Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Climber Wall ShrubRoses

Rosa cymosa

elderflower rose

A large, strong-growing, climber or scrambling rose to 5m tall, with bright red young shoots, few thorns, and compound grey-green leaves with seven, slender leaflets. Huge trusses of small, creamy-white, lightly scented flowers are produced in late spring to early summer, sometimes repeating in late summer; tiny, round, red hips follow

Synonyms

Rosa microcarpa
Rosa cymosus

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
2 suppliers

Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

West–facing or South–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing
Potentially harmful: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus: Rosa can be deciduous or semi-evergreen shrubs or scrambling climbers, with usually thorny stems bearing compound pinnate leaves and solitary or clustered flowers. Flowers may be followed by showy red or purple fruits in some varieties.
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun, in a warm sheltered position. Best suited to southern counties. Mulch with well-rotted organic matter in late winter or early spring, and for best flowering apply a general rose or shrub fertiliser in early spring and again in early summer. See rose cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early to mid spring, hardwood cuttings in late summer to autumn or by chip budding in summer; propagate by seed; species roses can be propagated by seed but need stratification and germination may take two seasons

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Wall side borders

Pruning

See pruning group 17 (climbing roses); don't prune flowers if fruits (hips) are required

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, rose leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects, caterpillars, large rose sawfly, rose slugworm sawfly and rose leaf-rolling sawfly. Deer and rabbits can cause damage

Diseases

May be susceptible to rose black spot, rose rust, replant disease, rose dieback, and rose powdery mildew and sometimes honey fungus. May also be susceptible to disorders rose blindness and flower balling

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.