Penelope was bred in 1924 by Rev. Joseph Pemberton of the United Kingdom and introduced to Australia in 1925. It is a hybrid musk shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). Parentage is Ophelia (hybrid tea, Paul 1912) x unnamed seedling. This shrub will grow 4- 8 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide. It prefers full sun but will tolerate light shade in fertile, moist, well-drained soil but will tolerate poor soils. It is somewhat drought-tolerant once established. Lightly prune in late winter to remove dead, diseased and crossed canes. Does not like to be heavily pruned. Avoid overhead watering and crowding to help prevent diseases. Penelope boasts 4-5" large, saucer-shaped, strongly fragrant blooms with 16 to 25 petals that bloom in large clusters. Although it has a long bloom season, flowering continuously from summer into the fall, the spring blooms are superior. Young foliage has a showy copper tint, which will turn a dark, glossy green as it ages. It will also provide winter interest with a production of orange-red hips. Use this shrub in the mixed shrub border, as a hedge, as a foundation plant or as a specimen. Small groups are effective for screening/privacy. Penelope was a winner of the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society, Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Has good disease resistance. See pests of roses to the left. Deer will browse roses. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Rosa .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Large semi-glossy foliage.
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower shape
Cup; Saucer
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Light blush to shell pink flowers with small oval buds fade to white. 3-4-inch cupped-shaped flowers with up to 25 petals appear in clusters and repeat blooms throughout the season.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit detail
Will produce rose hips if not pruned off
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Green with prickles
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
United Kingdom
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Drupe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Patio; Walkways
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Cutting Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Foundation Planting; Screen/Privacy; Small groups; Specimen