Fact Sheet

Flower Carpet® APPLEBLOSSOM

Introduction

Flower Carpet® APPLEBLOSSOM has soft pastel pink blooms that flower in profusion from late spring right until late fall. Each plant can be covered in up to 2,000 blooms on an established plant.. This is a tough, high-performance pastel pink groundcover rose.

Flower Carpet APPLEBLOSSOM is a sport of Flower Carpet PINK and has inherited that award-winning rose’s unprecedented levels of natural disease-resistance. Flower Carpet roses were developed by Noack Rosen, the German rose breeders known for their early commitment to disease-resistant hybrids.

A true easy-care groundcover rose, both home gardeners and professional landscapers will find Flower Carpet APPLEBLOSSOM is simple to grow and easy to maintain, requiring no spraying in the landscape. Simply cut back to 1/3rd its size with hedge shears once in late Winter or early Spring, it is so easy.

All Flower Carpet roses are “self-cleaning” and require no fancy pruning or deadheading

Key Features

Masses of pastel pink blooms in clusters
Glossy green foliage
Attractive bush shape and appearance
Bright, vivid presence in the landscape or garden
Easy-care and disease-resistance

Suggested Uses

Use in flowerbeds, mass plantings, large containers and as tree roses. A perfect commercial landscaping plant for low-maintenance color.

Growth Habit

Bushes are low, dense and compact.

Growth Pattern

To invigorate blooming once plants are established, cut canes back to 10-inches annually in late winter or early spring.

Plant Size

24- to 32-inches in height, 40-inches across (spread).

Flower Size

Medium-sized (about 1 ½ inches across).

Spacing

Plant 2-3 per square yard, for ground cover. Plant 3-4 feet apart to establish boundaries. Can be planted anytime during Spring, Summer or Fall.

Hardiness

Will thrive in USDA zones 5 to 10. In cold zones, protect over the first winter. In zones 5 and below, continued winter protection is advised. In areas of intense heat (for example Phoenix, AZ), protect by planting in semi-shade.

Flowering Period

Flowering begins in late Spring and continues to late fall

Number Of Flowers

Blooms in clusters 6-8-inches across, with approximately 18 flowers per cluster. In full sun, a well-fed, well-watered, mature bush can produce up to 2,000 flowers per season.

Flower Color

Soft pastel pink, opening as a deeper pink and softening in hue with maturity.

Fragrance

Not fragrant.

Foliage

Dark glossy green, medium sized leaves. Can remain evergreen in USDA zones 8b and above.

Pruning/Pinching

No fancy pruning needed. Cut back by ⅔ annually in late winter or early spring. Trim to shape anytime of year, if desired. The bush is self-cleaning with few rose hips, no dead-heading required, petals fall away cleanly.

Light Needs

For best bloom, grow in full sun. Grows well in partial shade (4 - 5 hours of sun per day) with reduced blooms.

Soil Needs

Can thrive in a variety of soil conditions. Performs best in well-drained friable garden soil with added organic matter.

Water Needs

When planting in the landscape, water in well particularly during hot conditions and continue to water regularly until the plant is established. Flower Carpet roses are very tolerant of dry conditions once established.

Fertilizer

For maximum flowering and performance, feed with a balanced rose food. It is best not to feed roses in fall and winter as extra nutrients then will force new growth and increase the chances of cold-damage over winter. In warm climates (USDA zones 8 and up): feed in early spring and late summer. In cold climates (USDA zones 5 – 7): feed in spring and summer.

Disease Tolerance

Very resistant to common rose blights such as black spot and mildew. It does not require routine chemical spraying and dusting, apply only if needed.

Pest Issues

Treat for insect pests only as needed.

Special Care

In zones 5 and below winter protection is advised, especially in first winter.

Parentage

Sport of five-time international gold medal-winner Flower Carpet Pink (var. ‘Noatraum’). Parentage is Rosa var. ‘Immensee’ x R. var. ‘Amanda’.