White Rugosa Rose

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

3-4 Feet

Mature Spread

5-7 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 8

The delicate-looking and captivating flowers of the White Rugosa Rosa contrast the hardy nature of this perennial. Pure white petals with a slight ruffle surround yellow stamens, giving off a sweet-smelling fragrance. The lovely blooms grow on thorny stems with dark green foliage. Flowers emerge in the spring, and this plant will continue to bloom throughout the growing season, although the first flush of flowers is the most prolific. The Rosa rugosa Alba is easy to maintain and can handle challenging conditions, like sand and salt, making it ideal for beachfront plantings.

This plant has a sprawling, multi-branched habit and reaches about 3 to 4 feet tall. Plant this beguiling beauty along a foundation wall or border to create a flowering hedge. Feature as a focal point in a bed or mass planting. Try to locate this shrub in a low-traffic area due to the thorns. The White Rugosa Rosa is a perennial in USDA zones 2 through 8. 

White Rugosa Rose Care

Select a spot with partial shade to full sun as the White Rugosa Rosa needs at least 4 to 6 hours of light. Expect more blooms when the plant receives higher levels of light. Soil should have a 5.6 to 6.5 pH and high organic content while allowing for drainage, although this plant is forgiving when grown in poor quality soil. Water this shrub well through the first growing season, and after the plant is established, water weekly or when the top few inches of soil are dry. Feed this plant using a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in the spring, but it is not necessary to fertilize if grown in rich soil. 

Prune the plant in the spring to encourage new growth. White Rugosa Rosa is a large plant, and you can let it do its thing with minimal pruning, only removing damaged or old growth or suckers. This shrub also responds well to more involved pruning to maintain a specific size.

White Rugosa Rose Spacing

This sizable upright plant will grow 3 to 4 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide. Create a hedge or dense planting by spacing shrubs 4 to 6 feet apart.