Floribunda Rose Collection

Where to Plant
Choose a sunny, sheltered position with fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Floribunda roses flower best with plenty of sunshine and good air circulation, developing into bushy plants covered with clusters of blooms.

Planting Bare-Root Roses
Unpack your roses promptly and soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting. Dig a generous hole, spread the roots out naturally and position each rose with the graft union around soil level. Backfill, firm gently and water well.

Planting Potted Roses
Water well before planting and dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball. Remove the rose from its pot, gently loosen any tightly packed roots and plant at the same depth it was growing in the pot. Backfill, gently firm and water thoroughly.

Watering
Water regularly during the first growing season while your roses establish, particularly during warm, dry weather. Established plants will also appreciate a thorough watering during prolonged dry spells.

Feeding & Mulching
Feed with a suitable rose fertiliser in spring as new growth begins and again in summer to support repeat flowering. Mulch with well-rotted garden compost or organic matter to help retain moisture and suppress weeds, keeping the mulch clear of the stems.

Beds & Borders
Floribunda roses are excellent for beds and borders, where their bushy growth and generous clusters of flowers create plenty of colour. Plant all three together for a concentrated display or repeat them through a border to carry the colour across the garden.

Create a Colourful Rose Bed
‘Arthur Bell’ brings glowing golden-yellow flowers, ‘Precious Amber’ adds warm amber and apricot shades, while the striped blooms of ‘Abracadabra’ provide a dramatic contrast. Together they create a rose display with plenty of variation rather than a single block of colour.

Plant Near Paths & Seating
All three bring fragrance as well as colour, so position them somewhere you regularly pass or spend time. ‘Arthur Bell’ is particularly useful where you want to enjoy a stronger rose perfume at close quarters.

Large Containers
Their relatively compact, bushy growth also makes these Floribundas a good choice for generous patio pots. Choose a substantial container with good drainage and remember that container-grown roses will need more regular watering and feeding through the growing season.

Pruning
Prune Floribunda roses in late winter or early spring. Start by removing dead, damaged, weak or crossing stems, then shorten the remaining healthy growth to maintain a balanced, open bush and encourage plenty of fresh flowering shoots.

Deadheading
Floribundas often carry several flowers together in a cluster. As individual blooms fade, remove them to keep the display looking fresh. Once the whole cluster has finished, cut the flowering stem back to a healthy leaf or bud to encourage further growth and flowers.

Cutting Flowers
These roses can also provide flowers for the house. Cut healthy flowering stems with clean, sharp secateurs, preferably while the plants are well hydrated, and place them into water promptly. Avoid removing too much foliage from young plants while they're establishing.

Summer Care
Water thoroughly during prolonged dry spells and give the plants their second feed in summer to help support further flushes of flowers. Keep the area around the base free from weeds and top up the mulch if necessary.

Top Tip
Unlike Hybrid Tea roses, which are often grown for individual flowers on long stems, Floribundas are all about clusters. When deadheading, look at the whole flowering head rather than cutting every spent bloom back on a long stem.

Soften the Edges
Lower-growing perennials such as hardy geraniums and nepeta work well around the base of Floribunda roses, helping to soften the edge of the planting while adding another layer of summer colour.

Add Contrasting Shapes
Salvias, veronicas and penstemons provide upright flower spikes that contrast with the rounded clusters of Floribunda blooms. Their long flowering seasons also work well alongside repeat-flowering roses.

Add Spring Colour
Spring bulbs provide interest before the roses reach their summer peak. Alliums are particularly useful, with their rounded flower heads appearing as the roses are beginning to put on strong growth.

Let the Colours Stand Out
With striped red and yellow, golden-yellow and warm amber-apricot flowers already in the collection, choose simpler companion colours if you want the roses to take centre stage. Blue and purple-flowered perennials can provide an especially effective contrast to the warm rose shades.

Bare-Root Roses
Bare-root roses are supplied during autumn and winter while dormant, without a pot or compost around their roots. They will usually arrive with woody stems and exposed roots, with little or no foliage. This is completely normal and fresh growth will appear as temperatures rise.

Potted Roses
Potted roses are supplied established in compost and can be planted for much of the year, avoiding frozen, waterlogged or extremely dry conditions. Their appearance will vary naturally with the season, from fresh growth in spring and leafy or flowering plants in summer to less active or leafless plants later in the year.

If You Can't Plant Straight Away
Keep bare-root roses cool with their roots moist and protected from drying out, and plant as soon as possible. Potted roses can be kept in a sheltered outdoor position and watered as needed until you're ready to plant.

What to Expect After Planting
Floribunda roses develop into bushy, branching plants, producing increasing numbers of flowering stems as they establish. Their flowers are typically carried in clusters, giving a fuller display than roses grown primarily for individual blooms.

Mature Size
These are relatively compact Floribundas. ‘Precious Amber’ grows to around 70cm high and 70cm across, ‘Arthur Bell’ to around 80cm high with a 60cm spread, while ‘Abracadabra’ reaches approximately 80–90cm high with a 50–70cm spread. This makes the collection a useful size for beds, borders and generous patio containers.