While old gallica and rugosa roses are largely trouble-free, other types of rose are often troubled with disease. Bred to bear large flowers over a long period, many are plagued with problems such as mildew, blackspot and rust. Traditionally, rose breeders and growers would treat their roses with fungicides to prevent or cure these diseases, so they weren’t considered much of a problem.
However, in the wake of bee declines being linked to use of fungicides, more and more gardeners prefer not to use such sprays in the garden. And so roses are now being bred for heath and vigour as well as beautiful flowers over a long period. These new varieties of roses are trouble-free and disease resistant, ensuring you have a beautiful display without having to worry about disease.
A beautiful rose garden is a dream for many gardeners. However, growing healthy roses can be challenging as they are prone to fungal diseases like black spot, powdery mildew and rust. These diseases can quickly damage the plants’ foliage and flowers, ruining the aesthetic beauty of your garden.
The good news is that there are many disease resistant rose varieties that you can grow to have a lush and vibrant rose garden. In this article, I’ll share my top recommendations for disease resistant roses that produce gorgeous blooms and stay healthy in the garden with minimal care.
Why Choose Disease Resistant Roses?
Rose plants susceptible to common fungal diseases require frequent applications of fungicides to keep the diseases in check. However, frequent use of chemicals is not ideal for the health of your garden’s soil beneficial insects like bees and butterflies the environment or even yourself.
Growing disease resistant varieties allows you to avoid this issue altogether. These roses have genetic resistance to diseases, so they stay healthy and bloom beautifully with minimal or no spraying needed. This makes rose growing much easier for beginners too.
How is Disease Resistance Created in Roses?
Modern rose breeders create disease resistant roses by crossing roses that exhibit natural resistance to diseases like black spot and powdery mildew, with roses selected for their beautiful flowers and fragrance
The resulting roses inherit the good traits from both parents – disease resistance from one parent and aesthetically appealing flowers from the other.
20 Best Disease Resistant Roses to Grow
Here are my top recommendations for disease resistant rose varieties that also produce gorgeous flowers:
1. Knock Out Roses
Knock Out roses are one of the most popular choices for low maintenance, disease resistant roses. They exhibit excellent black spot and powdery mildew resistance.
These compact shrub roses bloom prolifically from spring to fall with single blooms in shades of cherry red, pink, yellow and more.
2. Drift Roses
The Drift rose series offers long blooming groundcover roses under 2 feet tall. They work beautifully in containers too.
All Drift roses have excellent disease resistance along with drought and winter hardiness. Flowers come in yellow, pink, white and more.
3. Flower Carpet Roses
Flower Carpet roses are another excellent choice for disease resistant groundcover roses. Each plant can produce up to 2000 flowers per season!
They spread nicely, filling in landscapes with constantly blooming flowers in pink, red, yellow and more. No deadheading needed either.
4. Oso Easy Roses
Oso Easy roses from Proven Winners are compact shrub roses that bloom vigorously from spring to frost. They exhibit good disease resistance and come in colors like pink, red, apricot and yellow.
5. Home Run Roses
The Home Run series builds upon the success of Knock Out roses and offers improved disease resistance and color range. These fast growing shrub roses produce clusters of single blooms in vivid shades.
6. Easy Elegance Roses
Easy Elegance roses combine the aesthetics of hybrid tea roses with the carefree nature of shrub roses. They bloom prolifically in shades of pink, yellow, orange, red and more, with excellent disease resistance.
7. David Austin’s English Roses
Famous rose breeder David Austin has bred dozens of beautiful English rose varieties that combine old rose charm and modern disease resistance.
Some excellent choices are Princess Anne, The Lark Ascending, Gertrude Jekyll and Graham Thomas.
8. Carefree Roses
The Carefree series of shrub roses from Edmunds Roses offers excellent disease resistance along with winter hardiness.
Carefree Beauty and Carefree Delight are especially recommended for their vibrant blooms and vigorous growth.
9. Meilland Roses
Meilland roses include several shrub roses and groundcovers with superior disease resistance and lush blooms in shades like pink, yellow, red and white.
Bonica, Marie-Luise Marjan and Magic Meilland are great choices.
10. Iceberg Rose
Iceberg rose is one of the most popular floribunda roses, valued for its disease resistance and prolific blooms. The flowers start white and fade to light pink with a mild fragrance.
