How to Landscape Lady Banks Rose Plants

The Lady Banks rose, Rosa banksiae, is a sprawling, nearly thornless shrub that grows to 15 feet high and as much as 30 feet across. The rose originated in central and western China and bears small white or yellow flowers in spring. It likes warmth and tolerates some salt spray and drought once established, though it prefers moist soil. It is hardy only to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 8 and is damaged by temperatures below about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Give it support with a strong trellis, pergola or wall or let it ramble across a slope as a ground cover.

Lady Banks rose plant
Shovel
Organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a site for the Lady Banks rose that is in full sun and has enough room for it to spread or a substantial trellis to support it. Though drought-tolerant when established, it needs regular watering for the first two or three years, so plant it near a faucet.
- 2
  Dig a hole a foot deeper than the root ball and twice as wide. Spread organic matter 3 inches deep over the bottom of the hole and mix well with the soil below it.
- 3
  Remove the rose from its container and spread the roots out as much as possible, cutting into small circling roots if needed to encourage the roots to move into the new soil, not continue growing around in a small area. Set the plant in the hole so that the soil line of the container is level with the garden soil surface. Fill around the roots with soil, pushing it in with your fingers, and water well.
- 4
  Water again when the ground around the rose is dry at 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, and continue this watering regime for the rest of the growing season. In the next year, water regularly or allow the rose to dry out a bit more. You can reduce the water considerably the year after.

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