Guide to Floribunda Roses

Floribunda roses are well-loved for their beautiful flowers, delicious scent and repeat flowering habit, gracing your garden with blooms from early June until late autumn. They produce flowers in clusters in a wide range of colours and styles, ranging from bright to pastel colours, striped or spotted blooms. Developed by crossing hybrid teas with polyantha roses, they are strong-growing, stiff shrubs - smaller and bushier than hybrid tea roses but less dense and sprawling than the average polyantha.

They are easy to grow and manage – requiring a hard prune in winter, two feeds a year in spring and summer and dead-heading after flowers have faded to encourage the production of more fresh new blooms. Modern floribunda roses have strong disease resistance and new varieties are being created all the time – so we are constantly extending and revising our range!

Jump To:

What are floribunda roses?
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Brief history of floribunda roses
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Comparison of floribunda, hybrid tea and polyantha roses
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How to choose a floribunda rose
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Where to grow floribunda roses
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When to plant a floribunda rose
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How to plant a floribunda rose
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Growing floribunda roses in containers
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Pruning floribunda roses
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Caring for floribunda roses through the seasons

What are floribunda roses?

Floribundas are stiff, bushy, upright shrub roses characterised by clusters of flowers borne repeatedly throughout summer and autumn. The name “floribunda” is Latin for “many flowering”. Each flower is smaller than hybrid teas and they normally aren’t as fragrant but the large clusters of blooms gives an impressive floral display. Hardy and free flowering, their showy, fragrant blooms are grown for display, rather than used as cut flowers as the stems are shorter than hybrid tea roses. Floribunda roses are particularly well suited to providing permanent structure to bedding displays, growing in containers on the patio, or incorporating into the front of shrub or mixed borders.

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Brief history of floribunda roses

Floribundas were developed by cross breeding hybrid teas with polyantha roses, with the intention of creating roses which bloomed as profusely as polyanthas but with the beauty and range of colours of hybrid teas. Danish rose breeder Dines Poulsen introduced the first polyantha/hybrid tea cross in 1907, producing a rose called ‘Red Riding Hood’. Initially called a Hybrid Polyantha or Poulsen rose, it demonstrated characteristics of both its parents. Poulsen and other breeders introduced several other Hybrid Polyantha roses in the early 1900s, including ‘Else Poulsen’ in 1924. In 1930, Dr J.N. Nicolas, a rose hybridiser in the US coined the name “floribunda” which has been used ever since to refer to roses that are a cross between hybrid teas and polyanthas.

Comparison of floribunda, hybrid tea and polyantha roses

Floribunda roses are smaller than a typical hybrid tea but less compact and sprawling than your usual polyantha. Blooms have the classic hybrid tea shape and are available in the same impressive range of colours, making them a great addition to a rose bed, mixed border or even a container on the patio. Classifications between different types of roses can sometimes be confusing at best. In the table below we’ve tried to demystify the main differences between floribunda, hybrid tea and polyantha roses to help you to understand which might be most suitable for your site and situation.

How to choose a floribunda rose

There are a wide range of floribunda roses available in the same impressive range of colours as hybrid tea roses, so it’s worth considering which is best suited to your site and situation.

Whilst selection is partly a matter of personal taste, give some thought to these points when choosing a floribunda rose:

• Flower Colour – floribunda roses are available in pinks, oranges, reds, yellow, oranges, purples, creamy whites and almost everything else in between. The only colours they do not naturally grow in are blue and black, although through clever breeding blueish varieties such as Rose ‘Blue for You’ are now available. Consider how you want your floribunda rose to fit in with the wider colour display in your garden. Warm colours like yellows, oranges and reds are energising and make the garden feel vibrant. Cool colour like purples and blues are calming and can make the garden feel more serene. Avoid using colors that clash, like bright red and bright magenta.

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• Flower Colour (continued…) - the colour wheel is a useful tool to help plan colour schemes in your garden. Adjacent colour combinations that are next to one another on the colour wheel work well together because they harmonise and blend. Colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel deliver high impact colour combinations, such as red set off against a green background. For combinations of three colours, also known as colour triads, draw an equilateral triangle (one with three sides of the same length) connecting colours in the colour wheel. Colour triads include, for example, red, yellow and blue… or violet, orange and green…

• Eventual Height and Spread – consider how the eventual height and spread of different floribunda roses compares to what you're looking to use them for. Sizes of floribunda roses vary from compact and low growing patio roses with an eventual height of 30-60cm, ideal for the front of a border or small patio container, to taller varieties growing up to 1.5-1.8m (5-6 feet) which are well suited to using as a flowering hedge. We recommend planting most floribunda roses about 90cm apart in the border or 60cm apart when planted as a hedge.

• Disease Resistance – Floribunda roses are generally more disease resistant than hybrid tea roses, making them easier to grow. Disease resistance of more modern varieties tends to be superior to older varieties.

• Scent – floribunda roses are not usually as fragrant as hybrid tea roses but more fragrant varieties are now appearing. Some of the most fragrant floribunda roses are Rose ‘Belle de Jour’, Rose ’English Miss’ and Rose ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.

