When it comes to roses, often our minds automatically turn to big, full blooms on long stems, but in the garden these are often not the best choices. Those big roses are tricky to grow well, and they have a limited number of blooms – they are more suitable for a cutting garden than a landscaped one. For a colorful garden display, it is much better to go for prolific blooming and lots of color. For that, miniature roses are often the best, especially in smaller spaces, and for planters. These small bushes, with many small blooms, are great edging plants, but we had our growers put them up on a sturdy stem, making gorgeous small trees a few feet tall that are perfect for accents, specimens and pot growing. For a unique coloring, the Coffee Bean™ Rose Tree carries the cutest small flowers of a dusky red color that brings beauty for weeks and weeks.

The Coffee Bean Rose Tree is a rounded bush growing 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. The bush is rounded, but we have mounted it on a short stem to create the extra height that brings the gorgeous blooms closer and lets us more easily see their beauty. Raised up on a trunk, you can plant directly underneath the bush, and it becomes a gorgeous specimen, adding height and a visual accent to your beds or planters. This plant has dense foliage, with leaves covering the stems completely. They are glossy and rich green, about 4 inches long, but divided into 5 leaflets, each about 1½ inches long, with finely-serrated edges.

The flowers of the Coffee Bean Rose Tree are carried in profusion for the whole season, with waves of color following in close succession. The flowers are in clusters of one to 4 blooms at the end of each stem, and each bloom is 1½ to 2 inches across, with up to 17 petals, arranged in a cup, with the edges of the petals rolled outwards. They tight buds are pointed, and as they open they spread outwards, revealing their striking color. Each petal is a smoky chocolate orange on the upper side, and the underside is rust-red. This unique coloring is rich and powerful, while also sophisticated and elegant – just perfect in almost any garden setting. Individual blooms last for days and days – longer during cooler weather – and your bush will be in bloom almost every day, and a glorious sight.

The Coffee Bean Rose Tree is perfect for bringing extra height to small beds, since it doesn’t have much width. A group would be perfect in a row to fill a narrow bed, with flowers planted beneath it. You can plant it among small shrubs or evergreens or grow it beside a path to greet you every time you pass by. It is perfect in a planter, and this rose are easy to grow in containers for a terrace or patio. You can even grow it on a balcony, with no garden at all, and a plant would make the perfect gift for a loved one. With its modest size, there is always a spot in every garden where it can be grown, and within weeks it will be in full bloom.

The Coffee Bean Rose Tree should be planted in full sun for the best growth. Even a little shade inhibits the blooming of roses. The soil should be rich and well-drained, and heavier soils with some clay are preferred to sandy soils, although drainage is always important. Enrich the soil with plenty of organic material, favoring stronger types like manures, over lighter ones such as peat moss. Mulch will conserve moisture and feed your plants too. Although rose bushes will tolerate some dryness, they usually stop blooming, so keep your plant regularly watered. Follow a fertilizer program suitable for roses, using either a liquid or granular formulation. Liquid fertilizers are preferable when growing in containers and planters. To grow the Coffee Bean Rose Tree in a planter, choose a good-sized pot, 12 inches or more in diameter, with drainage holes. Use soil blended for outdoor planting and adding up to one-third garden soil (by volume) creates the richer mixture that roses love. 

As blooms fade, trim the clusters just above the first full-sized leaf. In late winter or spring, remove weak branches, and trim back the remaining stems by two-thirds, cutting just above an outward-facing bud. Do not cut below the point where the stems branch from the trunk, and immediately remove any shoots that grow from the trunk itself. Like all roses, pests and diseases can occur, although this plant has resistance to diseases like powdery mildew and rust. Insects can often be controlled with a simple spraying of soapy water when they are first seen, and good growing practices, with regular fertilizer and watering, will keep your plant healthy and blooming all season.

The Coffee Bean Miniature Rose Tree is the product of a controlled breeding program by Christian Bedard at Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc. Pomona, California. He uses a miniature red rose called Santa Claus® (‘POUlclaus’) bred by Mogens Olesen in Denmark, for Poulsen Roses, and a taller chocolate-red rose called Hot Cocoa® (‘Wekpaltlez’) created by Thomas Carruth for Weeks Roses. This new rose was released in 2008 and it was patented under the name ‘WEKdoudou’ in 2009. Roses are always top-sellers, so order now – give yourself or a loved one a beautiful gift.