We humans are smart enough to avoid reinventing the wheel. So when we find a great restaurant, doctor or garden rose, we tend to head back to the same source when we’re looking for another delicious night out, some good health care or lovely, bullet-proof roses. Which is why it’s worth sharing this bit of industry knowledge with anyone who already has Flower Carpet® roses growing in their garden: there’s a new fragrant Flower Carpet® Shrub rose (known as Showpiece™ roses in the Southern hemisphere and Canada) – in five great colours – created by the same rose breeder. Which means that, while the shrub cousins are a different look and style to the original Flower Carpet ground cover roses, when it comes down to being lush, healthy and super easy to grow, these fragrant Flower Carpet® Shrub roses are as wonderful as those first and innovative Flower Carpet ground cover roses, again, both thanks to Werner Noack of Noack Roses, Gütersloh, Germany. So let’s have an executive summary of each to remember why Flower Carpet ground cover roses are so universally loved, and see why their shrub rose relatives are heading steadily in the same popularity direction – and why these are the best roses and the only 2 roses you need…

The rose that brings joy: Before we get down to the nitty gritty, go stand in front of any Flower Carpet® ground cover rose when it’s mature and in full bloom and you’ll feel the joy. Firstly, because these roses are astonishing when in flower, but secondly, if the rose that you’re admiring is blooming in your own garden, you’ll also appreciate that you didn’t have to do anything to help the Flower Carpet rose produce this moment. It’s thanks to Mr Noack that we have these ridiculously easy-care roses, to which, after planting and giving them a bit of attention with a watering can for a week or two, we’re no longer needed. No pruning. No spraying for bugs or fungus. No feeding. Of course you can trim your Flower Carpet rose back if you want, but throw away your rose pruning guide and treat your rose instead like you would a leggy lavender or daisy bush. And if you want, by all means toss some slow-release fertiliser around the base of the plant in spring and then in fall. And now to the facts and stats. There are more than 10 different Flower Carpet ground cover roses available; they’re called carpet roses because they tend to grow into low, dense bushes that flatten out at about three feet once mature (professional landscapers use them a lot in massed plantings); they’ll cope in part shade but love the sunshine; established plants cope well with dry spells; and they’re happy in USDA zones five through to 10.

Old style meets today’s expectations: This is the best way to sum up the fragrant Flower Carpet® Shrub roses (also known as Showpiece™ roses). Werner Noack and his son Reinhard bred these deliberately to give us perfumed roses that looked old-fashioned, but were easy-care. Just like a lovely old house, restored with all the modern comforts slipped in behind the scenes. So when you plant a Flower Carpet® Shrub rose you’ll get what you want: a thick, bushy rose bush that covers itself in large, romantic, fragrant rose blooms. The sort you can pick to take indoors. With a Flower Carpet® Shrub rose, you’ll not only have a great looking plant in the landscape, but you’ll be gazing into the faces of classic old-world style roses, complete with the folded petals, ruffles, variation in the shades, glossy green foliage and fragrance in the air. These roses will produce the most flowers when they are planted in full sun; they don’t need to be pruned but if you do, cutting them back to a foot high will promote even more flowers. They don’t need to be sprayed for bugs or fungus, and after planting they only need watering for a few weeks to settle them in – they’ll become drought tolerant as they mature. Best of all, there are five different fragrant Flower Carpet® Shrub roses to choose from and they’re all happy to grow in USDA zones five through to 10.