Description:

An attractive flowering shrub featuring reddish-purple foliage and pretty single pink flowers in early summer; upright habit, very hardy but somewhat susceptible to disease, good for adding color to the garden; needs full sun and well-drained soil

Ornamental Features

Red Leaf Rose features showy cherry red flowers with yellow eyes and white centers at the ends of the branches from mid to late spring. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive purple deciduous foliage. The oval compound leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding red in the fall. The fruits are showy purple hips displayed from early to late fall. The spiny brick red bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Red Leaf Rose is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. 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 to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease
• Spiny

Red Leaf Rose is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Red Leaf Rose will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 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. 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 species is not originally from North America.