Today’s Garden Ideas | Queen Elizabeth Roses

Queen Elizabeth Roses

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Queen Elizabeth Roses are characterized by their beautiful soft pink blooms with pale yellow toward the petal’s base. This rose was the first of the Grandiflora roses. The rose bloom is four inches across and appears in clusters. This rose plant is bush like with long stems that are either slightly thorny or thornless. This rose is an excellent cutting flower and blooms throughout the summer.

Planting Locations

The Queen Elizabeth Rose plant works well in many situations. It can be treated as a focal point within your garden. The pink blooms stand out very well against the dark green foliage of the plant. Or, for a riot of pink blooms treat it as a hedge planting several rose shrubs together. The hedge can act as a privacy wall or a border to a driveway or walkway. The Queen Elizabeth Rose can also be used in conjunction with other plants, shrubs and small trees. This rose bush can be used to frame a home as a foundation plant too.

Planting Buddies

The dusky pink of the Queen Elizabeth Rose goes well with blue blooms like Swan River Daisies. Bluebells are a small plant that provide and excellent color contrast at the base of the roses. These roses also look with tall spikes of red, pink, or white flowered Gladioli and Delphiniums. Veronica, with its blue spires is another bloom that looks beautiful against the pink of the Queen Elizabeth Rose. At the base of this rose bush try planting Baby’s Breath and miniature roses in reds or pinks. This is a lovely way for the Queen Elizabeth Rose to hold court.

Purchasing and Planting

When purchasing the Queen Elizabeth Rose it is best to buy bareroot roses in early spring. Look for healthy plants with 3 or 4 healthy branches (also called canes) in diameters of about ½ inch thick. Inspect the rose plant carefully and trim any damaged stems. Cut back roots to their healthy white tissue and shorten any overly long roots. Dig a hole large enough for the roots and scrape the sides of the hole with a shovel. Create a mound at the bottom of the hole with this loose soil. Place the rose plant on top of the mound and spread out the roots. Fill the rest of the hole and pack the soil around the roots so there are no air spaces. Hole the stem and bounce lightly to settle the soil. Soak the rose plant with 2 gallons of water. Water weekly throughout the growing season.

Seasonal Care

For seasonal care begin in late winter with a good pruning. Cut back older stems by 1 foot. Remove the oldest stems completely to ground level. Shorten young stems by a third and cut back side branch to 6 inches. When pruning cut just above a bud at a slight angle away from the bud.

In spring mulch the Queen Elizabeth Roses to conserve moisture. During summer snap faded or older flowers from the bush. This will promote new flower growth.

Quick Facts

Queen Elizabeth Rose is an easy to grow disease resistant Grandiflora rose. It can spread up to 4 feet wide and grow as much as 7 feet tall. It blooms in summer and is a good cutting flower. This rose does best in zones 4-10 and loves full sun and well-drained soil.