Gertrude Jekyll® English Rose

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

8-9 Feet

Mature Spread

2-3 Feet

Growing Zones

6 to 8

Gertrude Jeckyll® is the first English-type rose to open in late spring. The glowing, pink petals form the perfect double flower. The dark green foliage makes a wonderful backdrop for the fragrant flowers. This popular shrub rose was introduced in 1986 to commemorate English Garden Designer Gertrude Jeckyll and is still a bestseller.

Rosa Gertrude Jeckyll® has an intense fragrance and does a great job of attracting beneficial pollinators to any area where it is grown. This is classified as a shrub rose, although it also makes a lovely short-growing climber on a trellis or other sturdy support. Roses are the heart of an English Cottage Garden design, and Gertrude Jeckyll® will look fabulous next to hardy geraniums, peonies, and foxgloves.

Gertrude Jeckyll® English Rose Care

Fertilize shrub roses early in the spring with a slow-release granular feed formulated for roses. Avoid wetting the foliage, which can lead to foliar disease, and use drip irrigation or soaker hoses for supplemental watering if possible.

Pruning shrub roses is easy and only needed once a year. Late winter or early spring is the time to clean up any dead, dying, diagonal, or damaged branches from the winter. Cut the cane down to the ground to keep Gertrude Jeckyll® compact. Because this shrub rose is grown on its own root stock, there is a better chance that it will survive in the coldest growing zones with little extra protection. Even if top growth dies off during the winter, new growth will regenerate from the base of the shrub quickly during the next growing season.

Gertrude Jeckyll® English Rose Spacing

Gertrude Jeckyll® is larger than many shrub roses and can even be trained to climb on a short trellis or fence. The mature height is 8-9 feet with a spread of 2-3 feet. Space multiple roses 3 feet apart on center to provide proper air circulation around plants.