Rosa 'Ballerina' | Polyantha Shrub Rose
rose Ballerina (polyantha shrub)
Masses of small, delicate flowers give this free-flowering shrub rose a light, airy appearance throughout the summer. The Hydrangea-like clusters are made up of pale pink blooms with contrasting white centres, creating a soft two-tone display that brings plenty of colour without looking heavy or formal.
Rosa ‘Ballerina’ is a repeat-flowering Hybrid Musk shrub rose, producing flush after flush from July to September. The flowers carry a light musk fragrance and are particularly attractive to pollinating insects, while the mid-green foliage provides a fresh backdrop to the abundant blooms.
Vigorous, fully hardy and disease-resistant, this reliable rose makes an excellent specimen plant in a mixed or shrub border. It grows well in full sun or partial shade, giving it useful flexibility where a sunny position is not available all day.
Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit, ‘Ballerina’ combines long-lasting flowers with a relaxed, graceful habit and dependable garden performance. Its generous flowering, pollinator-friendly blooms and disease resistance make it a particularly easy choice for informal planting schemes.
All our roses are grown in an open field and then dug up when the weather conditions are right in October or November. Some suppliers send out their roses as 'bare root' plants (i.e. without pots or compost), but we pot ours up as it helps to keep the roots hydrated and in good condition. As they are dormant throughout the winter, they will not produce any new roots until spring, so don't be surprised if the compost falls away from the roots when you take them out of their pots.
The roses can be kept in their pots throughout the winter provided they are kept well fed and watered, however ideally they should be planted out as soon as possible. They will already have been cut back so no further pruning will be required, apart from snipping off any tips that have died back. Routine pruning can begin in late winter the year after planting.
Rosa ‘Ballerina’ is a repeat-flowering Hybrid Musk shrub rose, producing flush after flush from July to September. The flowers carry a light musk fragrance and are particularly attractive to pollinating insects, while the mid-green foliage provides a fresh backdrop to the abundant blooms.
Vigorous, fully hardy and disease-resistant, this reliable rose makes an excellent specimen plant in a mixed or shrub border. It grows well in full sun or partial shade, giving it useful flexibility where a sunny position is not available all day.
Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit, ‘Ballerina’ combines long-lasting flowers with a relaxed, graceful habit and dependable garden performance. Its generous flowering, pollinator-friendly blooms and disease resistance make it a particularly easy choice for informal planting schemes.
All our roses are grown in an open field and then dug up when the weather conditions are right in October or November. Some suppliers send out their roses as 'bare root' plants (i.e. without pots or compost), but we pot ours up as it helps to keep the roots hydrated and in good condition. As they are dormant throughout the winter, they will not produce any new roots until spring, so don't be surprised if the compost falls away from the roots when you take them out of their pots.
The roses can be kept in their pots throughout the winter provided they are kept well fed and watered, however ideally they should be planted out as soon as possible. They will already have been cut back so no further pruning will be required, apart from snipping off any tips that have died back. Routine pruning can begin in late winter the year after planting.
How to care for Rosa Ballerina:
If planting in winter, choose a frost-free spell when the soil is not frozen. Roses are quite deep-rooted plants so dig a deep hole roughly twice as wide as the plant's roots and mix in a generous amount of composted organic matter. A top-dressing of a general purpose fertiliser can be worked into the surrounding soil and we also recommend using Rose Rootgrow at this stage to encourage better root development. This is particularly important when planting into a bed where roses have previously been grown as Rose Rootgrow is said to combat rose sickness (aka replant disease).
Remove the plants from their pots and gently spread out the roots before placing them in the centre of the hole. Try to ensure that the 'bud union' (the point where the cultivated rose has been grafted onto the rootstock, and from where the shoots emerge) is at soil level. You can judge this quite easily by laying something flat, like a spade handle or bamboo cane, across the top of the hole. When they are at the right height, back-fill the hole, firming the soil down gently before watering the plant well.
Water generously until well established, and apply a specialist rose fertiliser (following the manufacturer's instructions) each spring. They will also benefit from a generous mulch of composted farmyard manure in spring, but make sure this is kept away from the stems.
This shrub rose flowers best on older wood and only needs light, formative pruning, best carried out from late autumn through to early spring while the plant is dormant, avoiding periods of hard frost. Hard pruning should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, as this can spoil the plant’s natural shape. While wearing gloves, remove any dead, damaged, diseased or congested stems entirely, and if the centre becomes overcrowded, take out one or two of the oldest stems at the base. If growth becomes leggy, new shoots can be encouraged by cutting one or two stems back to around 10-15cm (4-6in) above ground level.
Remove the plants from their pots and gently spread out the roots before placing them in the centre of the hole. Try to ensure that the 'bud union' (the point where the cultivated rose has been grafted onto the rootstock, and from where the shoots emerge) is at soil level. You can judge this quite easily by laying something flat, like a spade handle or bamboo cane, across the top of the hole. When they are at the right height, back-fill the hole, firming the soil down gently before watering the plant well.
Water generously until well established, and apply a specialist rose fertiliser (following the manufacturer's instructions) each spring. They will also benefit from a generous mulch of composted farmyard manure in spring, but make sure this is kept away from the stems.
This shrub rose flowers best on older wood and only needs light, formative pruning, best carried out from late autumn through to early spring while the plant is dormant, avoiding periods of hard frost. Hard pruning should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, as this can spoil the plant’s natural shape. While wearing gloves, remove any dead, damaged, diseased or congested stems entirely, and if the centre becomes overcrowded, take out one or two of the oldest stems at the base. If growth becomes leggy, new shoots can be encouraged by cutting one or two stems back to around 10-15cm (4-6in) above ground level.
Flowering period:
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Eventual height:
1.2m
Eventual spread:
1.2m
Position:
Full sun
Rate of growth:
Average
Soil:
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness:
Fully hardy
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This rose is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.
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Humans/Pets: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten
