Rosa x polyantha KOSTER 'Fête des Mères' - Miniature Rose

The 'Mother's Day' Rose Bush is the striking leader of a series of somewhat unusual polyantha mini-roses bearing koster-type roses, which are not commonly used in French gardens. It is a very small bush, transforming from May to June until the frost into a living bouquet composed of many small double flowers that are almost spherical and intensely cherry-red. It can be placed anywhere in the garden, to fill a gap in a flowerbed, in a pot on the terrace, in a flower box, or used to create beautiful colourful borders that will touch not only the hearts of mothers!

The Mother's Day Rose Bush, officially named 'Morsdag', was discovered in 1949 in the Netherlands by FJ Grootendorst, who is famous for his rough rose varieties with carnation-like flowers. This Mother's Day variety is a seedling of Dick Koster. Despite its age, it continues to be distinguished in relatively recent competitions.

It is a rose bush with clustered flowers and a remarkably compact, perpetual habit with thin but strong stems. If left unrestricted, 'Mother's Day' will not exceed 30-40cm (12-16in) in height, with a little more width. It can also be trained on a trellis in a pot to decorate the terrace, forming a mini-climber that reaches a height of 50-60cm (20-24in). The flowering lasts for about five months. On the new shoots, clusters of tiny pointed buds appear, which open into 3-4 cm (1-2in) flowers composed of 26 to 40 very concave petals, giving the impression that this little rose refuses to bloom fully. The flowers have a light fragrance. They are placed on abundant, shiny foliage, which shows little sensitivity to diseases under good growing conditions. Cuttings and layering can quickly propagate this variety.

This rose bush, known as a "dwarf" or "patio" rose, performs very well both in the ground and in deep pots and flower boxes. It is perfect for filling a low border and flowering on a terrace. Pair your Mother's Day Rose Bush with other terrace plants such as lobelias, nemesias, diascias, or bidens. Its flowers, which resemble miniature peonies, go well in the ground with the fluffy spikes of catmints, the small blue cups of perennial geraniums, and other miniature roses such as Blue Boy or Pomponella.