Rosa "Swany", 2 l ruukku

• Type: ground cover rose (low spreading shrub)
• Botanical name: Rosa 'Swany'
• Origin: bred by Marie-Louise Meilland (France, 1977)
• Height and spread: 40–75 cm tall, 80–200 cm wide
• Flowering: repeat flowering in flushes from June to October; pure white, very double (about 95 petals), cupped 3–5 cm flowers in large clusters
• Fragrance: light fragrance
• Light: full sun, at least 6 hours a day
• Soil: fertile, loose, loamy, pH 6–6.5, free-draining
• Hardiness: USDA 6; overwinters well in Estonia if the base is mounded with soil and covered with spruce boughs; the flexible canes are easy to protect
• Disease resistance: good disease resistance, glossy dark green foliage
• Use: slopes, edging, low hedges, tops of retaining walls and steps, large containers and hanging baskets
• Size: potted rose plant

Planting. Potted roses can be planted from spring to early October. Choose a sunny spot (at least 6 hours of sun a day) with good air flow and fertile, loose, loamy, slightly acid soil (pH 6–6.5) that does not stay waterlogged. Dig a 50×50 cm hole and set the graft union 3–5 cm below the surface. Space plants 60–80 cm apart.

Watering and feeding. Water deeply but infrequently — 10–15 L per plant once or twice a week in dry spells, at the base, not over the leaves. Feed with a nitrogen or complete rose fertiliser in spring, a complete feed in June–July, and from late July only potassium and phosphorus without nitrogen so the stems ripen before winter. A compost mulch keeps the soil moist.

Care. No hard pruning needed: in spring remove frost-damaged and dead tips, and every 3–4 years cut the oldest stems at the base. The plant can be trimmed evenly with shears if you wish. In late October–November, after the first frosts, mound the base with soil or compost 20–25 cm high and cover with spruce boughs; remove the cover gradually in April.

Gardener's tip. Overwinters well in Estonia if the base is mounded with soil and covered with spruce boughs; the flexible canes are easy to protect. To keep 'Swany' healthy (good disease resistance, glossy dark green foliage), plant it in an open, airy spot and clear fallen leaves in autumn.