Low Maintenance Roses That Last

Roses may not be the first plants that come to mind when you think of resilient, hard-working shrubs. If that’s the case, it’s time to think again. Nothing brightens summer days like a gorgeous rose, and these undemanding winners don’t ask for much. Give them full sun, consistent moisture and rich, well-drained soil; then prune them back before new growth begins each spring. They’ll blanket your landscape with disease-resistant foliage and magnificent blooms from June until frost, while you settle back and enjoy the performance. Consider shopping this low maintenance roses from McKay Nursery:

Drift roses were developed by breeding full-size groundcover roses with miniature roses to bring the best qualities of both types to landscapes. Apricot Drift Rose, part of this special series, adds drama to your garden with double apricot-pink flowers that bloom continuously from June until October. You’ll love the glossy, dark green, disease-resistant foliage, too. Apricot Drift rose grows about 1.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Like all members of the Drift family of roses, it’s excellent for landscape plantings, mixed borders, small-space gardens, and even containers. (Hardiness zones 4 through 9)

The name of this low-maintenance rose leaves no doubt how easy it is to grow, but minimal maintenance isn’t all it offers. Oso Easy Paprika Rose has masses of spicy, red-orange flowers with sunny yellow eyes. The single blooms mature to a beautiful coral-orange against a backsplash of low, mounding, disease-resistant foliage. Oso Easy Paprika is great for containers, borders and landscape groupings that deliver bold, tropical brushes of color. It grows up to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide with June-to-October blooms. (Hardiness zones 3 through 9)

From June until a heavy frost puts an end to flowers, Ruby Meidiland Rose provides a continuous stream of color with abundant clusters of small, ruby red blooms. Glossy, disease-resistant, dark green foliage accentuates the generous flowers. Ruby Meidiland is an excellent choice for low-maintenance foundation plantings, mixed borders or striking, informal low hedges. The clusters are beautiful in casual bouquets, too. This rose grows about 3 feet tall and wide. (Hardiness zones 4 through 9)

No list of easy-care roses is complete without the original Knock Out Rose. Bred by Milwaukee rose breeder Will Radler, about an hour east of McKay Nursery, this rose redefined disease resistance in roses. Knock Out’s new burgundy foliage matures to dark green as a multitude of cherry red flowers bloom from spring until frost. You’ll enjoy orange-red rose hips against winter snows as well. Knock Out grows about 3 feet tall and wide in Wisconsin, but it’s taller in warmer climates. Try this rose and you’ll want other members of the Knock Out family for your home. (Hardiness zones 5 through 9)

With low-maintenance, disease-resistant roses like these at work in your landscape, you’ll enjoy blooms and beautiful, glossy foliage until fall frosts arrive. Shop our plants online now for in-store pickup, local truck delivery, or FedEx home delivery anywhere in the continental United States.