The Rosa genus holds over 150 species of shrub and climbing roses. A garden favorite for nearly a century, Rosa ‘New Dawn’ is a vigorous climbing rose with abundant blush pink blooms. These roses come from hardy stock with an intriguing garden history.
‘New Dawn,’ the recipient of numerous awards, was named “the most popular rose in the world” at the 1997 World Convention of Rose Societies, and it’s a Hall of Famer in the World Federation of Rose Societies. It also received the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
One of the best repeat-flowering climbing roses, ‘New Dawn’ features free-flowering double blooms on prolific plants with superior disease resistance and adaptability. It’s no wonder that this stunning rose is worthy of a prominent place in the garden.
Overview
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What are ‘New Dawn’ Roses?
This large-flowered climbing rose excels as an easy-care, reliable, and prolific garden performer. It flowers abundantly in late spring and early summer and repeats throughout the season until fall.
A robust climber born of rambling stock, it grows quickly in a single season and is ideal for trellises, arbors, pillars, arches, and along fences. Without upright support, it grows as a free-standing shrub.
‘New Dawn’ is an Earth-KindⓇ rose, a special designation granted to select roses by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service after rigorous research and field trials. The service awards the Earth-KindⓇ designation to roses with exceptional pest and disease resistance and superior landscape performance.
They tolerate poor soils and, once established, have excellent heat and drought tolerance. The goal is to enjoy roses while limiting fertilizers, pesticides, and water quantity.
Characteristics
This rose features blush pink double blooms with pearlescent petals.
‘New Dawn’ yields clusters of blush pink double blooms in early summer. Flowers reach three inches across with up to 40 petals. Pearlescent petals give a silvery sheen to the shell pink blossoms. Bright yellow stamens punctuate the flower center and attract bees and butterflies. The soft blooms have a light, sweet fragrance to match.
Bright green, glossy leaves line long, pliable canes that have prickles. Thorns are easy to work around when pruning or training the canes on upright structures.
After the initial flush, ‘Rose Dawn’ continues to bloom throughout the warm season in clusters or single flowers. Abundant red and burgundy rose hips emerge in the fall, bringing lasting winter interest and food for birds and other wildlife.
Native Area
This climber is a descendant of Eastern Asian climbing species.
‘This modern rose was cultivated in 1930. It’s thought that most modern climbers are descendants of wild climbing species likely originating in eastern Asia.
It’s our good garden fortune that H.A. Dreer of Somerset Rose Nursery in New Jersey discovered this rose growing as a sport on a wichuriana hybrid rose, ‘Dr. W. van Fleet.’ The American Rose Society defines the horticultural term “sport” as a new shoot displaying characteristics different from the parent plant. This genetic mutation changes the original plant’s growth habit, flower color, or form.
For ‘New Dawn,’ it means a vigorous climbing rose with a shorter habit than its trailing, rambling parent. ‘Dr. W. van Fleet,’ hybridized in 1910, is a cross between Rosa wichuriana (a hardy, rambling rose with small, white flowers with yellow centers) and hybrid teas. ‘Dr. W. van Fleet’ showcases the same lovely, pearly pink flowers in a free-flowering, long trailing form.
Rosa ‘New Dawn’ is a precedent-setter in the plant world. Noted as the world’s most popular climbing rose, it was also the first plant to receive a patent.
Planting
Climbing roses grow in a variety of situations. Place it near an upright support structure like a pillar, wall, arbor, or trellis for climbing. Once they’re long enough, tie the canes to the support so they can grow vertically.
For good air circulation and to plan for maturity, leave ample space around the plant for air movement and ensure roots have enough room to spread. Space each rose six to eight feet apart. Leave at least one foot between roses and companion plantings to avoid overcrowding.
Transplanting
Plant roses in late winter or early spring for optimal conditions.
Roses can be planted year-round, with the best conditions generally in late winter, early spring, and fall. Cool conditions and seasonal moisture set up the rose for success. Avoid frozen or waterlogged conditions and periods of extreme heat or drought for the least stress on the new plant.
Roses ship potted or bare-root, usually in January through May, depending on your climate. Look for “own root” roses for plants propagated from a single variety with their own developed root system (rather than grafted onto another plant).
Bare root roses arrive dormant, without soil, but quickly fill out after planting and with warming temperatures. They’ll establish over the spring for summer blooming.
Before planting a bare-root rose, soak it in water for 24 hours. Dig a hole large enough to accommodate all the roots comfortably. For both nursery potted and bare-root plants, amend the native soil with compost. Plant the rose a little high (slightly mounded above the soil level) to allow for settling.
