Gardening Flowers Roses The 17 Best Rose Bushes for Beginners Who Want All-Season Color By Sheryl Geerts Sheryl Geerts Website Sheryl Geerts is an editor and author who has nearly three decades of writing and editing experience. She enjoys writing about garden, food, and home topics. Her bylines have appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other national publications. Sheryl earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in advertising/public relations and journalism, as well as a minor in business administration from St. Ambrose University. She then also earned a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in integrated marketing communications from Drake University. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on August 20, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy of Easy Elegance Roses The easiest roses to grow are disease resistant and produce an abundance of flowers throughout the summer and into fall. All of the following selections meet these easy-to-grow criteria, as long as you plant them in full sun and water them during dry spells. Plus, most of these top-performing roses don't need to be deadheaded like other varieties do to keep blooming. 01 of 17 Knock Out Justin Hancock Perhaps the best-known rose, 'Knock Out' rose bears long-lasting masses of cherry-red blooms that have a very light fragrance. Its foliage is dark purplish-green in summer and turns purple to burgundy in fall. This high-performing shrub rose is disease resistant, blooms all season long, and can be allowed to grow large with minimal pruning. Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Red Double Knock Out Rose Bush ($28, The Home Depot) 02 of 17 Little Mischief Justin Hancock Don't let its name deceive you; 'Little Mischief' rose is a perfect resident for any sunny garden. It produces masses of fragrant, magenta pink flowers (that fade to a lighter pink as they age) all season long. And this variety isn't bothered one bit by disease. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 4-9 03 of 17 Flower Carpet Scarlet Justin Hancock A flamboyantly colored groundcover rose, 'Flower Carpet Scarlet' will fill your landscape with color all summer and autumn thanks to its clusters of bright scarlet-red blooms. This shrub rose with creeping, trailing habits is an ideal filler plant for lining the edge of a sidewalk, border, or driveway. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Flower Carpet Scarlet Groundcover Rose ($60, Monrovia) 04 of 17 Rainbow Knock Out David Speer An easy-to-grow rose that's perfect for any sunny landscape spot, 'Rainbow Knock Out' rose produces cute, coral-pink blooms all season long. Known for its ability to bloom with as little as three hours per day of direct sun, it has excellent disease resistance. And since it's a self-cleaning plant, 'Rainbow Knock Out' does not require deadheading for extended bloom. Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 5-9 05 of 17 Snowdrift Justin Hancock It's tough to beat 'Snowdrift,' if you're looking for an easy-growing, white-flowering rose that produces a crisp, classic garden look. This hardy, disease-resistant, hybrid rose selection produces fragrant, double, white blooms all season long. Its gorgeous flowers are great for cutting and are often used in mixed borders and large containers. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 4-9 06 of 17 Paint the Town Courtesy of Easy Elegance Roses Incredibly disease-resistant and easy to grow, Paint the Town rose produces red hybrid tea-shaped blooms all season long. The flowers' spreading-to-mounding habit makes it ideal for container gardening, border plantings, and groundcover for sunny spots. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 4-9 07 of 17 Home Run Justin Hancock Bred from the 'Knock Out' rose line, 'Home Run' offers single rich-red blooms from late spring to fall. Its exceptional bloom performance and disease resistance make this easy-to-grow shrub rose an ideal addition to the landscape. The beautiful blooms also offer a slight fragrance. Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall Zones: 4-10 08 of 17 All the Rage Justin Hancock A gorgeous rose, 'All the Rage' is all about color. The buds start out a charming shade of coral, then open to apricot-pink flowers with bright yellow centers. As the blooms age, they turn a lovely shade of pink and are one of the prettiest cut flowers you can grow. Even better, though, is the plant's disease-resistant nature, everblooming habit, and glossy green foliage. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Easy Elegance All the Rage Rose ($109, Nature Hills) 09 of 17 Flower Carpet Coral Justin Hancock Ideal for mass planting, Flower Carpet Coral is a beautiful, tough groundcover plant that produces masses of coral-colored blooms all summer and fall. Use these roses to line paths and driveways with ribbons of color and to stabilize slopes and banks. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Flower Carpet Pink Groundcover Rose ($50, Monrovia) 10 of 17 Firecracker Dean Schoeppner 'Firecracker' adorns itself with masses of bright cherry-red blooms. Each of its fragrant blooms has a cheery white center. This low-maintenance, disease-resistant plant blooms all summer and grows at a fast rate. Its upright habit makes it well-suited for use in containers and in mass plantings. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide Zones: 4-7 Buy It: Firecracker Rose ($23, The Antique Rose Emporium) 11 of 17 Grandma's Blessing Denny Schrock Among the most beautiful of the new breed of low-care roses, 'Grandma's Blessing' offers gorgeous dusty-pink blooms that are packed with a sweet fragrance. Boost your curb appeal with this shrub rose that blooms all summer with double flowers. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 4-9 12 of 17 Kiss Me John Reed Forsman One of the most fragrant flowers for your garden, 'Kiss Me' not only smells sweet, but it looks great, too, with its 4-inch pink flowers. Cut this easy-to-grow rose to make stunning flower bouquets. It has highly disease-resistant foliage, and it keeps blooming all summer. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 5-9 13 of 17 Mystic Fairy An everblooming shrub rose, 'Mystic Fairy' produces loads of red flowers over shiny, disease-resistant foliage that emerges a glossy red and then turns dark green. Include it in your front-yard rose garden plan. Its tidy habit makes it great for a low hedge, even in tough spots. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Easy Elegance Mystic Fairy Rose ($109, Nature Hills) 14 of 17 Super Hero Marty Baldwin With a name like this, you'd expect it to be great. This ever-blooming 'Super Hero' rose has large, beautifully formed flowers on an easy-growing, disease-resistant shrub. Grow it in your cutting garden or add it to your foundation garden plan. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide Zones: 4-9 15 of 17 Sunrise Sunset Courtesy of Easy Elegance Roses Performing beautifully in just about every climate, Sunrise Sunset rose bears fuchsia-pink flowers that fade to apricot at the center. It blooms nonstop all season long and makes an excellent groundcover for a sunny garden bed. You'll want to add this selection to your rose garden plans since it is also well suited to mass plantings. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 3-9 16 of 17 Sweet Fragrance Courtesy of Easy Elegance Roses It's hard not to fall for the luscious scent of Sweet Fragrance. This disease-resistant grandiflora rose bears 4-inch double blossoms in tones of apricot, orange, and yellow all season long. You'll want to make this flower last as long as possible in your bouquets. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Rose Easy Elegance Sweet Fragrance ($36, White Flower Farm) 17 of 17 Peach Lemonade Rose Courtesy of White Flower Farm A new shrub rose variety introduced a few years ago, 'Peach Lemonade' has stunning, color-changing blooms. At first, its flowers are a vibrant yellow, then they shift to a gorgeous blush pink. This color change is gradual, so you'll likely see some yellow, some pink, and a few multicolored flowers all at the same time as the plant continues blooming from early summer through late fall. This self-cleaning variety doesn't need deadheading. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 4-9 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit