Favorite Garden Roses: Bolero Rose

A lovely white garden rose with the most incredible scent, the Bolero Rose is an all-star of the rose family! This gorgeous white rose features cupped blooms packed with the most romantic creamy white ruffled petals. Bolero Rose is a must-have for any gardener looking for a versatile, old-fashioned, highly fragrant and beautiful white rose to add to their garden.

Let’s dive into the details!

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions and recommendations are my own.

Why You’ll Love The Bolero Rose

First of all, it’s beautiful!

This is one of those roses in my garden that easily is a top contender for my favorite garden rose.

A white outer edge “hugs” a creamy white center of this stunning floribunda rose. And although it’s considered a white garden rose, it can at times be kissed in a pale pink center. (If you love pink garden roses, be sure to check out my ever-popular 20 Most Beautiful Pink Roses For Your Garden !)

Secondly, this rose has the most INCREDIBLE scent. The Bolero Rose has such a strong, captivating, heavenly fragrance, unlike any other rose I have in my garden. The scent of a traditional rose mixed with hints of tropical fruit– it’s honestly divine. Fruity, fresh, and classic all in one.

Bolero Roses are a great addition to the garden because they have excellent disease resistance, especially for black spot. I love an easy to grow rose, and I promise you will too 😉 .

Bolero Roses are known for their compact growth habit, reaching an average height of 3-4 feet, and an average width of 2-3 feet. This tidy growth habit makes them versatile and well-suited for various garden styles, from formal gardens to more natural, cottage gardens. Bolero Roses can also be grown as a lovely rose hedge!

Bolero Rose Garden Ideas

FORMAL GARDENS AND COTTAGE GARDENS

The Bolero Rose is so versatile that it can be seen in formal and cottage gardens alike. For a formal garden, consider a hedge, or fill these beautiful white roses in the center of a boxwood parterre (so lovely!). For a more natural, cottage garden style, consider planting Bolero Roses with other free flowing perennials for a romantic and serene garden setting.

I also love how these roses look when grown along a fence! The pops of white are so classic and romantic.

We have our Bolero Rose bushes growing in front of the exterior of our home, behind a Sprinter Boxwood hedge, and in front of some of my favorite pink roses- Queen of Sweden and Princess Alexandra of Kent. And believe me when I say it’s a gorgeous site to see and our entryway smells fantastic!

I’d love to add more to our rose garden, that tends to lean a bit more cottage style, paired with other beautiful pink garden roses and both light and bold purple flowers throughout- and many pollinator-friendly flowers as well! It’s my happy place in the garden 🙂

ROSE GARDEN

If you’re thinking of starting a specific “rose garden” or adding to a currently-growing one, Bolero is the perfect addition because of its soft and creamy white color that tends to blend seamlessly with other roses, flowers, and plants.

*If you love white roses, be sure to read: 3 Beautiful White Garden Roses Every Gardener Will Love

*If you love, love, love pink garden roses as much as I do, be sure to read: 20 Most Beautiful Pink English Roses For Your Garden

Bolero ROSE HEDGE

Consider planting a Bolero Rose hedge behind a Boxwood hedge, for gorgeous year-round interest. The bold glossy leaves of the boxwood (that typically grow 24-48 inches tall) really make Bolero’s white blooms “pop”- stunning!

*Tip: I love using boxwood as a more “structured” plant in the garden, as it provides year round interest, is such a timeless and elegant garden shrub, and it protects kids/pets from any rose thorns!

ADDITIONAL Bolero ROSE IDEAS

Bolero is a great cut flower rose! Bolero Roses make the most beautiful creamy white floral arrangement that will make your home smell incredible for days!
Since Bolero Roses are so fragrant, be sure to bring some cut flowers into your home where you can maximize their heavenly scent– in the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, or even on your bedside table.
Add Bolero Roses to a garden with pollinator-friendly plants for a mini butterfly garden (and attract honeybees and hummingbirds to the surrounding flowers too!).
Since Bolero is predominantly white in color (with a kiss of light pink in its inner bloom), consider adding it to a “Moon Garden” along with other white flowers.
Gardening, and especially growing roses, is so good for your mental health, so adding a beautifully fragrant rose such as this variety really enhances the senses and brings a sense of calm– a win-win!

Bolero ROSE COMPANION PLANTS

Since the Bolero Rose has such lovely glossy green foliage with soft puffs of creamy white blooms, and at times delicately kissed with pink in it’s center, it has a classic look that compliments so many shrubs and flowers! From evergreen shrubs like boxwood, to pink and purple flowers, Bolero Roses create a perfect backdrop for a versatile color palette in the garden.

My favorite color combination with white garden roses are pops of pink, purple, light lilac, light blue or even more whites!

Boxwood (evergreen shrub with stunning glossy green foliage)
Beautiful Pink English Roses (for a cottage garden, formal garden or rose garden)
Russian Sage (wispy lilac blooms that bloom ALL summer long into fall, and attract the best pollinators!)
Endless Summer Hydrangeas or Nantucket Blue Hydrangeas (light blue florets on puff ball clouds of blooms. *Soil amendments may be needed to achieve the blue color!)
Montrose White Calamint (for a pollinator-magnet, wispy, ethereal white perennial)
Black And Bloom Salvia (for a pollinator-friendly, bold deep blue/violet annual)
Any of these 12 Beautiful Purple Flowers For Your Summer Garden !

