Lady Banks Rose

The Lady Banks Rose has been in bloom in my yard for a couple of weeks now and has been the topic of much discussion in the form of emails, phone calls, and numerous postings on facebook.  We have three of them in our yard and they have exploded with thousands of yellow blooms.  We have a forty foot pergola on one side of our home, with a Lady Banks Rose on each end of it and they have nearly met in the middle.  The third is a smaller one on an arbor that leads into a smaller garden area.

The Lady Banks Rose is a species rose and not a hybrid that was originally found in China.  There are two varieties, 1)Rosa banksiae normalis which is the natural wild form of the species and has a single style flower with five white petals and dates back to 1796.  This rose was introduced to Europe by William Kerr, who had been sent on a plant hunting expedition by Sir Joseph Banks who was the head of the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain; thus the rose was named Lady Banks in honor of his wife.  2)Rosa banksiae lutea is the probably the most popular of the two species and has double yellow flowers with many petals.  It was introduced to Europe by J. D. Parks in 1824.  All Lady Banks Roses have a faint fragrance that is said to resemble that of a violet. 

The Lady Banks Rose is a thornless, vigorous grower and can easily take over an arbor, shed, fence, or even the side of your home in just a few short years.  This rose is not meant for a small spaces.  They are the first rose to bloom in early spring and will have hundreds or even thousands of blooms which provides one of the most breathtaking displays in the garden.  The bark of the Lady Banks has an exfoliating cinnamon brown color on the older canes.  This rose is an excellent backdrop for azaleas, dogwoods, and Japanese maples.  It is very drought tolerant once it is established and is most likely the most disease resistant rose grown.  This makes it a favorite for all rose growers, because it is basically maintenance free. 

Lady Banks Rose likes full sun and well drained soil.  When planting mix lots of organic matter with the exsisting soil.  Dig the planting hole a little deeper and at least twice the diameter of the planting pot.  Pour water in the bottom of the soil, backfill with some organic matter and plant the rose so that the soil line of the plant is about one inch above the soil line of the ground.  This will allow room for mulch without smothering the rose. Water regularly until it has become established, after that watering is not necessary except in extreme drought conditions.  Pruning the Lady Banks is not necessary, but if you must prune for whatever reason, do so within a two week window following the bloom cycle.  The Lady Banks Rose blooms on old wood or last year’s growth.

The Guinness Book of World Records has listed the largest of this species to be in Tombstone, Arizona.  It is said to cover 8000 square feet of area and the trunk of this rose has been measured to be 12 feet in circumference.

If you don’t have one, you might want to consider getting one, because they are beautiful and are a centerpiece of any garden.

If you have any questions or comments, send me an email at colorsbytim@hotmail.com or leave me a message at the Union County  Extension Office 662-534-1916.

Happy Gardening and keep digging in the dirt.