Rosa White Magic - shrub rose

Rosa White Magic is a graceful, fresh rose bush that combines the toughness of wild roses with the perpetual flowering of musk hybrid roses.  Its single white roses with simple corollas bloom in large clusters, gracefully bending the branches. The slightly scented flowers attract bees and produce small orange-red hips in autumn, sought after by birds. It is a naturally disease-resistant variety, almost maintenance-free, rewarding and easy to grow in any type of soil, even in partial shade. And its flowers are very beautiful in a vase.

Rosa White Magic is a creation by L. Lens dating back to 1989. It is derived, among others, from the musk rose (Rosa (x) moschata), a spontaneous hybrid probably originating from Asia Minor or the Middle East. A bit like polyanthas and floribundas, roses in this family produce flowers grouped in clusters, but their colours are more refined and they have a more flexible and graceful habit. 'White Magic' has rapid growth and a bushy and spreading habit, fanning out. Ultimately, this bush reaches an average height of 1.35 m (4ft) with an almost equivalent spread. Its flexible, thorny stems bear light green, disease-resistant leaves divided into leaflets. Flowering begins in June and continues until October if the soil does not dry out too much and the plant is regularly deadheaded. It blooms in massive clusters of small 3 cm (1in) diameter, pure white, single flowers. The centre of the corollas is occupied by golden stamens, attractive to bees and other pollinators. If the faded flowers are left on the plant from August, this rosebush produces decorative small hips at the end of the season. It is hardy to about -15°C (5°F).

Shrub rose White Magic is undemanding, reliable, and generous. The bush thrives in well-prepared soil and requires no pruning other than removing the oldest branches or dead wood at the end of winter. Unlike many roses, its beauty is not ostentatious. Its lightness and wild rose appearance go well with all the plants in the garden. Plant it in a small flowering hedge or a bed with other roses, perennials such as peonies, iris and tall phlox, or other small flowering shrubs with staggered bloom times: small-sized lilacs (Syringa microphylla superba), mock oranges, or Japanese quinces. Also, consider planting it with a herbaceous clematis.