English Miss Roses

English Miss Floribunda Rose

English Miss roses are charming compact floribunda roses carrying large sprays of very sweetly, strongly scented light pink, camellia-shaped flowers that are fully double and which fade to near white as they age. English Miss is extremely free-flowering, repeating so well that it puts on an almost continuous show from late spring until the first frosts (we have had English Miss roses on the lunch table on Christmas Day more than once in the last 10 years - Ed). She is a really "good doer" with healthy, strong, bushy growth and healthy, glossy dark green foliage which is overlaid with a touch of purple. This is a tidy, compact rose bush growing to about 60cm tall by 75 cm wide. For the best effect you should think about either using English Miss either as an edging rose or planting it in groups (threes and fives are ideal - never plant in even numbers) for a massed effect. In either case a planting distance of 75-80 cms between plants is recommended to give the best combination of solidity when flowering whilst not interfering too much with your ability to reach the plants so they may be deadheaded and pruned.

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English Miss was bred by the rose breeders Cants as a hybrid between Dearest and Sweet Repose and was introduced in 1978-9 when it was regarded as one of the best roses of the year. It is a versatile, unfussy rose and so is suitable for planting in almost any aspect where the soil is fertile and drains reasonably well. Its principal requirement is that there is enough sun. English Miss can take a degree of shade but will not grow where there is not enough sunshine. We would recommend a position where there is at least 6-7 hours of direct light a day in mid-June. Because it is a relatively short rose, it is ideal for planting in exposed and windy positions where it is less likely to suffer from wind rock than some of the taller floribunda roses. It is extremely hardy and has good resistance to the three dread diseases of the rose world; blackspot, mildew and to rust. This is a consideration which is increasingly important at a time when the chemicals available to help gardeners deal with disease and pests are reducing in number.