Rose ‘Bonica’ (Shrub)

Where to Plant Roses
Choose a sunny position with fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Most roses flower best with at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Good air circulation around the plant will also help keep growth healthy.

Planting Bare Root Roses
Before planting, soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours. Dig a generous hole wide enough for the roots to spread out naturally without bending or crowding them. Position the rose so the graft union – the swollen point where the stems meet the roots – sits around soil level, then backfill, firm gently and water thoroughly.

Planting Potted Roses
Water the rose well before planting and dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball. Remove the plant carefully from its pot, position it at the same depth it was growing previously, backfill with soil and gently firm around the roots. Water thoroughly after planting.

Planting for Ground Cover or Low Hedging
‘Bonica’ develops naturally bushy, spreading growth, making it particularly useful when planted in groups or as an informal low hedge. Allow enough room between plants for their branches to spread and eventually knit together without becoming overcrowded.

Watering & Feeding
Keep newly planted roses well watered while they establish. Feed established plants as growth begins in spring and again in early summer to support healthy growth and flowering. An annual mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost will help retain moisture and improve the soil.

Top Tip
For the greatest impact, try planting several ‘Bonica’ roses together. Its spreading growth and generous sprays of flowers make it particularly effective repeated through a border or used to create a low flowering hedge.

When to Prune
Prune in late winter or early spring as new growth begins. Start by removing dead, damaged, weak or crossing stems and any very thin growth.

Pruning Shrub Roses
‘Bonica’ develops naturally bushy, spreading growth, so pruning should concentrate on keeping the plant balanced rather than cutting it back too hard. Shorten healthy stems as needed and remove some of the oldest growth periodically to encourage fresh stems from lower down the plant.

Keep the Flowers Coming
Remove faded flower clusters through the flowering season to keep the plant looking tidy and encourage further flushes of flowers.

Top Tip
Keep the centre of the plant reasonably open when pruning. This allows light and air to move through its naturally dense growth and helps maintain a healthy, well-shaped shrub.

Make the Pink Stand Out
The soft-pink flowers of ‘Bonica’ look beautiful against silver and grey-green foliage. Try planting it with stachys, artemisia or silver-leaved dianthus to create contrast beneath and around its arching stems.

Create a Relaxed Cottage Border
‘Bonica’ works particularly well among perennials with a loose, informal shape. Foxgloves can add height behind it, while astrantias and Japanese anemones continue the softer planting style around its spreading growth.

Plant in Generous Groups
This is a rose that can look even better repeated rather than planted as a single specimen. Several plants can create a broad sweep of pink through a larger border or form an attractive informal flowering hedge.

Top Tip
Avoid surrounding ‘Bonica’ with plants that will completely hide its lower branches. Giving its spreading stems room to develop lets the sprays of pink flowers create the full, generous display this rose is known for.

Your Rose – Shrub
‘Bonica’ is a shrub rose with naturally bushy, spreading growth and generous sprays of flowers. Shrub roses are particularly useful for adding structure and plenty of colour to borders, and their varied shapes and sizes make them versatile plants for both formal and more relaxed garden planting.

Other Types of Rose

Hybrid Tea Roses
Hybrid Tea roses are prized for their large, beautifully formed flowers, usually carried individually or in small groups on strong stems. Many are highly fragrant and their strong stems make them particularly good roses for cutting.

Floribunda Roses
Floribunda roses produce their flowers in generous clusters, creating plenty of colour over a long period. They usually have a bushy habit and repeat flower through summer, making them excellent choices for beds, borders and larger containers.

Climbing Roses
Climbing roses produce long flowering stems that can be trained over walls, fences, arches and other supports. They don't cling by themselves, so their stems need to be tied to a suitable support as they grow.

Rambling Roses
Rambling roses generally produce longer, more flexible stems than climbing roses and are excellent for covering larger structures, pergolas and mature trees. Many produce impressive displays of smaller flowers carried in generous clusters.

Flower Carpet Roses
Flower Carpet roses are a range of ground cover roses with a low, spreading habit and a long flowering season. They're particularly useful towards the front of borders, for covering banks and slopes, or for creating low-maintenance ground cover across larger planting areas.

Persica Roses
Persica roses are instantly recognisable by the contrasting eye at the centre of their flowers, a characteristic inherited from Rosa persica. Modern varieties combine this unusual colouring with repeat flowering and strong garden performance.

Bare Root Roses
Bare root roses are supplied during autumn and winter while they are dormant. Although they may look simple and leafless when they arrive, the plants have stored energy in their roots ready to support fresh growth once conditions warm in spring.

How They Arrive
Your bare root rose will arrive without a pot or compost around its roots. Unpack it promptly and aim to plant it as soon as possible.

If You Can't Plant Straight Away
Keep the roots covered with moist soil in a cool, sheltered place and keep the stems dry. Aim to plant within seven days, avoiding frozen or waterlogged ground.

Planting Bare Root Roses
Soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting. Dig a generous hole, improve the soil with compost or well-rotted organic matter and position the rose so the graft union sits around soil level. Backfill, firm gently and water well.

Potted Roses
Potted roses are established plants supplied ready to plant and can be planted at almost any time of year, avoiding frozen, waterlogged or extremely dry conditions.

How They Arrive
Plants are carefully selected and pruned where necessary to encourage a strong, open framework. The pot is protected during transit to help retain moisture and safeguard the roots.

If You Can't Plant Straight Away
Place the pot in a sheltered outdoor position and water regularly to keep the compost moist until you're ready to plant.

Planting in the Ground or Containers
Dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball and plant at the same depth it was growing in the pot. Improve the soil with organic matter where needed, firm gently and water thoroughly. Roses suited to container growing can also be planted into a large pot with good drainage.

Seasonal Appearance
The appearance of your rose will naturally vary depending on the time of year. In spring you'll see fresh new growth, while during summer plants may arrive in leaf or flower. In autumn and winter they may have yellowing leaves or be completely leafless as they enter dormancy. Fresh growth will appear again when conditions improve.

Growing On
Once established, ‘Bonica’ develops into a bushy, spreading shrub approximately 90cm high × 1m wide. Its broad habit makes it particularly useful in borders, larger planting schemes and informal low hedges.