How to Grow
As roses go, this one is happy to grow with little fuss. It climbs best if first grown horizontally before training it to grow vertically. Long canes train easily on upright structures. The canes don’t twine independently; they’ll continue to need tying off as they grow. As canes grow, they become heavy, but the stunning reward is worth the work.
Essential to growing healthy roses is ensuring air circulation for plant vigor and health while preventing foliar diseases. In the right cultural conditions, ‘New Dawn’ thrives without concern.
Light
They thrive with a minimum of six hours of sunlight daily.
Provide a full sun location for the best flowering. They tolerate light shade, but blooming and disease resistance improve with at least six hours of sunlight daily.
Water
Optimal rose care includes deep watering during dry periods.
Water deeply throughout the growing season when soils are dry to a depth of one inch. When newly planted, ensure the soil stays moist until the roses are established (about one month). Once established, water needs are average, and watering too frequently can increase root diseases.
The best time to water is in the morning with drip or ground-level irrigation. Refrain from overhead watering to help prevent foliar diseases, especially avoiding evening or nighttime sprinklers.
A tough rose, it seems tolerant of salty water when drip irrigated. Saltwater spray, though, may damage leaves.
Soil
Growth will be best in well-draining, slightly acidic soils.
These stunning climbers thrive in well-draining soils with even moisture. They prefer slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter but aren’t picky if soil conditions are lesser.
In poor soils (sandy or clay), incorporate three to six inches of compost derived from completely broken-down plant material. Compost will help with aeration, moisture retention, drainage, and nutrition.
Temperature and Humidity
They thrive in high humidity with proper air circulation and spacing.
This variety withstands the heat. Reportedly, it also grows in cold climates hardy down to USDA zone 4.
Mulch in the summer to regulate temperatures by keeping roots cool. In cold winter areas, protect the rose crowns for best overwintering.
‘New Dawn’ also grows in areas with high humidity but needs plenty of air circulation. Ensure enough space around the plant and avoid overcrowding.
Fertilizing
Use balanced fertilizer and mycorrhizal fungi to improve nutrient-poor soil.
Fertilizer isn’t essential for Rosa ‘New Dawn,’ but applications of a balanced fertilizer in early spring and early summer ensure a vital growing season.
Fish emulsion or an organic rose fertilizer do the trick. Mycorrhizal fungi promote healthy roots and soil.
Maintenance
Maintain rose health with year-round mulching for moisture.
A few simple seasonal garden tasks will help your rose maintain health and vigor. Maintain a three-inch layer of mulch year-round to retain moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress weeds. Mulch also adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes.
To encourage reblooming, remove spent flowers. This variety will free-flower all season without deadheading but produces more quickly when it’s not directing energy to seed. Stop pruning and deadheading flowers in late summer so showy hips will set for fall interest and wildlife forage.
Remove diseased leaves, plus those from the ground during the growing season and in winter, as part of regular maintenance. Removing fallen leaves and flowers promotes overall health and reduces the occurrence of pests and diseases.
Pruning in late winter to early spring helps plant vigor by increasing circulation and shaping plant form. Remove any crossed, diseased, or dead canes as preventative maintenance. Prune before spring buds set.
Propagation
Propagate roses through hardwood cuttings. Rose cuttings may take a few years to develop into full, multi-stemmed plants, but cuttings are an easy way to reproduce the parent plant and are relatively easy to try.
Cuttings
Propagate roses by taking six-to-eight-inch cuttings in either spring or fall.
Grow new rose plants from cuttings in the spring or fall. Take multiple cuttings since not all may root. Here’s how to take rose cuttings:
- Cut a six-to-eight-inch piece of stem from the tip of a healthy cane. Cut the stem at a 45-degree angle, and remove any flowers or hips down to the first layer of healthy leaves.
- Remove the foliage from the bottom ½ of the cutting, keeping any upper leaves intact. Keep cuttings moist until ready to pot.
- Moisten the cutting and dip the lower stem in rooting hormone, coating generously. Tap off any excess rooting powder.
- Stick the cutting at about half its length in a pot with moist, well-draining potting mix. Vermiculite, perlite, and peat make suitable mixtures.
- Place the pot in a bright, warm location, avoiding direct sunlight (especially direct afternoon sun).
- Water/mist as needed, keeping the soil evenly moist when roots have taken hold and as new growth emerges, and transplant to a larger pot or into the garden. New plants will be tender.
Popular Varieties
The hybrid roses derived from Rosa ‘New Dawn’ feature diverse colors.
