Shade-Tolerant Cultivars

• The first and probably most important step for successfully growing roses in the shade is to pick a rose cultivar that is proven to do well in shady environments. These cultivars include climbers like Altissimo and American Pillar, shrub roses like Canary Bird and Cerise Bouquet, Floribundas like Amberlight and Betty Prior and many other species. Choose a shade-tolerant cultivar that will grow into the size, shape and color that is ideal for your garden plans.
  
  

Planting

• Though these species are all highly shade-tolerant, they will need some amount of sunlight. The required amount varies based on the specific species you chose, but in general look to plant the roses in an area that receives five to six hours of direct sunlight exposure per day. Planting roses underneath a tree canopy cover is often advisable not only because it allows for the ideal amount of sunlight but also because the roses can drink moisture runoff from the tree cover. Transplanting a young shade-tolerant rose plant to soil does not differ from doing so with any other rose variety.
  
  

Long-Term Care

• Roses of the shade-tolerant and intolerant varieties favor frequent watering to produce healthy blooms. Give the ground around the rosebush a thorough soaking once weekly to provide at least 1 inch of water; this practice will foster deep root development. Use an organic, slow-release fertilizer and add it to the rosebush's soil at least once every spring. A small amount of fertilizer should also be added to the soil when the rose begins to bloom. Using a well-selected fertilizer at the most opportune times supports healthy, full rose blooms for successive generations of your rose plant.
  
  

Other Considerations

• As noted, there are numerous varieties of rose plants that grow well in the shade, but your success or failure in growing a certain cultivar depends more than anything on the geographic area in which you will be growing them. When shopping for a shade-tolerant cultivar, inquire to local gardening experts as to the specific cultivars that are most well-suited to your particular geographic and climatic conditions. Doing so will go a long way in guaranteeing that the shady parts of your lawn and garden are filled out with rose blooms and that the significant time and effort investment in caring for your shade-tolerant roses is not spent in vain.