Rosa x polyantha Urban Streetlight Sunmaid - Groundcover Shrub Rose

The Urban Streetlight 'Sunmaid' rose bush is an excellent variety of landscape rose bush that is both robust, highly disease-resistant, very floriferous, and full of good cheer. Its small double roses in shades of sun yellow succeed each other for months on an elegant dark green foliage that is not disfigured by rose diseases. This rose bush requires little attention and care from the gardener, even for beginners, and adapts to many climates. It works wonders in front of taller shrub beds, in large borders along pathways... This variety is an excellent alternative to the more disease-prone Friesia rose bush.

The flowers of Rosa x polyantha Sunmaid, gathered in terminal clusters, come from the polyantha rose bush, an old hybrid derived from Rosa multiflora and R. sinensis. This variety was introduced in 2020 by the German rose grower Kordes, and it obtained the highly selective German ADR label in 2018. It is part of a series of roses developed in partnership with 'Globe Planter', the 'Urban Streetlight' series, bringing together varieties selected for their disease resistance, robustness, and ability to bloom enthusiastically without requiring much maintenance. These plants are widely used in urban landscaping.

This small, well-behaved bush has a rather upright habit. It will reach approximately 70 cm (28in) in height with a spread of 50 cm (20in) in a few years. The 6-7 cm (2-3in) flowers, with a double structure, are gathered in clusters and produced abundantly and regularly from June to October if the soil remains moist. In this Sunmaid variety, the floral buds of a very warm yellow open into yellow-shaded corollas. The flowers have a very light fragrance. This variety is highly disease-resistant and develops an elegant, well-furnished foliage with a shiny dark green colour. Its stems are thorny, and the plant is leafless in winter.

The 'Urban Streetlight Sunmaid' rose bush adapts to all soils that are not too dry and all climates, which allows it to be welcomed in many regions. It works wonders as a border, in a flower bed, in a planter on the patio, or on a large slope where it will conceal and retain the soil. It can also be planted in groups of three specimens, arranged in a triangle, isolated on a lawn. Plant it en masse or alongside white groundcover roses (Swany, Marie Pavie) to emphasise the layout of a pathway or the beds of light or opulent shrubs and perennials. For example, it can be paired with perennial geraniums (Geranium Blue Cloud, Anne Folkard, Nimbus, Orion), bellflowers (lactiflora, rapunculoides), catmints, foxgloves, or other perennial salvias.