Queen Of Sweden Rose

A lovely soft pink rose with a delicate scent, the Queen of Sweden rose is an absolute favorite in our rose garden. This gorgeous soft pink Queen of Sweden rose bush features upright cupped blooms packed with the most romantic pure pink petals. The Queen of Sweden rose, bred by David Austin, is a must-have for any gardener looking for a versatile, romantic, upright, beautiful pink rose to add to their garden.

There’s so much to learn (and love) about this special rose, so 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 Queen of Sweden Rose

The Queen of Sweden rose, bred by David Austin, is a beloved English Shrub Rose known for its classic beauty and elegant form- you can truly spot this rose in a sea of roses due to it’s unique upright growth habit and lovely cupped shape (think of a tall, upright stem with a small bowl placed directly on top!). Even in heavy rainfall, these blooms stay upright, like pure garden magic.

Queen of Sweden David Austin — Queen of Sweden Rose

And there’s so much more to love…

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.

(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 a soft moderate scent– a medium myrrh fragrance, sometimes with notes of licorice or anise. If you like a fragrant rose- it’s pleasant, yet not over powering.

Queen of Sweden roses are a great addition to the garden because they have excellent disease resistance, especially for black spot and powdery mildew. I love an easy to grow rose (any low maintenance rose get a gold star in my book!), and I promise you will too 😉 .

Queen of Sweden Roses are known for their upright growth habit, reaching an average height of 4-5 feet, and an average width of 2-3 feet. This controlled growth habit makes them versatile and well-suited for various garden styles, from formal gardens to more natural, cottage gardens. Queen of Sweden roses can also be grown as a lovely rose hedge!

Lastly, THOSE BLOOMS! Upright, cupped blooms packed with 140 petals that feel delicate yet regal in form- they are simply stunning.

Queen of Sweden Rose Garden Ideas

FORMAL GARDENS AND COTTAGE GARDENS

The Queen of Sweden rose is so versatile that it can be seen in formal gardens and cottage gardens alike. For a formal garden, consider a rose hedge, or fill these beautiful pink roses in the center of a boxwood parterre (so lovely!).

For a more natural, cottage garden style, consider planting the upright Queen of Sweden roses with free flowing, more whimsical perennials and annuals (or even lower-growing rose bushes!), for a romantic and whimsical garden setting.

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

We have our Queen of Sweden rose bushes growing in front of the exterior of our home, behind a Sprinter Boxwood hedge, and next to some of my favorite pink roses- Princess Alexandra of Kent roses . We also have a Queen of Sweden rose planted next to a Summer Romance rose and Earth Angel rose in our designated cottage style rose garden. 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, Queen of Sweden is the perfect addition because of its soft light pink 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

Queen of Sweden Rose companion plants with Earth Angel Roses, Summer Romance Roses and Baptisa — Here you can see the tall upright blooms of the Queen of Sweden rose with Earth Angel roses to the left, Summer Romance roses to the right, and a fading purple Baptisia

QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSE HEDGE

Consider planting a Queen of Sweden 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 Queen of Sweden’s soft pink blooms “pop”- stunning!

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

ADDITIONAL QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSE IDEAS

Queen of Sweden is a nice cut flower rose– they make the most beautiful soft pink floral arrangement.
Since Queen of Sweden roses are moderately fragrant, be sure to bring some cut flowers into your home where you can maximize their scent– in the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, or even on your bedside table.
Add Queen of Sweden Roses to a garden with pollinator-friendly plants for a mini butterfly garden (and attract honeybees and hummingbirds to the surrounding flowers too!).
Since this rose can handle dappled shade, consider growing it in pots on a balcony or porch!
Since this rose is quite tall and upright, consider it as a backdrop to some lower growing rose bushes.
Gardening, and especially growing roses, is so good for your mental health, so adding a beautiful and fragrant rose to the garden really enhances the senses and brings a sense of calm– a win-win! (Once you start growing roses, you’ll quickly want to grow more!)

QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSE COMPANION PLANTS

Since the Queen of Sweden rose has such lovely dark green foliage with soft cups of light pink blooms (at times delicately kissed with an apricot-pink), it has a classic look that compliments so many shrubs and flowers! From evergreen shrubs like boxwood, to other pink and purple flowers, Queen of Sweden roses create a perfect backdrop for a versatile color palette in the garden.

My favorite color combination with light pink garden roses are pops of brighter pink, purple, light lilac, light blue or even soft yellows or 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 !

Queen of Sweden Rose with Princess Alexandra of Kent Rose — Queen of Sweden Roses with Princess Alexandra of Kent Roses

QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSE PLANTING TIPS

WHERE TO PLANT QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSES

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

WHEN TO PLANT QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSES

Queen of Sweden 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 early 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)
**Pro Tip: Sometimes online rose orders open months in advance, even in the fall, so check back often on when roses will become available to order for the following year (I’ve linked a few places at the end of this post)

HOW TO PLANT QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSES

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)

QUEEN OF SWEDEN ROSE CARE & CUTTING

Queen of Sweden petals — Queen of Sweden Rose

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 Queen of Sweden 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

The best time for pruning Queen of Sweden 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 Queen of Sweden 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- we have not found the need for this in our own garden, but it is something to consider).
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.

Queen Of Sweden Rose Characteristics

Rose Type: English Shrub Rose
Color: Light Pink (with touches of Apricot-Pink)
Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-10
Flowering: Repeat Blooming
Bloom Size: Medium
Bloom Form: Cupped, Very Full
Fragrance: Light to Moderately Fragrant: Hints of Myrrh
Foliage: Dark Green
Size: Large Shrub
Growth Type: Upright
Height: 5ft tall
Width: 2-3ft wide
Light Preference: Full Sun, Partial Sun
Soil Preference: Well-draining soil, rich in organic matter
Water Preference: Regular
Disease Resistance: Very Good
Petal Count: 140
Spacing: ~3ft
Thorns: Minimal

Queen of Sweden Rose Peach Center — Queen of Sweden Rose

Where To Buy Queen of sweden Roses

When buying most English roses 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 Queen of Sweden roses:

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

Queen of Sweden Rose Review Summary: The Queen of Sweden rose is a fantastic soft pink garden rose for any garden, and I highly urge you to consider growing one in yours!

Happy rose planting!