Nearly Thornless Roses

1982

4 to 6 feet    Z5-11 R Fr H mp

The erect habit, rounded leaves, and thornless stems of 'Basye's Blueberry' make it look quite similar to a blueberry bush, especially when the leaves begin to take on their fall color. Bright pink, semi-double fragrant flowers with bright yellow stamens add to the appeal. This plant represents one of the stepping stones toward Dr. Robert Basye’s goal of thornless, disease-free roses.

1902

12 to 15 feet    Z6-11 R Fr w

The climbing sport of ‘Clotilde Soupert’.

1883

3 to 5 feet    Z7-11 R Fr pb 

It is rather ironic that this hardy and easy to grow rose is not very well known and absent from most gardens. 'G. Nabonnand's' delicate flowers are large, semi-double and lovely in color. A salmon pink washed with yellow gives us the impression of apricot watered silk. The fragrance is really special and though the bush is somewhat open, being thornless is a great compensation.

2015

5 to 6 feet    Z5-11 R Fr H ab

'Gypsy Sue' is a very vigorous, upright shrub to six feet. Her vigor is in contrast to the delicate, Tea-like flowers of soft tones of apricot. The flowers are very double and fragrant. This rose is named after a benefactor of the Reeves Reed Arboretum.

1807

12 to 20 feet    Z8-11 O Fr w

This white form of Rosa banksiae was named in honor of the wife of gifted amateur rosarian, Sir Joseph Banks. The botanist who named it, Robert Brown, commented on its lovely fragrance, saying, Indeed I doubt whether many persons if blindfolded could by the odour distinguish them from violets. Banksia roses are thornless and appear to have no serious insect or disease problems. They are long-lived. Any Southerner who plants one may be assured that it will outlive his grandchildren. During the massive flowering, 1 inch blooms cover the plant like a thick blanket, lasting up to six weeks. Cold is its worst enemy, with hardiness questionable below 15 degrees F. For some reason, deer do not like to eat these roses, so they are perfect to naturalize.

1824

12 to 20 feet    Z8-11 O ly

The double yellow form of R. banksiae.

2022

5 X 5ft    Z 5-11 R Fr H dp

'Lasting Memories' is a rose straight from a romance novel, and leaves nothing to the imagination.  Its fragrant perfume (cherry and damask with a hint of citrus) and velvety pink petals create the sensation that is ideal for any secret garden but will love your garden bed as well.  This cold hardy, nearly thornless,  4 -5 foot  shrub has clean foliage requiring little care once planted. Flowers are delicate, falling off of the plant cleanly only after a few days.  With 'Dee-Lish' as a parent, fragrance is what this rose is known for.  

1956

3 to 5 feet   Z6-11 R Fr mr

Also known as 'Stella Dallas', this Ralph Moore miniature is a true treasure. This trouble-free rose blooms constantly with small, double, scarlet flowers with pointed petals that show a base of white. The lightly apple-scented flowers of 'Little Buckaroo' are a nice contrast to the dark green foliage on this neat and sturdy bush.

1879

15 to 20 feet    Z6-11 R Fr w

Though classed as a Noisette, the full blooms of this rose are more of a Bourbon or Hybrid Tea in shape. The flowers are intensely fragrant, cupped, and double opening the palest of pinks, then cooling to creamy white. Vigorous to about 20 feet and easy to work with, "Madame Alfred" will create a vertical focal point in any garden. Its nearly thornless canes make it a very easy rose to train. We have had flowers from it in January, when it was the only plant in the garden to bear a bloom.

1893

5 to 8 feet    Z5-11 O Fr lp

A soul-satisfying rose, ‘Marchioness of Londonderry’ opens from high-centered buds to huge, cabbage-like flowers of palest pink. The canes are longer than is typical even for this class. Hence it is perfect for a fence or trellis. Alas, 'Marchioness of Londonderry' is not a frequent blooming rose, but one well worth waiting for.

