Rosa "Yellow Fairy", 1.3 l pot

• Type: polyantha rose, groundcover, repeat-flowering
• Botanical name: Rosa 'Yellow Fairy' (POUlfair)
• Breeder: Poulsen Roser, Denmark, 1988 (introduced 1989)
• Height and spread: about 60 cm (up to 1 m) / about 60 cm
• Flowering: late June to frost, repeat; 3–4 cm golden-yellow semi-double flowers in large clusters
• Fragrance: light
• Light: sun, partial shade
• Soil: ordinary garden soil, moderately moist, well-drained
• Hardiness: USDA 6a–6b; mound and mulch the base in Estonia
• Disease resistance: moderate (black spot in wet years)
• Use: groundcover, edging, rock gardens, containers, balconies
• Size: potted rose plant

Planting. Choose a sunny, airy spot (at least 6 hours of sun a day) with fertile, loose, loamy soil that never stays waterlogged, pH 6–7. Dig a hole about 50×50 cm and add compost or well-rotted manure at the bottom. Set the graft union 3–5 cm below soil level – in the Estonian climate this protects it in winter. A potted plant can be planted throughout the season, from May to September; space plants 40–50 cm (5–7 plants per m²) apart.

Watering and feeding. Water deeply but not too often – 10–15 l per plant once a week, more often in hot weather, ideally in the morning and at the base without wetting the leaves. In spring give a nitrogen-rich or complete rose fertiliser, again a complete feed when the buds form and after the first flush, and from mid-July only potassium-phosphorus feed without nitrogen so the shoots ripen before winter.

Care. Polyantha roses are easy to prune: in spring remove frost-damaged and dead shoots and cut the bush back by a third into an even shape. Every 3–4 years remove the oldest stems at the base. Spent clusters on 'Yellow Fairy' can be cut off for more continuous flowering. For winter mound the base 15–20 cm high and cover with spruce branches.

Gardener's tip. In a rainy summer the petals of 'Yellow Fairy' can turn brown – deadhead the clusters regularly to freshen the plant and encourage new flowers. To prevent black spot, plant in an airy spot and clear fallen leaves in autumn.