A garden without roses? It’s possible but is it necessary? I did my research in 2022 and chose what I thought was a varied selection of robust roses. My experience so far shows that there are huge differences between varieties, even those said to be robust and resistant. And there are a lot of aspects to consider besides the color.
Perfume
I used to say I’d never plant a rose that did not bloom for six months of the year and that did not have a good perfume. Why should I? There were so many different roses to choose from for a garden in Switzerland.
Down here I have become somewhat more tolerant regarding the scent aspect, as the selection of excellently scented roses that flower for a long time and can also tolerate mediterranean heat is quite small.
Flowering Season
In the Mediterranean the flowering season for roses can start as early as March/April and there may be flowers into July, depending on the variety, heat and rainfall. After that nothing much happens but flowering may pick up again in September, after temperatures go down and the first fall rains come. Thus in the Mediterranean roses have to compete with an already exuberantly colorful spring garden instead of being able to play a starring role. All the more reason for me to only plant varieties that flower in the fall as well.
Filled or unfilled flowers
The heat in full sun can be oppressive even in May and heavy filled flower heads will tend to hang down – especially on younger plants whose stems are not yet very strong. Simpler or unfilled flowers tend to fare better.
Sun or shade
The bright hot mediterranean sun can damage rose blossoms. Even if it’s only 27 degrees in June they may end up looking like dried up crepe paper. In the Mediterranean, at least at sea level, it is better to plant roses in half shade. Most of our roses should be in dappled shade once the new trees grow into their crowns.
During the hot months I cut any new flowers in the morning and take them into the house to bloom – outside they will be fried by midday.
Varieties of Roses for a Mediterranean Garden
Generalist garden centers tend to recommend Rosa rugosa and pimpinellifolia as being robust roses and tolerating some drought as well as poor soil. That’s what I went with in the beginning, because I love the vivid colors and perfumes of these varieties. In my garden however, even with good soil and watering, they did a lot less well than other varieties. For me Rosa chinensis, floribunda, and moschata have worked out better so far.
I did some more reading in the meantime and rose-specialists like Roseraie Ducher say that generally Tea Roses and their hybrids, Rosa noisettiana, Rosa borboniana, Rosa chinensis, and Rosa damascena are most suited for mediterranean/hot climates.
So what’s my resumé so far? After three summers here I have some clear winners and losers – others will need a bit more time still.
Losers
Rosa rugosa Blanc Double de Coubert
A lovely, heavily scented rose that I had in my old garden in Switzerland. Planted here in August 2022, it bloomed in April through the beginning of June. The plant stayed very small however and during the heatwave in August, with leaves turning completely brown, it constantly threatened to die. In 2024 it grew somewhat but only had two flowers in the spring. I gave it away in the fall of 2024.
Rosa rugosa Roseraie de l’Haÿ
Another heavenly perfumed rugosa rose in a wonderful dark pink color. A favorite in Switzerland I wanted to try it here as well. Planted in August 2022, it flowered for 2-3 weeks in April-May and showed good growth. The flowers did not last long at all in the sunshine and during the heatwave in August the leaves turned brown and the plant seemed to have died during the following months. In 2024 it reappeared but stayed minuscule and did not flower at all. I gave it away in the fall of 2024.
Rosa pimpinellifolia Stanwell Perpetual
A rose that was purported to be robust and tolerant but turned out a bit of a dud as well. Planted in August 2022, it flowered for four weeks in April-May, but the plant itself stayed tiny. The flowers smelled very good but did not last long at all in the sunshine. During the heatwave in August it seemed to shrivel up and die but showed some new growth by November. In the spring of 2024 it flowered again a few times but did not grow at all. I gave it away in the fall of 2024.
Rosa chinensis sanguinea & mutabilis
Planted in October 2024 they flowered from April to May and looked pretty healthy until they suddenly dried up dead in August. Death by watering?
I dug them out and potted them to see if they would sprout again… stay tuned.
Winners:
Rosa x moschata Felicia
This variety has shown itself a bit more adapted to this climate. Planted in August 2022, it has faithfully flowered every year between April and June and showed relatively good growth – although staying far below it’s potential of 150cm. It suffers during heatwaves in summer but recovers in the fall. If it rains in the fall it will flower again in September/October.
The flowers have a wonderful perfume but they are filled and tend to hang down sometimes on their thin stems. Watering will help them stand back up. The flowers also do not appreciate full Mediterranean sun, even if it’s only 27 degrees in June.
Rosa Fragrant Old Yellow
This is by far the most vigorous of the roses I planted and has reached its full size of 130 cm. Planted in August 2022, it flowers prolifically from April to June. It flowers again in the fall if there has been enough rain.
The flowers are large and filled and hang down sometimes, watering will help them stand back up. They also do not appreciate full Mediterranean sun, even if it’s only 27 degrees.
Despite the name they have practically no scent at all, which is a bit disappointing.
Rosa floribunda Joseph’s Coat
I fell in love with this rose in 2023 while looking for more robust varieties. I planted it in November 2023 in the half shade behind an olive tree. It flowers from April to June and its wonderful blooms change color as they age. It is a bit prone to aphids and black spot. It is a spectacular rose – even though it has practically no scent. Its flowers are not very sun-tolerant either – even in the half shade. In the fall of 2025 I created a zone for plants with code de secheresse 3 a bit closer to the house and moved almost all the roses into this zone.
Rosa x chinensis Old Blush
Another rose I found in 2023 while looking for more robust varieties. It is even mentioned by Olivier Filippi as a drought resistant rose with a “code sécheresse” of 3. I planted it in November 2023 in full sun. It has flowered between April and May but it hasn’t grown much at all in the past two years and seemed to suffer in this spot. In the fall of 2025 I moved into the new “zone 3” and will see if that helps. The flowers have a lovely perfume, last a long time and seem to tolerate the sun quite well.
Rosa Nahéma
I wanted a climbing rose for the wall separating the garden from the parking lot and I chose this Delbard rose for its color, scent and robust reputation. I planted it in November 2022 and it developed quite well but suffered from the summer sun. It flowers between May and July and off and on in the fall whenever it’s not suffering too much from heat or drought. Its flowers are heavily scented and beautifully shaped. In the fall of 2025 I moved it into the new “zone 3” under a Robinia tree and replaced it with a Banks’ rose to hopefully grow along the wall.
Unknown Roses
I have a number of complete unknowns that are among the most vigorous in our garden. I got them in the late spring of 2023 when a friend wanted to get rid of a number of small and larger rose bushes. I took about eight of them and they all seemed to do quite well for a few months but four of them died in or after the very hot summer. All the others did great, despite being moved once or twice to new locations. One of them got completely “fried” every summer in its location in front of a white wall. It recovered fully every fall but I have now moved it into the new “zone 3”.
These varieties flower from April/May well into the hot summer and mostly again in fall, after the rains have come. The flowers are loosely filled and not fragrant.
Rosa banksiae Purezza
Planted in October 2024 this plant flowered very nicely in April. According to its description it is supposed to be a variety that keeps on flowering until October… but maybe this is just because it is in its first year so we will be patient. It has grown into three relatively strong new shoots up about 100 cm long.
Darlow’s Enigma
A rose that was described in glowing terms for beauty, fragrance, disease resistance and drought tolerance. Planted bare-root in the fall of 2025, we will see.
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