Rosa The Fairy - Standard Rose

The 'The Fairy' standard rose possesses all the qualities of this beautiful creation, but it forms a delightful little tree crowned with a ball of double pink flowers throughout the summer. Appreciated for the generosity of its flowering, in bouquets of double flowers in a fresh and bright pink that fades slightly during the season, this rose also dresses itself in very healthy and abundant foliage. Almost fail-safe and easy to maintain, The Fairy is recommended for beginner gardeners.

Standard roses are created through the process of grafting. This involves taking a variety of rose, such as The Fairy, and attaching it to an upright stem that belongs to a different type of rose, either Rosa laxa or R. multiflora. The graft is usually performed at a height of around 50-60 cm (20-24in) from the ground. In regions with very cold winters, it may be necessary to protect the rootstock to ensure the plant's survival.

The flowers of Rosa x polyantha The Fairy are gathered in terminal clusters and come from the polyantha rose, an old hybrid resulting from Rosa multiflora and Rosa chinensis. The crown that develops on the stem shows a flexible and spreading bushy habit, slightly wider than tall. The flowers in small 3 cm (1in) pompons, double, in the shape of rosettes, barely fragrant, are of a bright pink, becoming soft pink at the end of flowering and blossoming in huge numbers in large pyramidal clusters, from July to October-November, as long as it does not freeze. This vigorous and disease-resistant variety develops fine, bronze-green, semi-evergreen foliage, more or less matte to slightly glossy. Its reddish stems bear thorns.

Created by Bentall in 1932.

The 'The Fairy' standard rose is ideally planted as a focal point in the centre of a bed, among perennials or low bushes, in a row along a pathway, near a terrace, or even in a large pot on the balcony. It can also be planted in groups of 3 specimens, arranged in a triangle, or as a solitary plant on a lawn. It pairs well with perennial geraniums (Geranium Blue Cloud, Anne Folkard, Nimbus, Orion), bellflowers (lactiflora, rapunculoides), catmints, snapdragons, foxgloves. Standard roses are perfect for adding volume to the bush, or ground-cover rose beds.