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The Queen Elizabeth Rose.

Rosa 'Queen Elizabeth' Lammerts ParquePozoNorte Puertollano

The Queen Elizabeth Rose is a Grandiflora. This rose is a cross between a Floribunda and a Hybrid Tea and it blooms in clusters. It really is a rose fit for a queen. Very elegant and regal. It looks wonderful in any garden bed, but especially under a window. This beautiful rose will grow up to 6 feet (and maybe even up to 10 feet if you're lucky), and because its width can reach about 3 feet or much more, it needs plenty of space if you want to show it off as a glorious specimen shrub, or you can even train several plants to form a hedge. This can be done by keeping the lower branches cut back well  which encourages most of the flowers to bloom on the upper and top parts. 

Rosa Queen Elizabeth1ZIXIETTE

It was specially bred - the very first Grandiflora -  in 1954 by the rose breeder Lammerts, to mark the Queen's Coronation in 1953 and it was a brilliant success. So remarkable that it is still around after 50 years of world-wide popularity. No wonder, with its regal blooms held upright as if it were the Queen wearing her Crown. The whole Grandiflora bush looks Royal. This rose was inducted into the Rose Hall of Fame in 1979. This makes it reliable, hardy and disease resistant. 

Queen Elizabeth 1

It has a mild to moderate fragrance and the butterflies love it. Its lovely blooms are up to 4 inches across making it quite spectacular.  It has won 5 awards, one of which was the World's Favourite Rose in 1979. And as its parents - 'Charlotte Armstrong' and 'Floradora' were multi-award winners too; this rose is very hardy. However, the climbing form has not lived up to expectations.

The Queen Elizabeth Rose itself has blooms on lovely long stems which are ideal for cutting. And it has a long bloom period from summer through to autumn. After the flowering season is over, this rose can be pruned back to a respectable length. Don't cut it back too hard - remember who it is. Only about one third of its height is enough. 

This will ensure that you have plenty of flowers to cut for inside the house for the whole of the flowering period. It loves full sun. Whilst it is considered a shrub rose, with good growing conditions and the ideal spot, this regal beauty can be trained as a small climber. And as if that isn't enough about this rose, there's more: it has gone on to produce 19 offspring, including the Princess Margaret Rose, below. Princess Margaret was the Queen's Sister.

Rose 'Queen Elizabeth' 1954

The Queen Elizabeth Rose. 'The best rose ever'.

It is the original Grandiflora Rose - the first successful cross between the simply perfect Floribundas and the Hybrid Tea roses. It is the best of the Grandifloras. It really is Grand. It must have nutrient-rich soil and frequent watering to perform to its best capability. 

It does have a problem with black spot in a humid climate, so always keep the base of the plant clear of leaves, and make sure it is in a well-aired position. Disease resistant does not mean disease free. But Disease Resistant Roses have a much better chance in the garden.

Give it plenty of mulch and a slow release rose fertilizer in spring, following the instructions, and you may be onto a winner. The Queen Elizabeth Rose would not look quite so elegant if it were 'only a Floribunda'. The Grandiflora type is perfect. Another feature which makes the Queen Elizabeth Rose so special is the fact that its canes and stems are red. If you look closely at the picture above you can just see the beautiful colour.


What's the Difference Between a Floribunda Rose and a Grandiflora Rose?

The Floribundas, being a cross between the Polyanthas (meaning many flowers) and the Hybrid Teas, combine the 'many flowers per stem' qualities of the Polyanthas and the 'single rose per stem' of the Hybrid Teas. 

The Grandifloras are a cross between the Floribundas and the Hybrid Teas. These roses have inherited the tendency to having  a single or a few blooms to each stem, along with the robustness and disease resistance of the Floribundas.

Remember that these brilliant Rose Breeders (especially the Meilland Company) devote just about all their time and money towards 'improving that rose'. The Floribundas have done well in breeding successful Climbing forms, such as the Climbing Iceberg - one of the world's best.

But the Grandifloras are happier just to relax and stay right where they are without aiming for the sky. So that's why the Climbing form of the Queen Elizabeth Rose does not do so well. After all, it doesn't need to. BTW this Multi-Award Winner has gone on to produce no less than 19 offspring.

However, it can be trained as a Standard Rose or a Rose Tree. To find out how this is done visit the following site: How to Grow a Rose Tree.

Rose, Queen Elizabeth - Flickr - nekonomania

Holding her head high.

Princess Margaret 1969

The Princess Margaret Rose, by Meilland, is a cross between The Queen Elizabeth Rose and the Peace Rose. But that's another story. It was grown for the Queen's beloved sister. 


Home. Return from the Queen Elizabeth Rose to Pink Roses.

"There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted".

Henri Matisse 1869 - 1954.