Prosperity Shrub Rose Bushes

Prosperity Rose

Prosperity is a delightful shrub rose that's proved hugely popular since it was introduced in the 1870s. The flowers are gorgeous for a start – pretty, semi double affairs in a lovely ivory, blushed rich cream at the centre, with a little hit of strawberry cream at the centre of the buds. The scent is heady. The way the flowers are held on the plant is a dream, in prolific clusters on strong upright trusses, the stems a rich glossy plum-mahogany colour, a handsome contrast with the ivory buds and deep green glossy leaves, and ever so elegant. Browse the rest of our shrub roses, or all of our rose varieties here.

Growing Prosperity Roses

First up, Prosperity is a wonderful contender for a hedge. And a sizeable one at that. It's a vigorous grower and will make a spectacular flowering boundary, up to nearly 2m in height, and one that will shelter and provide sustenance for all manner of helpful wildlife, such as birds, insects and invertebrates. I wouldn't grow Prosperity in a pot, however, as larger shrub roses quickly drain the soil of available nutrients. In a rose border it will look amazing, a froth of ivory flowers all summer long; enclose a mass planting within a low clipped box or Japanese holly hedge and those crisp white blooms and vigorous habit will be beautifully offset by the fresh greens and clean lines of the evergreens. It's an RHS AGM winner, so you're pretty much guaranteed a good grower, as long as you keep Prosperity well watered and grow in good, rich soil, mulching with manure or garden compost once or twice a year.

Features

• Height: to 1.8m
• Spread: to 1.2m
• Colour: creamy white with pale cream centres
• Shape of flower: semi-double, ruffled
• Size of flower: small-medium
• Scent: strongly scented
• Flowering: repeat through summer
• Group: shrub rose
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Did You Know?

Prosperity was created by Joseph Pemberton, a clergyman and amateur rose grower, in the late 1800s. It's one of a group of 'hybrid musk' roses, highly scented and cluster flowered, that he bred in his Essex garden in an attempt to recreate the 'grandmother's roses' he remembered from his childhood.

How to plant Prosperity Roses

Choose a spot with as much light as possible. Dig a hole sufficiently deep to allow the rose to be planted with the graft union at soil level and with plenty of room for its roots which should be spread out. Improve the soil from the hole by removing roots, weeds, large stones and other rubbish and mixing in about 25% by volume of well-rotted compost or manure. Position your rose so its roots are spread out, wet them and sprinkle them with Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi. If planting pot grown roses gently loosen some roots out of the ball before planting. Then backfill the hole with mixed soil and compost, firming it gently as you go. Keep the union at the level of the surrounding soil. Water in thoroughly.