Many people look at their gardens and think, I need to fill this gap, but how should I do it? A great way to add some pizazz to your garden as well as fill an empty space is to use groundcover roses.
We will discuss everything about groundcover roses, including how to use them in your garden and some examples of great groundcover roses to choose from.
What is a Groundcover Rose?
Groundcover roses are low-growing rose bushes that have an enormous potential to spread out in your garden.
Also called landscape roses, their canes run along the ground, creating an effect that looks like a carpet of flowers and leaves!
These roses also tend to flower very well, and therefore add a lot of color and beauty to the landscape.
One of the few downsides to growing a groundcover rose is that they often lack a strong scent, but this can be made up for by the sheer amount of flowers they produce.
How Big do Groundcover Roses Get?
Groundcover roses only grow 1-3 feet, but they tend to be much wider than they are tall.
As for this enormous width, these rose bushes can grow from 3 feet (almost a meter) to 6 feet (1.8 meters), or even more!
How do You Maintain Groundcover Roses?
Groundcover roses tend to be pretty hardy plants that are carefree and easy to take care of.
Part of the maintenance of a groundcover rose is taking good care of the soil.
These types of roses prefer rich, well-drained soils.
It is suggested that you use to supplement the soil with organic matter to keep it nice and fertile.
As for watering, water, after you plant a groundcover, rose to help it establish itself in the soil.
Afterward, be sure to water this plant at its base so that the leaves won’t get wet– this will help to prevent disease.
As for pruning, they do not require regular deadheading.
Trim as soon as you see new growth in the springtime, cutting healthy shoots back by one-third and pruning side shoots by two buds.
Also, trim after the rose has flowered in the summertime, depending on how out of control your groundcover rose has grown.
These steps will all ensure the health of your groundcover rose.
10 Best Groundcover Roses and Care Must-Knows
Next, we will take a look at some specific groundcover roses and how to care for them.
It is best to do your research before choosing a new rose breed to ensure you are knowledgeable about it, and we have done some of the work for you.
Let’s take a look:
1. Flower Carpet Rose
The Flower Carpet rose was bred by Noack, in 1985.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Very Light |
| PLANT SIZE: 1ft – 2ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Flower carpet roses are very popular partially due to the fact that they are extremely low-maintenance and have a great amount of disease resistance.
Better yet, this rose is resistant to drought because of its well-established root system and will probably not die if you forget to water it!
The rose’s roots do all the work for you: they find water within the soil as they spread out, absorb it, and keep themselves watered even if you leave them be.
As for pruning, you should cut this rose back one-third at the beginning of the season for fuller and denser growth, as well as more blooms.
Cut back again at the end of the season.
Do not deadhead this rose– it does not require any deadheading.
Other than that, some good mulching, the occasional fertilizer, and watering as needed are all this Flower Carpet rose requires!
2. Surrey Rose
Surrey rose was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany, in 1985.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Light |
| PLANT SIZE: 2ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
A Surrey rose grows vigorously and has light fragrant flowers, which it is known for along with its long flowering period.
These fast-growing roses bloom from July to September.
You should grow this plant in humus-rich, fertile, moist, and well-drained soil.
You should take care to water this rose generously, at least until the roots are established, and apply a fertilizer each spring.
It is suggested that you should mulch with compost or manure in springtime as well, but keep this away from the actual stems.
As for pruning, in late winter you should remove dead, dying, or diseased canes, especially those that are overgrown.
If this rose has grown overall too large for the space it’s in, cut back the most vigorous growth by one-third and side shoots by two to three buds.
If you need a total re-do of its growth, you can cut everything back to 4 inches (10cm) from its base.
3. Pheasant Rose
Pheasant rose was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany, before 1986.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Light |
| PLANT SIZE: 2ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Pheasant rose is a creeping, thorny shrub with glossy mid-green leaves that flowers in the summer.
You must watch out for pests such as aphids and caterpillars, and for diseases such as downy mildew or rose rust when caring for this rose.
Propagate the Pheasant rose with budding and hardwood cuttings.
This rose will spread to a width of about 10 feet, or 3 meters, after a period of growth of 2-5 years.
As for the soil, be sure that the soil is moderately fertile, moist, and well-drained.
This rose is tolerant of poor soils and will also be fine with some shade.
4. Swany Rose
Swany rose was bred by Marie-Louise (Louisette) Meilland (Paolino) in France, in 1977.
It was introduced in France by Universal Rose Selection-Meilland in 1977, as ‘Swany’.
Later on, it was introduced in Australia by Roy H. Rumsey Pty. Ltd. in 1979 as ‘Swany’.
| COLOR: White | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 1ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Swany rose has a mild fragrance and each of its flowers has 95 petals.
