Hybrid Musk, Shrub Rose 'Sally Holmes'

Although the nursery rated her as being hardy up to Zone 5, the Sally Holmes I tried in my zone 6 garden did not survive a comparatively ...Read Moremild southeastern Michigan winter.

This variety grows and blooms well and is fairly disease resistant here, and the flowers are much larger than usual for a hybrid musk, av...Read Moreeraging 3.5". But I have a problem with the flowers.

The individual flowers don't last long, and the faded petals cling to the blooms without self-cleaning. As with most white roses, the brown faded petals are conspicuous. So the whole flower cluster starts to look untidy before most of the buds have opened, unless you go in for detailed, daily deadheading. The photos are deceptive in this respect.

Rebloom is good.

This variety may be disease-resistant, but it's far from disease-free. Here the interior leaves show some black spot symptoms but defoliate only on the lower parts of the shrub.

The canes are think and stiff, and while they take well to training as a climber, they aren't flexible enough for wrapping around a pillar. It can be grown as a shrub.

Sally Holmes is fabulous! Planted on south wall just under our roof eaves and it's growing beautifully in its first year. I've read nev...Read Moreer to plant roses under roof eaves but since I have successfully grown another rose climber near Sally Holmes (and it's been there over 10 years) I knew it would be okay. Both climbers get watered only twice a week from lawn sprinklers but I do give them a long slow drink occasionally if the weather gets too hot. I love my climbing Sally Holmes!

Got a cutting and it blooms the first yr. Very strong grower, little thorns, disease free, little care, it can be a bush or climber. Cl...Read Moreusters of flowers that stays on for a very long time. Huge blooms, variations of color begins as beige/bronze and then slower age to white.