Best floribunda roses to grow
Floribundas are prized for their long season of colour – we pick 10 of the best.
On top of being particularly robust and disease-resistant, floribunda roses are prized for their clusters of flowers that appear over a long season.
What they lack in scent they more than make up for in colour, with cultivars to be found in a kaleidoscope of colour. Floribunda roses are repeat flowerers, so deadheading them to prolong the colour – find out how to deadhead roses.
Produced by crossing hybrid tea roses and polyantha roses, floribundas are typically smaller and bushier than hybrid tea roses, and more upright than polyanthas.
If you're seeking roses for fragrance, take a look at our pick of the top roses to grow for scent.
More on growing roses:
Check out of our favourite floribunda roses to grow, below.
Rosa 'York Minster'
The blooms of 'York Minster' are creamy-white, with just a hint of orange. It also has a gentle, sweet fragrance. Deadhead spent blooms to ensure it repeat flowers from summer into autumn.
Height x spread: 1m x 80cm.
Rosa 'Gold Spice'
Rosa 'Gold Spice' has a compact, bushy growing habit with warm, gold-amber flowers. A lovely choice for small gardens where it can be grown in the ground or in a large pot.
H x S: 80cm x 70cm.
Rosa 'Togmeister'
With its rich butter-yellow flowers, 'Togmeister' is great floribunda rose to grow if you're looking to inject some colour into a gloomy area of the garden. Plus, the flowers have a delicious fragrance.
H x S: 75cm x 75cm.
Rosa 'Lady Marmalade'
As the name suggests, Rosa 'Lady Marmalade' has gorgeous peony-like blooms that are a rosy-orange colour. Deadhead regularly to promote more of the spicily fragranced flowers. A compact, tidy cultivar.
H x S: 90cm x 70cm.
Rosa 'Celebration Time'
A compact, American-bred cultivar, 'Celebration Time' has beautiful red blooms with a lavender tinge to them. Each flower cluster bears eight to 10 blooms with a light fragrance. Makes a pretty addition to a herbaceous border.
H x S: 1.2m x 1m.
Rosa 'Hot Chocolate'
'Hot Chocolate' has stunning smoky red flowers that are complemented by dark, glossy foliage. A strong fragrance enhances their appeal as a cut flower.
H x S: 1.2m x 1m.
Rosa 'Pomponella'
'Pomponella' is a compact variety with excellent disease resistance. The intense pink blooms look beautiful combined with other pink- and purple-flowered plants like salvias and alliums.
H x S: 80cm x 60cm.
Rosa 'Claire Marshall'
A bushy, compact habit and superb lilac-mauve flowers make 'Claire Marshall' a great choice for small gardens or containers. It has a rich fragrance and makes a lovely cut flower. You might also come across it under the name 'Harunite'.
H x S: 60cm x 60cm.
Rosa 'Durrell'
Rosa 'Durrell' has strikingly coloured flowers, mottled with red and pink. With a gentle fragrance, it'll provide eye-catching cut flowers. Grow in a mixed herbaceous border or in a container.
H x S: 1m x 75cm.
Rosa 'Moment in Time'
If you're after a pure red floribunda, consider 'Moment in Time'. It's a compact cultivar, growing to around 50cm tall and producing masses of blooms from summer and into autumn.
H x S: 50cm x 50cm.
Siting your floribunda rose
Floribunda roses will grow in almost any soil as long as it is well drained – they thrive in a soil rich in organic matter. As they are vigorous, with strong roots, they need plenty of space.
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