1999

3 to 4 feet    Z5-11 R Fr lp

'Marie Daly' is one of the best white Polyanthas out there, and an Earth-Kind® rose no less. Originating as a sport of 'Marie Pavié', you would think there wouldn’t be much difference, between the two. Surprisingly though, 'Marie Daly' is much more disease resistant and a better overall rose.

1888

3 to 4 feet    Z5-11 R Fr w

We have seen this versatile and handsome rose used as a border, pot plant, specimen, or low hedge. Sweetly-shaped, pale pink buds unfold to creamy white, semi-double flowers of delicious fragrance. 'Marie Pavie' is sure to be a favorite with all who grow it. It is almost constantly in bloom and the wonderful scent permeates the garden on warm days. The foliage is a dark, rich, healthy green and the thornless stems of 'Marie Pavie' make this rose an outstanding landscape plant.

2002

6 to 8 feet    Z5-11 R Fr H pb

This rose is an excellent pillar rose up to eight feet or a large shrub.The thornless canes produce soft apricot pink flowers from spring through fall. We find 'Miss Lillian' to be disease resistant.

1907

3 to 6 feet    Z7-11 R Fr yb

We find this rose often when wandering through older gardens. ‘Mrs. Dudley Cross’ is a compact, shapely bush that rewards even the most careless gardener with a constant supply of fragrant, double, delicately shaped yellow flowers that blush a little pink in the sun. The stems are nearly always thornless and the foliage is healthy and handsome.

2010

5 to 6 feet    Z5-11 R Fr pb

'Nancy Gay' is a vigorous shrub that can reach six feet. It produces three inch blooms that are a very delicate soft pink from spring through fall. It has very few thorns which adds to its softness.

1923

5 by 5 foot shrub or 8 to 12 foot climber

Z6-11 R Fr mr

Bright crimson, semi-double flowers in clusters make 'Nur Mahal' a real eye-catcher. If grown as a climber, it will reach 8 to 12 feet.

1869

4 to 6 feet   Z5-11 R Fr mp

If your grandmother mentioned "cabbage roses", this is probably the rose she meant. The fragrant, rich pink flowers can be 6 or 7 inches wide. Even though ‘Paul Neyron’ is no relation to the true ‘Cabbage Rose’, R. centifolia, it has the wonderful fullness associated with the term, Cabbage Rose. The growth habit tends to be linear, so place it towards the back of the flower bed.

1952

5 to 7 feet or 8 to 12 feet as a climber    Z6-11 R Fr mp

'Climbing Pinkie' is one of our favorite roses for use in many garden niches. The nearly thornless canes are easy to work with when training it as a climber (8 to 12 feet), but it will also grow without support as a graceful, cascading shrub. Once established, it is very difficult to catch this rose out of bloom and the flushes of scented, semi-double flowers simply smother the bush in bright rose pink. One plant on each side of your gate or driveway will turn your yard into a traffic hazard.

1924

3 to 8 feet    Z5-11 O Fr dp

The only native climbing rose in North America and the only member of the synstylae group found wild in the U.S., the ‘Prairie Rose’ has quite a list of distinctions. The arching stems are thornless and do not sucker, but will root readily when touching the ground. The single, bright pink flowers appear very late in spring or even early summer when other wild roses have finished blooming. This trait can extend the flowering period of the wild garden. This rose is especially cold hardy, tough, and disease resistant, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance plantings. There is some controversy about the fragrance, or lack of it. Ellen Willmott called the flowers "deficient in scent". However, Graham Stuart Thomas, in Shrub Roses of Today, says they are "very fragrant in spite of numerous statements to the contrary."

1965

2 to 20 feet   Z5-11 O H w

 A thornless form of 'R. wichuraiana'.

1860

4 to 5 feet    Z5-11 R Fr m

This thornless rose grows like the Bourbons but bears Gallica-like flat blooms of a muted cerise lilac. ‘Reine des Violettes’ makes a chunky bush about five feet square with glossy leaves which require hard pruning in early spring to keep it compact.