23 of the Best Roses Without Thorns For Your Garden
Roses are one of the most popular garden flowers due to their beauty and delicate petals. Available in an abundance of varieties, it’s no wonder nearly every gardener chooses to grow several in their garden.
Though they are beautiful, they aren’t always the easiest to maintain. Those soft, delicate petals are often accompanied by stems with razor-sharp thorns. Every gardener that has ever grown a rose will tell you the number of times they’ve been caught by these thorns – even with gardening gloves on!
So to minimize the risk of cuts and scrapes, do you just avoid roses altogether?
No, of course not!
There is another option where you can still enjoy the beauty of a rose without thorn-associated incidents. That’s with choosing thornless roses.
Roses without thorns provide an excellent option for you to avoid those nasty scrapes and are an especially good choice if you have children or pets.
To save you the time and effort in searching for which roses are thornless, we have collated a list of the best roses without thorns to suit your garden:
Amadis, Rambling Rose
This deep purple rose is a type of rambling rose. It grows as a large shrub up to 18 feet tall with large stems and roses that grow in clusters.
Amadis flowers is a once flowering rose, which only flowers once during summer for 3-4 weeks.
This rose grows best in full sunlight and due to its large size and stems can grow well along a wall, fence, or even around an arch.
Bleu Magenta, Rambling Rose
Similar to the Amadis rose, Bleu Magenta is a rambling rose that can grow up to 20 feet tall. It is rich in color with deep violet and slight white patching on some inside petals.
Due to its size, it is almost a small tree with flowers growing in clusters creating the appearance of giant-sized roses.
The flowers show for just 3-4weeks in the summer but provide a beautiful display when they bloom.
This thornless rose is best grown in partial to full sunlight in any soil type.
Cinderella, Miniature Rose
As the name suggests, the Cinderella rose is smaller than the previous two roses. Growing as a bush, it can reach a height of just 3-4 feet.
The roses themselves are a soft white that almost turns pale pink in cooler weather. Cinderella roses are small in size, but make up for their size in their sheer amount on the rose bush.
The Cinderella miniature rose grows well in full sunlight.
Chloris, Rosee du Matin
Chloris is a type of alba rose which are available in pink, blush, and white. They thrive in any condition and require minimal maintenance.
Chloris is a pale pink variety with tighter petals on the inside and wide, open petals on the outside.
This rose grows as a shrub to approximately 4 feet tall. It does well in partial to full sunlight and prefers well-drained soil.
Climbing Pinkie, Polyantha Rose
The Climbing Pinkie rose is an ever-blooming rose with flowers in bloom from the end of Spring to the beginning of Winter.
Growing 6-8 feet tall, this shrub rose enjoys full to partial sun and well-drained soil.
As a climbing rose, it does well growing on walls, pillars, or archways.
Goldfinch, Rambling Rose
Another rambling rose, the Goldfinch offers small, pale yellow roses growing in clusters.
Goldfinches grow to around 15 feet tall and only flower once in the year in summer for 3-4 weeks.
Like other rambling roses, Goldfinch’s prefer full sunlight and can be grown on walls, in doorways, or along a fence.
Hippolyte
Hippolyte roses are bold violet with a slight crimson tinge inside. This rose grows as a large shrub up to 5 feet in height and width.
The roses are once flowering, blooming for 3-4 weeks over the summer. Hippolyte prefers to be grown in full sunlight.
Irene Marie, Miniature Rose
A beautiful yet simpler rose with fewer layers of petals, the Irene Marie is a miniature variety of roses.
Each rose is bright yellow in the center, with a pale yellow surround and an orange edge on each petal.
The Irene Marie grows to around 4-6 feet tall and blooms from Spring to Winter. It does prefer to be planted in full sunlight.
Kathleen Harrop, Climbing Rose
A pale pink rose with the classic curled petals we associate with a traditional rose. As a type of climbing rose, the Kathleen Harrop can grow up to 15 feet tall and is ideal for growing along walls, fences, or around doorways.
Kathleen Harrop is a repeating flower, which means it blooms from Spring to the first frost in Winter. It is best planted in full sunlight but isn’t fussy as to the condition of the soil.