Planting Bolero Roses

WHERE TO PLANT

Plant in moist, well-drained soil (Bolero Roses do not tolerate standing water or soggy soil)
An ideal location will receive at least 6-8 hours of direct full sun
Space about 2-3 feet from other larger plants with deeper root systems, to allow for proper air circulation

WHEN TO PLANT

Bolero Roses can be planted year-round, as long as the ground is not frozen, but the ideal time is in the Spring, and more often than not, you’ll only be able to find these roses available in the Spring (plus they tend to sell out during the Summer- the best garden roses always do!)
Early Spring is generally the preferred planting time (to avoid the extreme heat of summer as the rose bush gets established in its first year in-ground)

HOW TO PLANT

Dig a hole slightly wider and deeper than the root ball
Loosen soil around the hole
(I like to mix in a handful or 2 of organic compost- I use cotton burr compost)
Remove the plant from the garden nursery container (wear protective rose gloves if thorns are visible!)
Gently tease some of the roots at the bottom and sides, if established
Place the rose shrub in the hole with the crown/graft point at soil level
Backfill the hole with soil
Mound up soil to the base to keep water from pooling
Pat the soil down with your hands
Water the soil around the shrub (at the base, not the foliage)

Proper Bolero Rose Care & Cutting

WATERING

During the first year, keep soil evenly moist but not soggy (water daily or every other day)
During the second year, continue to water regularly if rainfall isn’t sufficient
Water more frequently during extreme heat
Water more frequently if growing Bolero Roses in planters/pots/containers
Water around the base of the shrub, not directly on the foliage

MULCHING AND FERTILIZING

From the 2nd year onward, in early Spring prepare to fertilize
If you have a layer of mulch already surrounding your rose, move some of it off to the side to expose the soil
Fertilize by adding a few handfuls of Rose Tone, or similar, to the top layer of soil in early Spring to promote foliage growth
Add 1-2 inches of mulch around the base of the plant to help retain moisture, keep the roots cool, and keep nearby weeds at bay
Repeat every 2-4 weeks throughout the growing season
By Fall, it’s optional to add a bone-meal to the soil for extra plant health for the next season

PRUNING & CUTTING Bolero ROSES

When pruning or cutting your Bolero Rose, be sure to wear protective rose garden gloves to protect from thorns
When cutting roses, always cut on a 45 degree angle and above a stem that has five leaves– this will ensure more flowers will grow back from the cutoff section. And the angled cut will help ensure water will pool off the cut, vs pooling on top (imagine the angled cut is like a little water slide 😉 )
(Optional- there are “pruning sealers” that you can use that actually seal the cut so your rose is less susceptible to disease)
The best time for pruning Bolero Roses is in late Winter to early Spring, before new growth emerges.
For pruning and cutting, always use a pair of clean, sharp, good quality rose pruning shears.
When pruning or cutting your Earth Angel Rose, be sure to wear protective rose garden gloves to protect from thorns
When cutting roses, always cut on a 45 degree angle and above a stem that has five leaves– this will ensure more flowers will grow back from the cutoff section. And the angled cut will help ensure water will pool off the cut, vs pooling on top (imagine the angled cut is like a little water slide 😉 )
(Optional- there are “pruning sealers” that you can use that actually seal the cut so your rose is less susceptible to disease).
When pruning roses, remember the “3 D’s”= “Dead, Diseased, Damaged”. This rule is always applicable. You want to remove any dead, diseased or damaged leaves immediately. If you have leaves still remaining in winter, you may want to remove those as well.

Bolero Rose Characteristics

Rose Type: Floribunda
Color: White, Cream (often kissed with Light Pink center)
Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 5-10
Flowering: Repeat Blooming
Bloom Size: Medium
Bloom Form: Cupped, Clustered, Antique, Very Full
Fragrance: Exceptionally Fragrant: Traditional Rose with Tropical Fruit, Lemon and Verbena
Foliage: Bright, Glossy Green
Size: Floribunda/Small Shrub
Growth Type: Compact
Height: 3-4ft tall
Width: 2-3ft wide
Light Preference: Full Sun, 6-8 hours
Soil Preference: Well-draining soil, rich in organic matter
Water Preference: Regular
Disease Resistance: Good
Petal Count: 150
Spacing: ~3ft

Bolero roses garden — On the left, this Bolero Rose’s center is kissed with pale pink, which adds to the delicate charm of these beauties!

Where To Buy Bolero Roses

When buying most English or garden roses, they tend to be available as either a bare root rose or a potted rose bush. Here are a few of my favorite sources for buying Bolero Roses:

Heirloom Roses
Grace Rose Farm
Local garden nurseries
*You could also try calling local landscaping companies who might have access to garden roses!

The Bolero Rose is a fantastic white garden rose for any garden, and I highly urge you to consider growing one in yours!

Happy rose planting!

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Favorite Garden Roses: Bolero Rose