There have been a lot of new roses introduced in the last few years, and many of them are lovely. But most are for landscape use, as bushes in the garden, and they don’t capture that classic ‘rose’ look, or have the appeal of a big, fully-double, hybrid-tea or floribunda rose. But now, at last, that has changed, and a new world of rose growing has dawned. You can enjoy all the old-school beauty of big, double fragrant roses in your garden, or to cut for bouquets and vases, without any spraying. Anyone who grew roses in the past will remember spraying with nasty chemicals every week or two to control diseases that decimated the bushes if you didn’t spray. Now you don’t need to, not with the At Last® Rose. This beauty is a classic 3-foot rose bush, with lush green leaves that stay like that all season, free of Black Spot or Mildew. It carries a profusion of classic fragrant roses too, in a gorgeous shade of sunset-orange, a color that holds well, with just a little softening, as the high-centered buds open fully. If you yearn for the classic fragrant double rose, here it is – go ahead and enjoy, at last you truly can.

Growing the At Last® Rose

Size and Appearance

The At Last Rose is a deciduous woody shrub, growing between 2 and 3 feet tall and wide each season, after spring pruning. It has green stems with small thorns along them, and it grows into a bushy plant, with up to 24 stems by the end of a season, each carrying a large cluster of roses. The leaves are divided into 5 or sometimes 7 leaflets, and each leaflet is about 1½ inches long, with a soft serrated edge. The foliage is healthy, glossy and dark-green, and most importantly it stays that way all season, with no diseases disfiguring it, or causing leaf drop.

The flowers start in May or June, depending on where you live, and they continue without a pause right into October, or even later in the warmest zones. Each stem ends in a cluster of up to 7 blooms, and you can expect to have enjoyed as many as 90 blooms on a single bush by the end of the season. Each blossom holds up well, without flopping, so that you can really admire it. The tight, high-centered buds have the classic look, and they open into a fully-double bloom over 3 inches across, with about 40 cupped petals. Each bloom lasts a full week, and just as long if you cut it before it begins to expand and bring it indoors for a gorgeous vase or table arrangement. Highly fragrant, the flowers have a beautiful sweet and spicy aroma you are going to adore. Flowers in bud are a deep apricot-orange tone that is simply gorgeous. As they expand and mature, they hold that color well, eventually lightening to a pink-orange that is just as lovely. In the garden or in vases, you will love these wonderful, uniquely-colored blooms. The petals generally drop cleanly, but we do recommend dead-heading to maximize continuous blooming.

Using the At Last® Rose in Your Garden

This rose is so good you will want to plant it everywhere, and you can. Use it as a specimen in a bed, alone, or in groups of 3 or 5 in larger beds. Place it alongside a pathway, or by a door or gate, to enjoy the color and fragrance as you come and go. Plant a row along a picket fence for perfect cottage charm. Grow some in your vegetable garden just for cutting. With its compact habit it is also great for growing in a large planter or pot. Wherever you grow it, you will simply love it.

Hardiness

With some protection this rose is hardy in zone 4, and it is fully hardy in the ground from zone 5. It also grows well in warmer zones, especially in the north-west, and it is a reliable plant across most of the country.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

For best results plant the At Last Rose in full sun. Shade will significantly reduce flowering. It grows best in a rich, well-drained soil, improved with plenty or organic material. Like all roses it grows well in clay soils, provided they are well-drained. Avoid dry, sandy soils, unless they are heavily enriched with compost, rotted manures or other rich organic materials.

Maintenance and Pruning

Water regularly, as dryness will reduce blooming. Like all roses the At Last Rose is a heavy feeder, and it enjoys plenty of rich organic material in the ground and as mulch. Use a blended rose fertilizer regularly for the best results. No spraying is needed because this bush is reliably resistant to both Black Spot and Powdery Mildew, the major rose diseases. Its vigorous growth normally shrugs off common pests. Dead-head blooms as they finish, removing individual flowers from clusters if needed, and trimming finished clusters back to the first full-sized leaf. In early spring remove at least one-third of the length of major stems, back to a healthy, expanding bud, and remove all twiggy, thinner branches. Leave a strong, clean framework of sturdy young branches for the best results.

History and Origin of the At Last® Rose

This beautiful rose is the result of a complex breeding program by Heather Horner, of Stansted Mountfitchet, a charming village in Essex, the United Kingdom. She is a rose breeder, and the daughter of Colin Horner, a prominent English amateur rose-breeder of the 20th century. To create this rose she carried out a three-way cross, starting with a variety called `Laura Ford` crossed with `Goldbusch`, and then pollinating one of those seedlings with `Horjilly’, one of her own roses. In 2001, among the resulting seedlings, she found a superb rose she patented in 2017 as ‘Horcogjil’. It has been released by Spring Meadow Nursery of Grand Haven, Michigan, with the registered trademark of At Last®.

Buying the At Last® Rose at The Tree Center

We are thrilled to finally have found a reliable, disease-resistant, fully-double fragrant rose in the old style. You will love it, so don’t hesitate, and order your plants right away, because our limited supply will soon run out.