Another award for our beloved 'Carefree Beauty' Rose

'Carefree Beauty' is all the reason you need to love roses! Few plants have such a large following among Carroll Gardens' clients as the 'Carefree Beauty' Rose. Gorgeous pink blooms, rich green foliage, very low maintenance, fragrance, excellent disease resistance and vigorous growth are all reasons for its year-after-year popularity. Although it was introduced in 1977 by Iowa State University's Dr. Griffith Buck, thirty years later, 'Carefree Beauty' was named 2006 Rose of the Year by Texas A&M University's EarthKind Program.

Big Blooms Just Keep Coming
'Carefree Beauty' blooms profusely beginning early in the season and repeats quickly and often throughout the growing season. (It repeats so often that flowers and fruit often appear simultaneously.) The fragrant, semi-double 4-inch blooms are more neatly formed than most shrub roses - more like finicky hybrid teas. Blooms open with deep pink petals that lighten to an apple blossom pink as they age. This sets-up an eye-catching multi-color effect, especially as blooms wave.

'Carefree Beauty's' broad, upright habit combined with its dense, deep green foliage makes it especially suitable as a hedge or border. Expect growth to about 3-feet wide and 3-5 feet tall. 'Carefree Beauty' prefers at least 6-hours full sun during the blooming season and is exceptionally cold hardy (Zones 4-9.) It does well in just about any well-drained soil.

Low Maintenance
'Carefree Beauty' has outstanding disease resistance. Black-spot and other common rose nuisances are not to be feared. As with any new rose, water the plant well and use only 100% organic fertilizer (such as SeaMate) until established. Once established, fertilize once monthly (March – August) with Rose-Tone.

Remove dropped leaves at the end of the season and provide some fresh mulch in early spring. Cutting-back dormant plants in late winter will help maintain their form. Deadheading will encourage more blooms, but is not required. Of course, you will need to water in periods of drought, especially the year of planting. That's about all the maintenance you'll need to think about.

Bare-root plants at $18.85 each. Buy three or more: $16.85 each.