Special Anniversary Rose Bushes

• Variety: Special Anniversary, a present that smells as good as it looks
• Type: Hybrid Tea (large-flowered bush rose)
• Colour: Deep pink, touched with magenta
• Fragrance: Strong, a rich old-rose perfume
• Height: 80cm (2½ft)
• Spread: Up to 1m (3ft)
• Flowering: June to September, repeat-flowering
• RHS AGM: Yes
• Pruning: Cut back to 30–40cm in late February or early March
• Good for: Front of a border, rose beds, cutting for the house
• Similar varieties: Silver Anniversary (white), Fragrant Cloud (orange-red, heavily scented)
• Sold as: Pot-grown in a 4 litre pot, grown for us by specialist rose growers
• Plant: Any time the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged
• Delivered: All year while in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Special Anniversary is a hybrid tea rose with deep pink, fully double flowers and a heavy old-rose scent, on a compact, bushy plant about 80cm tall. It flowers from June into September and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Special Anniversary, the Gift Rose That Earns Its Keep

Plenty of roses are bought for their names. This one would sell without it. The flowers are big, full and shapely in bud, opening to a deep pink with a little magenta in it, and they sit above glossy, dark green leaves that set the colour off well. The scent is the real reason to grow it: rich and old-fashioned, the kind you lean in for and then lean in again.

Put it where you'll pass it every day, beside a path, a gate or the back door. Scent hangs in still air, so a sheltered spot in full sun gives you the most of it. Cut a few stems as well. Hybrid teas carry their flowers singly or in threes on long stems, which is exactly what you want in a jug on the kitchen table.

How Big Special Anniversary Grows

Expect a bush about 80cm tall and up to a metre across in time, upright and tidy. That makes it a front-of-border rose, small enough for a narrow bed by the house and too short for the back row. Ted Smith bred it in England and Whartons introduced it in 2003. It has since earned the RHS Award of Garden Merit, which says more about how it grows than any name could.

Planting Companions for a Pink Hybrid Tea

Hybrid teas look their best with low, neat partners that don't crowd the bush. Edge the bed with lavender; Hidcote's dark purple sits well against deep pink, and the lavender collection has paler choices if you prefer. Walker's Low catmint does the same job more loosely and flowers for months. For a rose partner, the clear yellow of Korresia makes a cheerful contrast. Alchemilla mollis, the old favourite for the front of a rose bed, is worth finding too.

Why Buy Your Roses from Ashridge?

Your Special Anniversary comes pot-grown in a 4 litre pot, ready to plant in any month the soil allows. It isn't sold bareroot. Specialist rose growers raise it for Ashridge, some of them for over 30 years. Which? named Ashridge Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to prune Special Anniversary rose?

Prune in late February or early March, cutting each stem back to 30–40cm just above an outward-facing bud. A light trim in autumn stops wind rocking the roots. The rose pruning guide takes you through it.

Is Special Anniversary rose strongly scented?

Yes, Special Anniversary is one of the more heavily scented hybrid teas, with a full, old-rose perfume. It is strongest in the cool of the morning and evening, because heat drives the scent off quickly. A few stems will scent a small room.

What is the difference between Special Anniversary and Silver Anniversary?

Colour, mainly: Special Anniversary is deep pink and Silver Anniversary is white. Both are compact hybrid teas of similar height, but only Special Anniversary currently holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

How do I plant a Special Anniversary rose from its pot?

Water the pot well, then dig a hole twice its width. Tease a few roots loose so they grow out into your soil, and set the rose at the depth it sat in the pot. Firm, water and mulch, then water weekly through its first summer. The rose planting guide has the detail.

Is Special Anniversary a good rose to give for an anniversary?

Yes, and better than most gift roses, because it is a proven garden plant with an RHS award rather than just a good name. It arrives in a 4 litre pot, so it can go in the ground on the day itself, whatever the month, as long as the soil isn't frozen or sodden.