The low small shrub roses are perfect for creating larger areas. We present you the 15 most beautiful varieties of ground cover roses.
If you want to quickly green up a larger, unused area, roses (Rosa) are perfect for this. Ground cover roses are undemanding permanent bloomers that will delight you with their blooms well into autumn. Depending on the variety, the small shrub roses - as they are also called - are particularly robust, very floriferous or are characterized by their longevity. They are also available in many different colors - for example with red, white or pink flowers. Unlike shrub roses, however, most groundcover roses really do their best when planted in groups. It is therefore best to buy several plants of the same variety at the same time, or simply combine your roses with perennials or ornamental grasses of the same color.
Roses make an attractive form of ground cover, but not every variety lends itself to dense group planting. What distinguishes ground cover roses is summarized for you below. We also present a small selection of particularly beautiful varieties.
Ground cover roses: characteristics and growth habit
Ground cover roses are nothing more than low-growing bed or shrub roses. They reach a height of about 20 to 100 centimeters and are usually very easy to care for. During the annual pruning in spring, the rose bushes are usually only thinned out and the old, strong wood is removed. To achieve good ground cover, it is best to plant several roses next to each other. For short-growing varieties you need about three to five plants per square meter and for strong-growing varieties about two to three plants per square meter.
Some groundcover roses convince with their fragrance, others with their flower color or shape. The growth form, the susceptibility to diseases and the maintenance effort can sometimes be a decision-making criterion when buyingrepresent. Small ground cover roses with long shoots are very versatile. They grow extremely quickly and can cover large areas with their blooms in a short time. Slopes and embankments can also be greened very well with this. Bush-shaped ground cover roses can also be wonderfully combined with ornamental grasses and perennials. Ground cover roses are very suitable for planting graves, mainly due to their low maintenance requirements.
The 15 Most Beautiful Ground Cover Rose Varieties
With the huge selection of roses available on the market, it is usually not that easy to choose a variety. Perhaps the following selection of ground cover roses can serve as inspiration for your rose purchase.
- 'Apache'
Red, cupped flowers; blooming often; broad, bushy growth; reaches heights of up to 90 cm; ground covering from 3 to 4 plants/m²; very good leaf he alth; weatherproof flowers; good winter hardiness
- 'Apple Blossom'
Soft pink buds; single, white flowers in umbels; delicate fragrance; soft, pliable shoots; reaches heights of growth of up to 80 cm; optimal planting density is 2 plants/m²; high leaf he alth
- 'Aspririn-Rose'
ADR-Rose with semi-double white flowers; in cool weather light rose tone; blooming often; broad, bushy growth (up to 80 cm high); vigorous; good ground cover only from the second year (3 to 4 plants/m²); high leaf he alth; hardy
- 'Austriana'
Semi-double, blood-red flowers with yellow stamens; blooming often; broad, bushy growth; grows about 50 to 80 cm high; good leaf he alth; ground covering from 4 plants/m²; very robust and easy to care for
- 'Bienenweide'
Small, delicately colored flowers in apricot pink; blooming often; serves as a food source for bees; compact, bushy growth; grows about 40 to 60 cm high; ground covering from 4 plants/m²; robust against fungal diseases; hardy
- 'Gardeners' Delight'
Also known as 'Toscana'; small, double flowers in raspberry red; blooming often; flat growth; only reaches heights between 40 and 50 cm; ground covering from 4 plants/m²; very easy to care for; good leaf he alth; hardy
- 'Heidefeuer'
Modern variety with red flowers; blooming often; strong, broad bushy growth; grows about 40 to 60 cm high; recommended planting density of 3 to 4plants/m²; hardly any maintenance necessary; tolerates partial shade well; robust and very frost hardy
- 'Heidetraum'
ADR rose with numerous crimson flowers; blooming often; lightly scented; bushy growth (up to 80 cm high); looks best in groups of 3 to 4 plants/m²; hardly any maintenance necessary; rainproof and heat tolerant; good leaf he alth
- 'Jazz'
Small, semi-double flowers of coppery orange to peach yellow; blooming often; broad, bushy growth to a height of up to 80 cm; need of 4 to 5 plants/m²; good self-cleaning; good leaf he alth; tolerates semi-shade
- 'Kent'
Double, pure white flowers from June to October; plentiful; wide, flat growth up to 60 cm high; dense branching; ground covering from 4 plants/m²; prickly shoots; good frost hardiness
- ‘Knirps’
ADR rose with very double flowers in pink; blooming often; very willing to flower; flat, prostrate growth; grows only between 20 and 30 cm high; recommended planting density of 4 to 5 plants/m²; robust variety with good he alth; hardy
- 'Mainaufeuer'
Blood-red, loosely filled flowers of medium size; blooming often; wide, upright growth; reaches heights of up to 60 cm; ground covering from 4 plants/m²; robust variety with good long-distance effect; hardy
- 'Mirato'
Medium-sized, double flowers of bright pink; blooming often; lightly scented; wide, bushy growth; grows about 50 to 80 cm high; ground covering from 4 plants/m²; good self-cleaning; hardy; awarded ADR Rose
- 'Sommerwind'
Semi-double pink flowers; blooming often; very willing to flower; broad, bushy growth (up to 60 cm high); ground covering from 4 plants/m²; good leaf he alth; flowers are rain-hardy and heat-tolerant; hardy
- ‘The Fairy’
Small, very double salmon pink flowers; blooming often; broad, bushy growth (up to 80 cm high); recommended planting density is 4 plants/m²; heat tolerant; robust variety with good he alth; suitable for embankments and slopes
Have you got a taste for it and now you want to plant more roses in your garden? Here you will find beautiful types and varieties of roses - from bed roses to climbing roses and fragrant roses.
Onlyif your roses are in good he alth, they will thrive and produce numerous flowers. In our special article, we explain how you should prune your ground cover roses.