The 17 Best Rose Bushes for Beginners Who Want All-Season Color

easy elegance sunrise sunset rose
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

Rose 'Knock Out' shrub
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

Rose '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

Rose '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

Rosa Rose Rainbow Knockout
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

Rose '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

easy elegance paint the town rose growing through white picket fence
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

close up of home run rose bloom
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

close up of all the rage rose bloom
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

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

close up of firecracker rose
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

close up of grandma's blessing rose
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

close up of kiss me rose
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

easy elegance mystic fairy rose plants in bloom

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

red super hero rose 'baisuhe'
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

easy elegance sunrise sunset rose
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

sweet fragrance easy elegance roses
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

peach lemonade roses
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

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