Rosa 'THE FAIRY' shrub rose / floribunda / polyantha (Bentall)

The Fairy is a proven variety of floribunda/polyantha rose bred by John and Anne Bentall from Romford in Essex, England. From June till frost appear clusters of small, 3-4 cm across, semi-double flowers of light pink colour and faint, apple-like fragrance. They bloom continuously without pauses. The Fairy makes dense, compact plants with mostly upright branches which may arch a little with age. Mature size is just over one meter tall and wide.

It was bred in 1932, i.e., long before the German ADR (Allgemeine Deutsche Rosenneuheitenprüfung) rose trial award was established (1950 former, 1990 modern). Yet they had their own test them: Longwood Garden’s Ten-Year Rose Trial where roses were planted and observed how they performed without any help. The Fairy stood the test as it did not exhibit any diseases and grew reliably. Still today it is used in gardens and landscapes where durability and zero maintenance are the key features.

Planting instructions: Prepare a hole of size 30x30 cm. Put your rose in the way that the grafting point is 3 cm deep in the soil. Water well and cover new shoots with soil or bark mulch about 15 cm high. Roses tolerate wide range of soils but thrive in deep, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun.

Pruning: Cut the branches in half in autumn and prune hard to 3-5 live buds in spring after danger of frosts. During the flowering season prune flowered stems regularly and follow a regular feeding programme. The Fairy is hardy enough to be grown in an outdoor planter all-year-round.

Last update: 13-01-2022