99
A gorgeous rose that supports the RNLI.
This new rose from Peter Beales Roses, officially launched for the RNLI at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 202, has proved so popular it has sold out for 2024. But it can be pre-ordered bare root for delivery in November 2025.
It has clusters of coppery-orange flowers amidst mid-green glossy foliage on a compact repeat flowering bush. Each double bloom opens from salmon-tipped pointed buds to reveal petals of a deeply vibrant, coppery-orange at its heart, pink tones on the outer petals and yellow accents at the base.
Also called RNLI 200th With Courage, it marks the lifeboat charity's 200th anniversary. 20% from the sale of the rose will be paid in support of the RNLI.
Why we love this rose variety: Unusual orangey shades, fading to a delicate peach with age, as well as for its sweet apple scent which becomes intensified as the flowers open to reveal golden stamens.
Planting tips: This floribunda rose grows to about 3 feet tall. It would sit very happily in the middle of a mixed border surrounded by nepeta or salvias. It sends up occasional long shoots, making it useful to also be trained as a small climber on an obelisk, small wall or shed to give a staggered bloom effect. It can also be used for cut flowers and is suitable to be planted in a pot where it could placed in a prominent position on the patio.
RNLI 200th With Courage rose
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