Gertrude Jekyll’s 13 favourite roses for beauty and fragrance that continue to inspire gardeners to this day
Little is as romantic as a rose, so they were the perfect plant for Gertrude Jekyll’s billowing romantic style, and if you’re thinking of investing in a new rose or two, try one of these Jekyll-approved varieties
‘One of the most distinct and wholesome effects of the spread of garden knowledge and love of flowers that has filled the land of late years is the demand for good garden Roses,’ wrote Gertrude Jekyll in chapter one of her book Roses for English Gardens, first published in 1902.
Little is as romantic as a rose, and exploring the best roses to grow in your garden in Roses for English Gardens, Jekyll advises on how to use these floriferous plants, urging gardeners to grow them on pillars and pergolas, arches and arbours, on walls, as hedges, and as cut flowers. In one chapter, brilliantly titled ‘Roses for converting ugliness to beauty’, she affirms that ‘no plant is more helpful and accommodating than the Rose in the way of screening ugliness and providing living curtains of flowery drapery for putting over dull or unsightly places’.
But are the roses Jekyll recommended in her 1902 book still available today, more than 120 years later? The answer is yes. If you want to grow the same roses as Gertrude Jekyll, we’ve scoured the book to find the roses she recommended that we can still plant today. And for those roses that are no longer around, Ian Limmer of Peter Beales Roses suggests some lookalike modern-day replacements.
Getrude Jekyll’s favourite roses
1. Rosa ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’
A taller shrub rose at 1.5m, ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ is also still popular today. ‘The beautiful white ‘Blanc double de Coubert’ – whitest Rose of any known – has for purity of colour eclipsed the older, duller white ‘Madame Georges Bruant’,’ wrote Jekyll. ‘One of the best of Roses, for it blooms the whole summer through and well into autumn. Its rich, deep green foliage, highly polished though heavily reticulated, persisting till late in the year, gives it that look of perfect health and vigour.’
Flowering between July and September, ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ should be positioned in full sun and planted in moderately fertile, moist, and well-drained soil. It is full-hardy, and once the rose has finished flowering, it sometimes boasts the most lovely spherical, red rose hips.
2. Rosa ‘Nyveldt’s White’
Peter Beales’s Ian Limmer suggests ‘Nyveldt’s White’ should you want a more modern replacement for ‘Madame Georges Bruant’, the “duller white” rose which has, perhaps unsurprisingly, given Jekyll’s comments, faded from cultivation. A rugosa rose, ‘Nyveldt’s White’ has large single white flowers with a strong fragrance, thorny stems, and colourful hips and leaves in autumn. It reaches 1.5m tall.
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Rosa ‘Nyveldt’s White’ has a wonderfully long flowering period between June and November. It will grow to a height of 1.5M and is suitable for shady areas and for growing in pots. It’s very disease-tolerant and can thrive in poorer soils.
3. Rosa ‘White Pet’
‘White Pet’ features in the book and is still grown today. It produces huge trusses of small white pompon-like flowers, faintly blushed with pink. The pompon roses ‘are charming plants for any small spaces,’ wrote Jekyll, and at 60cm tall, ‘White Pet’ would make an excellent candidate for a container or for use as an edging plant.
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Position this polyantha shrub in full sun and grow it in moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil. It has a richly fragrant scent. This wonderful rose is deciduous, so it will lose all its leaves in autumn before appearing again in the spring. Its pink buds will open between July and September.
4. Rosa ‘White Grootendorst’
‘Fimbriata’ is recommended by Jekyll, but the closest you can grow to it today, according to Ian, is ‘White Grootendorst’. The petals of this creamy white rose have a ‘pinked’ edge that makes each flower look more like a carnation than a rose, making it an unusual addition to a collection. It was a sport of ‘Pink Grootendorst’, which you might also like if these frilly, fimbriated flowers appeal.
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Rosa ‘White Grootendorst’ isn’t a particularly fragrant rose, but the visual impact of its dramatic double flowers that burst into flower between June and November more than makes up for it. It’s lovely grown in pots and will reach a height of 1.2 metres.
5. Rosa ‘Penelope Hobhouse’
‘One thinks of such a little bush as ‘Paquerette’ as in place in a child’s garden or on a child’s grave,’ writes Jekyll, with the slightly morbid note of a true Victorian. ‘Paquerette’ is no longer available, but Ian suggests ‘Penelope Hobhouse’ as a suitable stand-in.
A 1.5m shrub rose, it has clusters of semi-double flowers in white, and can be grown as a small climber or as a hedge as well as in a border (no grave required).
