When to plant and prune Rose (Standard)
Rose (Standard) 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 (Standard) 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
A lollipop-shaped rose that flowers at eye level and adds instant height to a border; works best as a formal focal point or a matched pair, and is well suited to large containers. Needs a sheltered position in full sun - avoid exposed sites where wind can blow it over.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 100 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 150 cm
- Eventual spread
- 100 cm
- Hardiness
- H6
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 45 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
Staking is essential and permanent - a standard in full flower is top heavy and will bend, break or blow over, so check the ties every year. Remove any shoots that appear low down the stem, as these are suckers from the Rosa canina or R. multiflora stem. Prune the crown according to the type of rose grafted on, not because it is a standard: a weeping standard is a rambler and is pruned after flowering in summer.
Pruning group
Prune the crown in late winter according to the rose type used - most standards carry a hybrid tea, floribunda or shrub rose and are shortened to keep a balanced head
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
- wind-rock and stem breakage
- suckering from the stem rootstock
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for rose (standard).