Rosa sempervirens (Evergreen Rose)

A spectacular sight in spring to summer, Rosa sempervirens (Evergreen Rose) is a strong-growing large rambler with small clusters of fragrant, single, white flowers, up to 2 in. wide (5 cm), adorned with golden stamens. Produced in abundance on arching stems with thorny shoots bearing glossy dark green leaves composed of 5 sharply toothed leaflets, the flowers are followed by small, orange-red hips in the fall, extending the season of interest. This vigorous, rambling rose is ideal for covering an eyesore, a large wall or scrambling through a tree.

• Blooms once in late spring or early summer.
• Grows up to 20 ft. tall (6 m) and 15-20 ft. wide (4-6 m). An excellent choice for wall-side borders or trees.
• Best grown in full sun or light shade, in humus-rich, fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Mulch with organic matter in late winter or early spring. Apply a general rose or shrub fertilizer in early spring and again in early summer to promote flowering.
• Keep an eye out for aphids, rose leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects, caterpillars, large rose sawfly, rose slugworm sawfly, rose leaf-rolling sawfly, rose black spot, rose rust, replant disease, rose dieback, and rose powdery mildew.
• Prune in late summer, after the show of flowers and hips.
• Propagate by hardwood cuttings in autumn, softwood cuttings (under glass) in spring or summer or by chip budding in summer.
• Native to the Mediterranean.