This extremely vigorous and hardy flower will bloom throughout the season.
As for pruning, cut off old canes as well as dead or diseased wood, and you should cut back any canes that cross.
You should then cut back all canes by a third, or more if you live in a colder climate.
This rose requires protection during frost and can be grown both in the ground or in a container.
5. Lancashire Rose
Lancashire rose was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany, in 1998.
| COLOR: Cherry-Red | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Very Light |
| PLANT SIZE: 1ft – 3ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
This medium shrub blooms over a long period of the season and has won many awards around Europe, perhaps for its many prolific red booms.
Lancashire rose will grow in a pot or on the ground and works well in a mixed border.
With this particular rose, you need to watch out for pests such as aphids or caterpillars, and for diseases such as downy mildew or powdery mildew.
As for propagation, use budding or hardwood cuttings.
This rose will spread out about 3 feet or 1 meter in width after growing for two to five years.
As for soil, this rose grows best in moderately fertile, moist, but well-drained soil.
6. Sea Foam Rose
Sea Foam rose was red by Ernest W. Schwartz in the United States, before 1963.
It was introduced in the United States by Conard-Pyle (Star Roses) in 1963, as ‘Sea Foam’.
| COLOR: Creamy White | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 2ft – 3ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Sea Foam rose has a width of about 4 feet or 1.2 meters and blooms in spring, summer, and fall.
This rose has a mild fragrance and each flower has 35 petals.
You should be sure to keep the soil around this rose moist while it’s establishing its root system which should take about a month.
After that, water this rose an average amount during its growing season.
It is also a climber, which can scale a pillar, trellis, or fence.
The Sea Foam rose is highly disease resistant and has great winter hardiness, making it a favorite among growers.
7. The Fairy Rose
The Fairy rose was bred by Bentall, in 1932.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Light |
| PLANT SIZE: 2ft – 3ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Fairy rose is a breed of rose that is highly popular and blooms continuously from June until the first frost.
This rose grows about 2 feet to 3 feet in both width and height.
You should grow this rose in fertile, moist, and well-rained soil.
To prevent disease, make sure there’s good air circulation and remove fallen leaves.
You should prune this rose a lot (at least 10 in, or 26 cm) during late winter or in early springtime.
You should also reduce its side shoots to two to three buds.
As for propagation, at first bloom in spring or summer add softwood cuttings, and use hardwood cuttings in the fall.
8. White Meidiland Rose
The White Meidiland Groundcover rose was bred by Marie-Louise (Louisette) Meilland (Paolino) in France, in 1987.
| COLOR: White | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: No Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 1ft – 2ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
This dwarf spreading shrub blooms quite frequently from late spring until frost, although the blooms have no fragrance.
Each of the flowers has 70 petals.
This plant is an easy one to grow, as it is both hardy and a vigorous grower.
Not to mention, this rose has exceptional disease resistance.
This rose is best grown in rich, fertile soil with adequate moisture that is also well-drained.
This amazing rose can even help to stop erosion!
It is great for sloped land and will grasp the soil, holding it together.
9. Cambridgeshire Rose
Cambridgeshire rose was bred by W. Kordes & Sons in Germany, in 1994.
It was introduced in the United Kingdom by Mattocks Roses / Notcutts in 1994, as ‘Cambridgeshire’.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Very light |
| PLANT SIZE: 1ft – 2ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
This hardy rose is great for ground cover but its flowers are very light fragrant, as is the case with many of these groundcover roses.
This rose is susceptible to pests such as leafhoppers and scale insects, and to diseases such as downy mildew and rose black spot.
As for propagation, use budding and hardwood cuttings.
This plant will spread about 6.5 feet, or 2 meters in width, after a growth period of about two to five years.
This rose grows best in fertile, moist, yet well-drained soil.
10. Cheshire Rose
Cheshire Rose was bred by Kordes, in 2000.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Small | FRAGRANCE: Light |
| PLANT SIZE: 1ft – 2ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
This groundcover rose with enormous blooms is a small shrub with a long flowering period.
The rose will grow in width to about 3 feet or around 90 cm.
It is great for a mixed border, to make rose hedges, or for a container.
Each bloom has 16-25 petals with a strong fragrance, and the rose is classified as a hybrid tea rose.
One of the great things about this rose is that it is highly disease-resistant.
You should keep the soil of this rose moist yet well-drained.
Conclusion: Will You Grow Groundcover Roses?
As you can see, groundcover roses tend to be super hardy roses and vigorous climbers.
Therefore, they are great for being left alone to do their own thing without much care.
The tradeoff is that they typically have little or no fragrance, however, their blooms are still usually beautiful and plentiful.