6. Rosa ‘Perle d’Or’
Still available today, ‘Perle d’Or’ has clusters of apricot-buff flowers small enough for a buttonhole, with a light old rose fragrance. It has slender, almost thornless stems and reaches 90cm tall.
A nearly thornless rose that flowers between June and November, it has a lingering, rich, fruity scent and beautiful apple-green leaves. The dream growing conditions for Perle d’Or include full sun and lots of air circulation.
7. Rosa ‘Conrad F. Meyer’
‘Charming salmon-pink’ is how Jekyll described ‘Conrad F. Meyer’, a large shrub rose that’s still available today. Its crumpled tissue flowers are produced on a 2.4m tall shrub, which can be grown as a small climber, or as a hedge. Its rugosa genes mean it’s a thorny, vigorous grower, tolerant of poor soils and some shade, but it can be prone to rust.
An ideal hedging rose, that is at its best in June and July, and then from September to November. It has a fantastic fragrance and can also be grown as a small climber reaching heights of 240cm.
8. Rosa ‘Maiden’s Blush’
Jekyll recommended ‘Maiden’s Blush’, which is still available today, although you’ll sometimes find it listed as ‘Great Maiden’s Blush’. This very fragrant shrub rose has flowers in soft pink and foliage that’s variously described as having blue or grey tones. It reaches 1.5m tall.
Plant in full sun or partial shade in fertile, well-drained soil. Prune after flowering to maintain shape and encourage strong growth. Perfect for cottage gardens, mixed borders, or as a fragrant, traditional feature rose with timeless charm.
9. Rosa ‘Stanwell Perpetual’
‘It fully deserves its name, as it flowers throughout the summer,’ said Gertrude Jekyll of pale pink-flowered ‘Stanwell Perpetual’, also still grown today. ‘Its weak point is a somewhat straggly habit. To correct this, it is well to place three plants in one group close together – that is to say about a foot apart – when they will close up and form a well-shaped bush,’ she advised.
Rosa ‘Stanwell Perpetual’ is a pimpinellifolia rose, with that group’s typical ferny leaflets, and reaches 1.2m tall. It’s fragrant and grows in poorer soil.
10. Rosa ‘Old Blush China’
‘Old Blush China’ is ‘always welcome with its pretty, clear pink colouring, its dainty scent and neat foliage. It makes compact, low hedges, but I like it best grown with rosemary bushes. They look just right together,’ wrote Jekyll. It’s still available to buy for anyone wanting to try the combination.
A repeat-flowering rose with a fruity fragrance, I adore the pink flush of its clusters of flowers. It’s a fantastic twiggy garden shrub that will reach 125cm and is a favourite with pollinators.
11. Rosa mundi
Rosa mundi will also look familiar to modern-day gardeners, since this shrub rose with striped bright and pale pink flowers is still widely grown. You may find it sold as Rosa gallica ‘Versicolor’. It looks truly picturesque paired with the deep purple tips of lavender varieties.
12. Rosa ‘Félicité-Perpétue’
Jekyll mentions rambling roses ‘Félicité-Perpétue’ and ‘Dundee Rambler’. ‘Félicité-Perpétue’ is still a popular choice today for larger spaces – it will ramble up to 6m high – with lots of pretty pompon flowers in creamy white. Ian also recommends it as a good ‘dupe’ for ‘Dundee Rambler,’ which isn’t available now.
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Grow Rosa ‘Félicité-Perpétue’ in full sun and in moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil. It will grow to 6 metres and is fast-growing and full-hardy with a delightful primrose-like fragrance.
13. Rosa ‘Albéric Barbier’
Rambling rose ‘Albéric Barbier’ has been around since 1860 and is still available today. In early summer, its pale yellow buds open out to creamy white flowers with a fruity fragrance. Long flexible stems make it an easy one to train, but at 7.5m it’s best on a larger pergola or sizeable arch.
A full hardy rose, it will thrive in a sheltered position and in full sunshine, although it also performs very well in shaded areas, including north-facing positions. Ideally, it prefers to be grown in well-drained, enriched soil. It can tolerate temperatures as low as -15°C.
Whether you are interested in adding height and vertical interest with a garden arch or searching for plants for your pergola, a rose is both an endlessly romantic and traditional choice. For rose essentials, make sure you have a sturdy pair of gloves (because thorns are not friendly). Some of our favourites on our tried and tested heavy-duty gloves include the Bionic Rose gardening gloves from Amazon, and the Draper tools expert premium leather gardening gloves from Amazon. It’s also advisable to have a Rootgrow Mycorrhizal Fungi in the shed to feed your rose with all the valuable nutrients it needs to flower spectacularly.
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