Independent assessment of Rose Macmillan Nurse

By David Marks
The Macmillan Nurse rose was bred by Peter and Amanda Beales with the express intention of raising funds for the charity Macmillan Nurses.This is a small, modern shrub rose which requires minimal pruning and is resistant to most rose diseases. Beautiful which rosette flowers with dark green glossy foliage.

One of the most popular roses grown in Europe though strangely very difficult find in the USA.

The majority of the flowers appear in clusters on a stem but occasionally they appear on a single stem. Without a doubt they flower continually throughout the year, far more so compared to many other rose varieties. Individual flowers don’t last long however so this variety is not the best as a cut rose for a vase.

Rose Macmillan Nurse

The flowers are white / very light pink and fully double with masses of petal s. This is a vigorous varieties as far a flower production is concerned, it continues to produce flowers from late June / early July to October, often November in some areas.

The flowers have a medium pleasant scent. Leaves are a dark, glossy green. This is a strong growing and upright rose bush which reaches a height of 90cm /
3ft and a spread of 90cm / 3ft. It can be grown well in a large container.

It has been included in these pages because of its popularity. At the same time disease resistance is excellent.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Macmillan Nurse is a very healthy, disease resistant and quick growing rose. We still suggest however that you follow our instructions on controlling black spot which can be found here.

HOW TO PRUNE A MACMILLAN NURSE ROSE

Prune a Macmillan Nurse rose as follows:

YEAR 1 (after its first year of flowering)

Remove any dead or unhealthy stems back to live wood.
Remove all foliage to reduce the risk of black spot and other diseases next year – burn the foliage.
Trim back stems by about 10cm / 4in.

Step back and look at your shrub rose, prune back any stems which are longer than the overall structure of the rose so that it has an even profile.

YEAR 2 and ONWARDS

Remove any dead or unhealthy stems back to live wood.
Remove all foliage to reduce the risk of black spot and other diseases next year – burn the foliage.
Prune away a third of the length of all stems. If you want to reduce the size of your shrub rose next year, prune away a half of the length of all stems.
Step back and look at your shrub rose, prune back any stems which are longer than the overall structure of the rose so that it has an even profile.