11. Belinda’s Dream
This gorgeous shrub rose by Dr. Robert Basye bears abundant blooms in a unique swirled pink color. It has good black spot resistance.
12. Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is a lovely floribunda rose with a mix of rusty red and deep purple shades. It has excellent disease resistance and blooms vigorously in clusters.
13. Julia Child
Julia Child is a Sturdy shrub rose that produces sublime yellow blooms with a bright citrus fragrance. It’s resistant to black spot, rust and mildew.
14. Lady of Shalott
Lady of Shalott is a David Austin rose with a beautiful blend of orange and yellow hues. Its large blooms have a nostalgic old-world charm combined with modern health and vigor.
15. Livin’ Easy
This hardy, low maintenance shrub rose from the Easy Elegance series bears glowing double blooms in hues of orange, yellow and red. It has excellent black spot resistance.
16. Flower Carpet White
As the name suggests, this variety has pristine white flowers that contrast beautifully with the dark green foliage. A prolific bloomer with disease resistance.
17. Pink Knock Out
A stellar selection from the Knock Out family, this rose charms with its vibrant cherry pink single blooms. A real knockout in terms of health and flower power.
18. Popcorn Drift
A diminutive rose perfect for containers and rock gardens. The compact mounds get covered in small, fluffy cream and yellow flowers. Highly resistant to black spot.
19. Sunsprite
This rose bred by Griffith Buck has beautiful soft yellow flowers that bloom in large clusters. It maintains good disease resistance through hot and humid summers.
20. The Fairy
An enchanting miniature rose with light pink pom pom like flowers and intense old rose fragrance. Being one of the original polyanthas, it has excellent tolerance to diseases.
Final Thoughts
Focus on providing these roses with well-drained soil, sufficient sunlight and some occasional fertilization. Follow these good cultural practices, and your roses will thrive and dazzle!
Rosa ‘Thomas á Becket’
A repeat-flowering shrub rose resembling a wild rose, Rosa ‘Thomas á Becket’ is healthy and vigourous. It bears loose rosettes of crimson flowers with an old rose fragrance and a hint of fresh lemon. H x S: 100 x 120cm.[ id=”42129″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” align=”none” title=”Rosa Thomas A Becket” alt=”Rosa Thomas A Becket” classes=””] Rosa ‘Thomas á Becket’
Rosa ‘Mortimer Sackler’ has been renamed Rosa ‘Mary Delany’, to remove its association with the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma. It is a tall shrub rose with small, dark green leaves and few thorns. It bears soft pink, cup-shaped double flowers with an ‘old rose’ fragrance. As each flower matures the petals open, gradually exposing its bright yellow stamens. H x S: 360 x 130cm[ id=”42128″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” align=”none” title=”Rosa Mortimer Sackler” alt=”Rosa Mortimer Sackler” classes=””] Rosa ‘Mortimer Sackler’
More advice for growing roses:
In this short video guide, the experts at David Austin roses share their top tips for growing roses, including how to water roses to avoid spreading disease. Green Video Post Element Video ID: “d851606cc08f47d6f75380826ef5fc6cdecd47e6” Mix ID: “” Player ID: “qAUyOzk5” If the player doesnt appear here within a few seconds, the Player ID or Licence Key (set via IM Green Suite settings) might be invalid.
Browse our pick of disease-resistant roses, below.
How to grow Pink Double Knock Out® Roses (Disease Resistant Pink Shrub Roses)
FAQ
Which rose is most disease resistant?
The David Austins combine the fragrance of old roses with the disease resistance and repeat blooming of today’s modern roses. ‘The Mayflower’, ‘Winchester Cathedral’, and ‘Graham Thomas’ are exceptional varieties.
How do you make roses disease resistant?
Plant roses in full sun in rich, well-drained soil. Soil pH is ideally between 5.8 and 6.2. If the pH is lower, add limestone; if it’s higher, add sulfur. Space plants about 3 feet apart to allow good air circulation, and mulch roots in summer to help maintain even soil moisture and to prevent competition from weeds.
What is the best low maintenance rose bush?
- Knockout rose. Knockout is extremely popular, with good reason. …
- Ballerina rose. …
- Mister Lincoln rose. …
- Carefree Beauty rose. …
- Mother of Pearl rose. …
- Starry Night rose. …
- Oso Easy rose.
Is blue moon rose disease resistant?
Moderately vigorous light green glossy foliage. Average disease resistance. Hardy. Grows to 90cm in height.