When to plant and prune Rose (Ground-cover)
Rose (Ground-cover) flowers from mid June to early October and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Rose (Ground-cover) 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 | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| South Coast and Channel | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| South East and Home Counties | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| East Anglia | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Wales and West Coast | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Northern England | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Northern Ireland | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late October to late December | mid June to early October | mid February to early March |
Growing notes
Low, spreading and generally very disease-resistant - useful on banks, over low walls and as weed-suppressing cover. Most have little scent. Plant through a mulch rather than into bare soil, as weeding among the prickly stems later is unpleasant.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 90 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 60 cm
- Eventual spread
- 150 cm
- Hardiness
- H6
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 30 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 3 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
Trailing ground-cover roses bred from ramblers flower on last year's wood and are pruned in summer after flowering; the shrubby modern kinds are pruned in late winter. Pruning a rambler-type in February removes its only flush.
Pruning group
RHS pruning group 19 (ground-cover): in late winter reduce strong shoots by about a third and shorten sideshoots to 2-3 buds; renovate a tired plant by cutting the whole thing to about 10cm
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
- black spot
- aphids
- powdery mildew
- rose replant disease
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for rose (ground-cover).