Roses are the heart of a garden. Their unparalleled beauty and fragrance have elevated them to a status not enjoyed by any other flower. Floribunda roses are a hybrid type bred from polyantha and hybrid tea roses. They have very good disease resistance and hardiness, and they bloom repeatedly over a long season.
Floribundas make a wonderful addition to any garden. They are easier to care for than their hybrid tea relatives and bloom more prolifically than the old garden roses that they strongly resemble. Let’s take a look at 15 of the prettiest floribunda rose varieties that will look wonderful in your garden landscape.
Ebb Tide
The plant’s rounded growth habit makes it ideal for landscaping.
‘Ebb Tide’ is a prize with its deep, smokey purple flowers. These blooms are large for a floribunda (four inches), and the plant is on the larger side as well. The flowers are striking in their depth of color, as well as their strong fragrance. The scent is a mixture of citrus and spice and is surprisingly strong.
This floribunda rose variety can reach heights up to five feet, with a spread of four feet. The stems are longer, so these make nice cut flowers, as well. The plant has a nice, rounded growth habit, making it an excellent landscape plant.
Sea Pearl
Perfectly shaped buds open to reveal a golden glowing center.
‘Sea Pearl’ is another taller floribunda, reaching up to five feet tall. This tried and true classic had its introduction in 1964 in France. It has excellent heat tolerance, making this a great choice for gardeners in warmer climates. It has an upright growth habit with a slender spread.
The flowers of ‘Sea Pearl’ are breathtaking. Soft, coral-pink petals are deep peach-colored on the outside. The perfectly shaped, pointed buds open to reveal a golden glow in the center. These three-and-a-half-inch flowers bloom in flushes throughout the summer.
Friend’s Embrace
Bring potted ‘Friend’s Embrace’ indoors for optimal growth.
This cheerful rose is a cultivar by Jackson & Perkins and was introduced in 2014. The loosely petaled, buttery yellow flowers open fully to reveal a ring of visible stamens. ‘Friend’s Embrace’ is a mid-sized shrub that grows to about four feet tall. A row of these makes a gorgeous hedge.
The yellow blooms have a mild, spicy fragrance. They bloom in flushes from late spring through early fall for a nice, long season. ‘Friend’s Embrace’ grows well in the ground or a container, but bring her indoors for the winter if grown in a pot.
Time After Time
This disease-resistant tall plant thrives in partial shade.
‘Time After Time’ is a floribunda rose variety with extra large blooms. The four to five-inch flowers are the perfect shade of coral pink with just a hint of yellow in the center. They open their many petals fully to reveal golden yellow stamens.
This is a tall plant that does well in partial shade conditions. It has great disease resistance and blooms in flushes from spring until fall. The oversized blooms have a sweet and fruity fragrance, adding to their allure.
George Burns
Enjoy its blooms throughout the growing season.
Named for the comedic legend, there is nothing funny about the ‘George Burns’ rose. These color-changing flowers make a statement in the garden that few can rival. The flowers are yellow with red stripes when they open. As the blooms age, they take on more of the red shade, and yellow fades to white. The blooms have a mild, fruity scent.
‘George Burns’ is a compact shrub and makes a lovely container rose. Plant this in a spot where you can regularly enjoy the exceptional flowers that bloom in flushes throughout the growing season. It has an attractive, upright, and rounded growth habit.
Easy Spirit
The shrub attracts pollinators with its colorful blooms.
These flowers will leave no doubt as to the hybrid tea parentage of this rose. ‘Easy Spirit’ forms pretty, pointed buds that open into swirling confections of creamy white. A soft, golden glow comes from the interior of these vanilla-colored blooms. These wonderful, fragrant, and well-formed flowers make very nice cut flowers.
This floribunda rose variety is mid-sized with an upright growth habit. It blooms freely through a long season. ‘Easy Spirit’ has great disease resistance and is low-maintenance. The glossy, green foliage forms a nice contrast to the pale blooms.
Tawny Tiger
This major bloomer reaches three to four feet tall with upright growth.
‘Tawny Tiger’ is a continuous bloomer. This makes it a highly desirable cultivar since its introduction in 2003. The flowers are a stunning shade of terracotta with deep reddish brown stripes on semi-double-petaled blooms. These pretty flowers open completely to fully reveal a ring of golden stamens.
This major bloomer makes an excellent focal point in the landscape. It has an upright growth habit, topping out around three to four feet tall. The new growth matches the flowers in a reddish-orange shade. The flowers are moderately fragrant.
Doris Day
‘Doris Day’ blooms prolifically from spring to fall on a compact shrub.
This pure yellow rose perfectly commemorates America’s sweetheart. Nothing interferes with the golden glow of these perfect, fully double-petaled flowers. They bloom continuously from spring through fall on a four to five-foot shrub with an upright growth habit.
