BBC Gardeners' World

Plant details

• Common Name: Floribunda rose
• Genus: Rosa
• Cultivar: 'Mountbatten'
• Skill Level: experienced
• Exposure: full sun
• Hardiness: hardy
• Soil type: boggy, clay/heavy, well-drained/light
• Height: 1.2m
• Spread: 0.75m

This sturdy, easy-going rose is one of the most reliable and tolerant, excelling in the garden both as a bedding rose for growing en masse, and as a specimen shrub in borders or containers. It will thrive in poor soil with a good annual mulch, but needs full sun to bring out its best colour and performance. It also makes an excellent hedge, especially in mild districts where the foliage is semi-evergreen. As a floribunda rose, it should be pruned from late winter to early spring. Cut back the main stems to 25cm to 45cm (10in to 18in) above the ground pruning to just above an outward-facing bud. Reduce sideshoots to two or three buds. Remove any spindly or diseased growth. To encourage young, vigorous growth, cut back a third of the oldest stems almost to their base every year. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).