Rosa ‘New Dawn’ is the parent plant to several offspring roses. Its hybrids offer different colors with the same profusion of repeat blooms and prolific habit.
- Rosa ‘Bantry Bay’ yields deep pink semi-double to double blooms. Flowers have bright yellow centers.
- Rosa ‘Coral Dawn’ features pink-coral double blooms that mature to rose pink. Flowers are large at five inches across, on flexible canes that train easily.
- Rosa ‘White Dawn’ carries lush, ivory white double blooms. Gardenia-like flowers contrast beautifully with dark green, semi-evergreen foliage.
Common Problems
As its Earth-Kind designation tells us, this climber boasts exceptional disease resistance among roses. Choosing a resistant plant and providing the appropriate cultural conditions are the first steps to healthy and beautiful roses.
Roses are susceptible to black spot, powdery mildew, rust, and rose rosette. They may incur aphids, beetles, scale, thrips, leafhoppers, and spider mites, among other insects.
Planting in full sun with plenty of air circulation and average moisture helps stave off infections. Pruning and removing diseased leaves helps prevent the spread of pests and diseases. Remove fallen leaves and flowers from the base of the plant during the growing season and in winter for best health.
Certain companion plants like lavender, catmint, allium, geranium, and agastache may help repel pests like aphids and beetles. They’ll also attract beneficial insects, making for a well-rounded garden system.
Pests
Effective insect control for roses involves early detection through visual cues.
The best way to control insects is to spot them early. You’ll likely see the insects themselves, or you’ll notice their sticky waste on plants (aphids), their nibble damage to leaves (beetles), or their webbing and yellowing of leaves (spider mites).
Insects occasionally bother these roses. Spray the plant with a strong stream of water to deter and knock insects off the stems. A simple horticultural soap can rid the plant of insects if an infestation occurs, but be sure to follow label directions, as these can harm beneficial insects as well when applied incorrectly.
Diseases
Preventing diseases through cultural conditions is the most effective control for pests.
As with pests, the best disease control is prevention through cultural conditions. Fortunately, this rugged rose is less frequently affected by disease. In general, problem roses should be removed from the garden to minimize chemical treatments and promote the health of surrounding plants.
Rust, a common fungal disease, is possible in hot, humid summer climates. Powdery spores may appear on the undersides of yellowing leaves. If rust is spotted, cut off the infected leaves. Rust spreads readily, so make sure to destroy the infected plant parts.
Powdery mildew is another common fungal disease indicated by a gray-white powdery substance on leaves, stems, and buds. Leaves may distort and drop.
Black spot fungus carries black spots with feathery margins on leaves and stems. Black spot occurs when leaves remain overly wet (from overhead watering or periods of prolonged moisture). If spraying leaves with water to deter pests, do so in the morning or midday when leaves will have time to dry in the sun.
Rose rosette is a virus that causes malformation in growth (like witches broom) and kills the plant. Any roses with symptoms of rose rosette should be removed to prevent the fast-spreading disease.
Horticultural oils like neem can treat black spot, rust, and powdery mildew (but again, these impact beneficial insects, so be sure to follow application requirements).
Frequently Asked Questions
They grow vigorously, reaching their mature height of around 15 feet quickly in ideal conditions. This fast-growing rose reaches ten feet over a couple of growing seasons and matures over a few years to its maximum height.
This variety grows best planted in the ground with plenty of room for roots and canes to run. If you don’t have access to a garden bed in your desired climbing spot and want to try growing in a container, opt for an extra-large pot filled with fertile, well-draining potting mix. The container’s size will determine the rose’s vigor and growth habit. Shorter climbing varieties (12 feet and under) make excellent container specimens with a little extra care.
Exceptional disease resistance is among the many merits of this climbing rose. It also adapts to various site conditions like heat, light shade, and poor soils. These qualities, coupled with lovely blooms, repeat flowering, and vigorous growth, make it an outstanding garden performer.
Final Thoughts
‘New Dawn’ roses, with their fragrant double blooms in lovely blush, offer repeat beauty throughout the growing season. Its prolific climbing makes it an ideal screen, natural barrier, and prominent focal point. It is gorgeous on an arbor, on a porch pillar, or along an entrance gate.
Visitors will be in awe of the pink profusion of roses from May to September, followed by burgundy rose hips that persist into winter. They make excellent cut flowers, too, with clusters filling an arrangement with a single snip.
Choose this popular climbing rose for its exceptional landscape performance and ease of care, and enjoy it for its graceful beauty and old-fashioned charm.