This disease-resistant cultivar, first introduced in 2013, has won the hearts of many gardeners. The blooms are not only very full, but they are also very fragrant. Clusters of these large flowers look like sunshine against deep green, glossy foliage.
Celestial Night
This hardy rose makes a stunning shrub in mass plantings.
This striking rose is a hybrid of ‘Ebb Tide,’ and shares the purple hue, but in an entirely different shade. ‘Celestial Night’ has brilliant plum-colored blooms with densely packed petals that resemble old garden roses. The shrub is on the larger side for a floribunda, reaching four to five feet tall.
This rose makes a stunning shrub in a mass planting. It’s a continuous bloomer, sporting fragrant flowers from spring until fall. It’s a hardy plant with excellent disease resistance. This gorgeous rose will stand out in the garden and make an excellent focal piece.
Livin’ Easy
Clusters of loosely petaled orange flowers bloom from pretty, pointed buds.
‘Livin Easy’ fills its namesake promise. This super easygoing rose is nearly foolproof and makes an excellent starter rose. Its glossy, disease-resistant foliage creates a great backdrop for the absolutely stunning floral display. This cultivar flowers abundantly throughout the season.
The loosely petaled flowers are orange, fading from deep to pale toward the inside of the blooms. They bloom in clusters from pretty, pointed buds. You will love this variety for its hardiness and prolific blooming nature.
Desmond Tutu
A few stems of Desmond Tutu create an impressive bouquet.
The award-winning ‘Desmond Tutu’ rose is simply breathtaking. A classic red rose, this is an elegant and bold shrub to add to the garden. The compact size of this rose makes it an excellent container plant. This makes it even easier to enjoy by moving it near to living spaces.
The brilliant red flowers bloom from nicely shaped buds in clusters. A few stems make a stunning bouquet. This is truly a rose fit for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Archbishop after whom it got its name. It has excellent heat tolerance but is not as cold-hardy as some floribundas.
Black Cherry
Regular deadheading ensures continuous blooms from summer to frost.
Another award-winning floribunda rose variety, ‘Black Cherry’ tolerates a wide range of climates and has great disease resistance. The oxblood red flowers bloom in large clusters, giving the appearance of a bouquet on each stem. The stems are long, making these great for the cutting garden.
As long as you remember to deadhead, ‘Black Cherry’ will bloom in flushes from early summer until the first frost. Its compact size makes this a great container plant, as well. Its excellent heat tolerance means that this cultivar will thrive all the way south to Zone 10.
Champagne Dreams
‘Champagne Dreams’ is a romantic floribunda rose poised for popularity.
If you love a good neutral rose, ‘Champagne Dreams’ is a gorgeous cultivar. The soft, pale, peachy blooms are large and lightly fragrant, smelling of fruit. The shrub is mid-sized with an upright growth habit and good disease resistance.
‘Champagne Dreams’ is a mid-sized floribunda. This is the newest rose on our list. Introduced in 2024, this exceptionally romantic rose is certain to see a dramatic rise in popularity. It is easy to care for and has good disease resistance. Look for this rose to be popular in wedding florals.
Violet’s Pride
The small to medium-sized shrub ‘Violet’s Pride’ surprises with its blooming power.
‘Violet’s Pride’ has a more limited range than most floribundas, but it is no less beautiful. Named for Lady Violet of Downton Abbey, this pretty purple rose is all charm and elegance. The lavender blooms are kissed with a touch of pink toward the center. They are on the small side and bloom in large, profuse clusters.
The blooming power of ‘Violet’s Pride’ will be a pleasant surprise to the gardener. The double-petal flowers positively cover this small to medium-sized shrub. They are beautiful and highly fragrant, making them wonderful for cut flower arrangements.
Distant Drums
Compact ‘Distant Drums’ bush blooms abundantly with fragrant myrrh-like flowers.
Let’s finish strong with this spectacularly colored rose. ‘Distant Drums’ has large flowers with unique coloring. The outer petals are a soft pinkish-lavender, but they have an unexpected pop of color when they open. The center of these blooms is a soft bronze with a deeper brown center. This is one of the most unique roses I’ve seen.
‘Distant Drums’ is a big bloomer, flushing with flowers throughout the summer and fall. The bush is compact with dense foliage. The blooms are striking to look at and have a delightful scent that is reminiscent of myrrh. This is a standout on any list, especially in the garden.
Final Thoughts
Floribunda roses are great starter roses, and they make wonderful landscape plants. Any one of these plants makes a stunning focal point or a spectacular hedge. For heaps of heavenly-scented roses all season long, you can’t go wrong with a floribunda.