Where to grow floribunda roses

Floribunda roses grow best in full sun in a moist yet free-draining soil. They will thrive on clay providing the ground does not lie wet…

• Aspect - floribunda roses grow best in full sun. They will not succeed in shade or if they are crowded out by other plants.
• Shelter – the chosen site should be sheltered from strong winds. Consider which direction the wind typically blows in your garden and if you can give your floribunda rose shelter behind a fence, shed, outbuilding, hedge or large shrubs in the border.

• Soil – floribunda roses prefer a rich, fertile, well-drained soil. They like to have plenty of moisture but do not like sitting with wet feet, so the ground must be free draining. If your ground naturally lies wet, incorporate some sand or coarse grid and organic matter when planting to improve drainage.

• Space - make sure your rose has enough space so its roots aren't competing with other plants. If you’re growing your floribunda close to a wall, plant it at least 30-45cm (1-1.5 feet) away from the base of the wall so rainwater can get to the roots.

When to plant a floribunda rose

Potted roses can be planted at any time of the year, although from the beginning of autumn to early spring is best as this is when they are dormant. Bare root roses are available to plant during the dormancy period between November and the end of March. Do not plant roses if the ground is frozen or waterlogged. If the conditions are not appropriate, keep containerised plants in an unheated outbuilding and 'heel in' bare root roses by digging a trench in ordinary garden soil and placing the roots inside and covering with loose soil. Provide additional fleece protection if conditions are particularly harsh.

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How to plant a floribunda rose

Double-dig the soil before planting to eliminate compaction and ensure it is well aerated. Dig your planting hole wide enough to comfortably accommodate the roots and deep enough so the graft will rest at soil level (to spot the graft point look for a bulge at the base of the shoots). Spread the roots across the planting hole and backfill using a mix of the dug soil plus plenty of well-rotted organic matter such as garden compost, recycled green waste or manure. We also recommend mixing in a generous helping of rose feed as roses are heavy feeders. Firm the soil down and water well.

Growing floribunda roses in containers

Roses also grow well in containers, which is a good option if you have a heavy clay soil or just want to add a splash or colour to the patio. Choose a deep container to accommodate the rose plants deep tap root system (except for miniatures where you will get away with a smaller pot).

Choose a loam-based compost such as John Innes No 3, water well and top-dress with rose fertiliser each April. All other planting steps are the same as for growing roses in the ground (see above) but you'll need to pay special attention to feeding your rose using rose feed or another high potassium fertiliser regularly during the summer flowering period.

Pruning floribunda roses

Correctly pruning your floribunda rose will ensure it grows vigorously and blooms well year after year. If repeatedly left unpruned, the branches of your rose bush will gradually tangle and start to look a mess.

• When to prune: Early March just as your rose is starting to grow again.
• Equipment required: Gardening gloves and sharp pair of secateurs.
• What to remove: Cut away dead, diseased, damaged, or crossing stems. Remove weak stems to the base to create an open, goblet shape. Also remove stubby stems and thin, twiggy stems.
• How much to cut: Cut back the strongest remaining shoots to within 10–12 in (25–30 cm) of the soil. Prune less vigorous shoots more severely.
• How to cut: Cut to an outward-facing bud to encourage outward growth. Make a clean cut at an angle above a bud, with the cut facing the direction you want the new shoot to grow.
• After pruning: Clear any fallen leaves and debris from around the base of the plant to keep things tidy and reduce the risk of disease and fertilise using rose feed.

Caring for floribunda roses through the seasons

Cold Protection
Floribunda roses are fully hardy, generally disease resistant and easy to care for. They are hardy to about minus 12 degree Celsius but we would suggest providing cold protection if the temperature stays below minus 6 degrees for an extended period of time. Horticultural fleece is best, but other permeable materials also work well.

Pests and Diseases
We only sell floribunda roses with an acceptable level of disease resistance; however, no roses are completely immune. We outline some of the main problems and how to overcome them below:

• Blindness (lack of flowers) - it's not unusual for some stems to not flower every year, but a repeated lack of blooms across most stems is likely to be a sign of a problem. 'Blindness' is caused by the plant's energy being diverted, rather than being invested into blooms. The most common reason is over-exposure to harsh weather conditions or too much shade, which can be solved by providing some protection/shelter and making sure you grow your roses in a sunny site. Make sure you remove all/most of the older wood during annual pruning to encourage vigorous new shoots and cut any blind shoots back by half to a strong bud.
• Rose Aphids - greenfly, blackfly and other insects which suck the sap from your roses. Check your roses regularly for signs of infestation on or under the leaves and on the buds. If the infestation is minor, squashing the insects may solve the problem but often an aphid bug killer spray is required.
• Black Spot - a fungal disease evidenced by dark purple or black blotches on the leaves, which often results in leaves turning yellow or falling off the plant. The best way to deal with black spot is to collect and destroy any affected fallen leaves then use a fungus killer spray as soon as possible.
• Dieback - usually caused by a combination of inadequate care, weather conditions and pests/diseases. Prevention is easier than cure, so be sure to plant your roses in well-prepared ground that is not vulnerable to drought or water-logging, spread the roots, prune annually (particularly for dead, damaged and crossing branches), feed in spring using rose feed and water during prolonged periods of dry weather. If your plant is affected by die back, make sure you do all of the above steps and consider using a fungus killer spray if you believe this may be contributing to the problem.

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