When to plant and prune Rose (Gallica & Old Garden Roses)
Rose (Gallica & Old Garden Roses) flowers from early June to early July and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Rose (Gallica & Old Garden Roses) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| South Coast and Channel | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| South East and Home Counties | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| East Anglia | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Wales and West Coast | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Northern England | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Northern Ireland | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late October to late December | early June to early July | early August to late August |
Growing notes
The ancestors of modern roses - intensely fragrant, once-flowering in early to midsummer, with a short but memorable season. Rosa gallica var. officinalis, the apothecary's rose, is compact at around 1m and holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit. Very hardy and tolerant of neglect.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 90 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 110 cm
- Eventual spread
- 110 cm
- Hardiness
- H7
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 30 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
Feeding
Feed in March/April as growth resumes and again in mid-summer after the first flush; roses in containers need feeding fortnightly from mid-spring to late summer.
Pruning: what to avoid
These are once-flowering roses: prune after the single midsummer flush, never in late winter, or the wood that would have flowered is cut away. Gallicas on their own roots also sucker freely, so lift or hoe off unwanted shoots each spring.
Pruning group
RHS pruning group 20 (shrub roses, single flush): after the summer flush shorten flowered shoots, remove dead or crossing wood and take out an old stem or two at the base
Bare-root season
Bare-root stock is lifted and sold while dormant, from late October to late March. Container-grown plants can go in at other times of year, but bare-root is cheaper and establishes well.
What usually goes wrong
- powdery mildew late in the season
- suckering on own-root plants
- black spot
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for rose (gallica & old garden roses).