9 new rose varieties you can plant at home

Not everyone has the quintessential English cottage garden in which to grow roses.

And try as we might, we don't always have the perfect conditions – or luck – for growing them. You might have a teeny tiny balcony and want to fill your favourite pot with a small rose.

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.

That’s why Saga Magazine has spoken to some of the UK’s most prestigious growers, who have shared their favourite new rose varieties, as well as some tips on how to plant them properly.

Whatever your growing needs, there’s a rose that’ll reward you with classic, perfumed blooms.

1. ‘Cutie Pie’

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 new 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. 

2. ‘Dannahue’

Ideal for a shaded city garden

This new rose variety has been carefully bred by David Austin Roses and has been 12 years in development.

‘Dannahue’ is named for gardener Danny Clarke’s full first name, and came about after David Austin was impressed with Clarke’s jointly-designed 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. In a fitting tribute, ‘Dannahue’ is ideal for city spaces, but will also work in a cottage-style garden.

Why we love this new 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.

3. ‘Heart’s Delight’

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).

• Before planting bare-root roses, soak roots in a bucket of water for at least two hours.
• Dig a hole that will accommodate the root ball comfortably and, to aid establishment, sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi into the base before planting.

4. ‘Mottisfont’

For fragrant cut flowers

This highly fragrant hybrid tea rose is the National Trust’s latest 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 new 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.

5. ‘Penelope Lively’

Best for a perfect pink

David Austin has named this new 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 new 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.

Plus 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.

6. ‘Peter’s Persica’

A keen patio climber

‘Peter’s Persica’ is a new 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 new 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."

7. ‘Sense and Sensibility’

A densely-flowered climbing rose

This elegant climbing rose from Harkness Roses is the latest 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 new rose variety: ‘Sense and Sensibility’ will produce 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.

• It can grow in all soil types, but avoid north-facing locations as it needs full or partial sunlight.

8. ‘Sweet Honey’

For late autumn flowers

The new ‘Sweet Honey’ rose from Sarah Raven is fabulous floribunda with loads of soft pink blooms that will adorn your garden 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 new 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.

9. ‘The Rob Burrow MND Rose’

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 passed earlier this year, is the rose’s namesake, and 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 new 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

Our experts' tips for planting roses

• Acclimatise young plants to outdoor conditions over seven to 10 days.
• Soak the roots of bare root roses in a bucket of water for at least two hours before planting.
• To avoid the risk from the build-up of harmful soil organisms and disease, choose an open position in full sun that has not been planted with roses in recent years.
• Roses enjoy a rich, fertile, well-drained soil. Dig in plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost to the soil prior to planting roses, and add rose feed to the planting hole.
• Water with a full watering can once a week down the neck of the rose, not over the leaves. Water more in periods of extreme heat.
• Use rose feed regularly, according to the packet instructions.
• Stems of climbing roses will require training against a suitable support, such as a pergola, fence or wall.
• Knowing how to deadhead roses can encourage a new flush of blooms.