QUEEN ELIZABETH – pink bedding grandiflora rose - Lammerts
Step outside for a few quiet minutes and let Queen Elizabeth wrap your garden in cheerful calm: tall, upright stems carry elegant, cupped pink blooms that keep returning through the season, even when summers are short and the weather shifts from soft drizzle to brief sunny spells. This grandiflora makes light work of creating a romantic, “girly” cottage feel along a Dublin terrace or beside a country path, while its glossy dark foliage gives solid structure in small to medium family gardens. As an own-root rose, it settles in steadily and rewards you with reliable growth, giving roots in year one, stronger shoots in year two and a full ornamental presence by year three. With moderate care needs, good hardiness, and proven endurance over decades, it is a reassuring long-term choice for busy gardeners who still want a touch of everyday luxury and gently sweet fragrance on their doorstep.
Usage options
| Target area |
Reasoning |
| Front garden focal point in a small city plot |
The upright, statuesque habit and large, cupped mid‑pink flowers give instant height and presence without taking much ground space, ideal beside a path or bay window where you want reliable elegance for many years for the beginner. |
| Cottage-style mixed border in a family garden |
Repeat flushes of soft pink blooms carry a gentle scent that suits informal cottage borders, pairing well with perennials while offering long seasonal colour with only occasional deadheading for the hobby-gardener. |
| Informal flowering hedge along a boundary |
Dense foliage, moderate prickliness and tall, upright growth make a softly screening hedge that flowers repeatedly; spacing at about 55 cm forms a graceful, long-lived garden boundary for the homeowner. |
| Feature planting in exposed, breezy sites |
Its proven garden track record and H7 hardiness cope well with typical Irish conditions, including cool, damp spells and brisk winds off the Atlantic, easing worries about long-term survival for the cautious-buyer. |
| Statement rose in large containers on terraces |
Grown in a 40–50 litre pot with good drainage, the tall, narrow form delivers vertical colour on terraces or small patios, offering a regal look with manageable care for the urban-gardener. |
| Cut-flower source for home arrangements |
Large, double, exhibition-style blooms on strong stems are ideal for vases, giving you classic, long-stemmed pink roses from your own garden with a mild, pleasant scent for the flower-lover. |
| Low-maintenance structure plant in mixed shrub beds |
Glossy dark green foliage and upright growth provide lasting framework, while self-cleaning is moderate, so a quick tidy now and then keeps it smart; own-root plants regrow reliably after pruning for the busy-owner. |
| Long-term investment planting in new-build gardens |
As an own-root, premium silver-rated classic introduced in the 1950s, it offers decades of dependable ornament, maturing steadily as it develops from youthful plant to full garden presence for the future-focused. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage-curve – Line a gently curving path with Queen Elizabeth and interplant with Echinacea for a soft, romantic, “girly” cottage look – ideal for nostalgic front-garden owners.
- Regal-hedge – Create an upright pink hedge at 55 cm spacing, backed by clipped evergreens to highlight its tall, stately blooms – perfect for those seeking subtle privacy with flowers.
- Terrace-throne – Grow a single plant in a 50 litre pot with trailing herbs at the base to enjoy height and scent on a compact patio – suited to balcony and terrace gardeners.
- Pink-parade – Mass-plant in a sunny strip with Artemisia and Hypericum for a shimmering mix of pink, silver and gold – great for families wanting easy, long-season colour.
- Heritage-focus – Use one specimen near the front door, underplanted with low perennials, to celebrate its classic award-winning heritage – appealing to collectors and rose enthusiasts.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Grandiflora bedding rose Queen Elizabeth, registered as ‘Queen Elizabeth’; American Rose Society exhibition name Queen Elizabeth; part of the Rósra bhláthchlóis bedding collection. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by Walter Edward Lammerts in the United States in 1951 from ‘Charlotte Armstrong’ × ‘Floradora’; introduced 1954 by Armstrong Nurseries and Jackson & Perkins. |
| Awards and recognition |
Highly decorated classic: Portland Gold Medal 1954, AARS winner 1955, major European awards including Golden Rose of The Hague 1968, and World Federation Hall of Fame, World’s Favourite Rose 1979. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Strong, upright grandiflora reaching about 180–260 cm high and 70–110 cm wide, with dense, glossy dark green foliage and moderate thorniness, forming a tall, narrow shrub structure. |
| Flower morphology |
Large 7–10 cm double, cupped blooms with 26–39 petals, mainly in clusters; remontant with generous second flush, some deadheading helpful as self-cleaning is only moderate. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Uniform mid‑pink flowers with delicate silvery sheen; buds deeper pink, fading in strong sun to softer light pink; ARS mp, RHS 65B outer, 65C inner; colour holds better in cooler conditions. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Delicate, sweet character with mild strength; a restrained garden fragrance that complements rather than dominates seating areas and front paths, suitable for those preferring softer scents. |
| Hip characteristics |
Moderate crop of ovoid orange‑red hips, about 12–18 mm diameter, giving extra autumn interest without overwhelming the plant; decorative but usually secondary to the generous flowering. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to around –26 to –23 °C (H7, USDA 5b, Swedish zone 4); disease resistance moderate overall, notably good against black spot, with average tolerance to mildew, rust, heat and drought. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best in sunny position with fertile, well-drained soil, spaced 55–100 cm depending on use; water during prolonged dry spells and provide occasional plant protection and deadheading to maintain performance. |
QUEEN ELIZABETH offers tall elegant blooms, long-season flowering and proven award-winning reliability on a resilient own-root plant, making it a thoughtful choice if you want lasting structure and romance in your garden.
