Flowers · Perennials and shrubs
Gertrude Jekyll rose
Rosa 'Gertrude Jekyll'
A shrub rose with rich pink, strongly scented rosettes in flushes from early summer into autumn. It can be grown as a bush or trained on a warm wall.
Growing conditions
Soilclay, loam, chalk
Moisturemoist, well-drained
pHneutral, alkaline
Position
SunFull sun
Aspecteast, south, west
Exposuresheltered
HardinessH6
Size
Time to maturityFlowers well from the second summer
Max height1.2–1.8 m
Max spread1–1.2 m
In the garden
Plant bare-root in the dormant season, or container plants in any mild month. Give it sun, an airy site, and a mulch in spring. Prune in late winter to an open framework.
Aphids, blackspot and mildew appear in still or overcrowded spots. Pick off badly marked leaves.
Colour and scent
A mark in a season means the plant is doing that for at least part of it.
| Season | Foliage | Flower | Scent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Leaves | — | — |
| Summer | Leaves | deep pink | Scented |
| Autumn | Leaves | deep pink | Scented |
| Winter | — | — | — |
- JanDormant
- FebDormant
- MarDormant
- AprFoliage
- MayFoliage
- Jundeep pink
- Juldeep pink
- Augdeep pink
- Sepdeep pink
- OctFoliage
- NovDormant
- DecDormant
Jobs
These dates suit a mild southern garden. A northern or Scottish plan shifts spring and autumn jobs by a fortnight.
15 February
Prune
Shorten Gertrude Jekyll by about a third and take out dead or crossing wood while it is dormant.
20 March
Feed and mulch
Spread a rose feed and a layer of compost around the base, keeping it off the stems.
15 July
Deadhead
Cut faded clusters back to a leaf so the next flush is encouraged.