Group/Class:  Austin Rose

Description:

A beautiful bushy shrub of gray-green foliage topped with bright pink, loosely doubled blooms; old fashioned rose fragrance; an excellent choice for garden beds, containers and borders

Ornamental Features

Empress Josephine Rose is blanketed in stunning fragrant pink flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has bluish-green deciduous foliage. The oval compound leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Empress Josephine Rose is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance shrub that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spiny

Empress Josephine Rose is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Empress Josephine Rose will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.