Lady Banks Rose, semi-rambler
These unique rose flowers early on in the season in spring and summer for a few short weeks. The flowers are a pale yellow and grow in tight clusters providing a breathtaking display when in bloom.
As a semi-rambler, Lady Banks Rose grows up to 20 feet tall and performs well grown on borders or as a climber on arches.
This thornless rose prefers to be grown in full sunlight with well-drained soil.
Leander Rose
The Leander rose is a pale peachy-orange color with rosette flowers that grow in clusters.
The flowers are present all season from Spring to Winter on this shrub. If choosing to grow a Leander Rose, it prefers full sunlight.
Lykkefund, Rambling Rose
Unlike a traditional rose, the Lykkefund has very open, loose petals. The petals start with a pale yellow center and open up into a creamy white, rounded petal.
Lykkefund roses can grow up to 18 feet tall and flower once a year in summer. They prefer full sunlight and are best grown as a bush or shrub.
Mme. Legras De St. Germain
This thornless rose is beautiful bright ivory that grows up to 5 feet tall. The roses are large with ruffle layers of petals.
Mme. Legras De St. Germain flowers once over the summer months. It prefers partial to full sunlight and can be grown as a bush or as a climber.
Mme. Alfred Carriere
Madame Alfred Carriere is a climbing rose with creamy white flowers. This climber can grow up to 25 feet tall and due to its size is perfect for growing along walls and fences.
This rose blooms all season long between Spring and Winter. It prefers any soil type with full to partial sunlight.
Mme. Plantier
Another old rose variety similar to Madame Alfred Carriere and Madame Legras De St. Germain, the Madame Plantier rose is white with soft petals.
The roses grow in clusters to provide a tremendous display during its single bloom for 3-4 weeks in the summer.
The Madame Plantier rose grows to 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. As a shrub, it is ideally placed to grow in a border with partial to full sunlight.
Osiana Hybrid Tea Rose
Also known as Oceana, this rose is a soft apricot color with tightly wrapped petals on the inside and larger, open petals towards the outside of the rose.
A smaller rose, the Osiana Hybrid Tea Rose grows to around 3 feet tall but blooms throughout the whole season. Due to its size, it is perfect to plant in a pot or border.
If planting this thornless rose, it does best in full sunlight.
Outta the Blue
Outta the blue rose is known for its bold magenta color with a soft yellow center. The petals are wide and open with a soft round edge.
Growing to 6 feet tall, this shrub rose is great planted in borders. The flowers bloom repeatedly all season and prefer being planted in full to partial sunlight.
Reine Des Violettes
Reine Des Violettes is another old rose with classic ruffle-shaped petals. The roses are bright magenta which stands out against the deep green leaves.
This rose is a small shrub growing to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The flowers bloom from Spring to Winter and thrive best planted in full sunlight.
Shropshire Lad
A delicate rose with tightly ruffled petals that loosen towards the edges of each flower. The roses are soft peachy-pink that flower all season providing a constant splash of color.
As a climbing rose, the Shropshire Lad grows up to 10 feet tall and is ideal to grow on pillars, around doorways, or even up a wall.
If choosing to plant this thornless rose, select an area with support and full sunlight.
Smooth Prince Hybrid Tea Rose
Another Hybrid Tea Rose, similar to Osiana, the Smooth Prince is a beautiful bright pink. The petals are large, spreading widely away from the central petals.
The flowers bloom between Spring and Winter and are ideally planted in pots or borders. It grows to 1.5 meters and is only 1 meter wide.
Similar to many roses, the Smooth Prince rose can be grown in full to partial sunlight.
Tausendschön
The Tausendschon rose is a beautiful climber that can reach heights of 12 feet tall. The roses are a mix of pink and pinky-white clusters.
This climbing rose looks spectacular against a fall, fence, or even around an archway. It is best grown in full to partial sunlight and you can expect the flowers to bloom throughout the whole season.
Veilchenblau
The Veilchenblau is a thornless rambling rose with deep magenta flowers that grow in clusters. The bright yellow stamens provide a beautiful contrast to the deep magenta petals, which often have a dash of white.
Unlike many of the roses mentioned, the Veilchenblau flowers are small. But due to the size of the clusters, they aren’t any less magnificent. However, the color is short-lived as the flowers only bloom once during the summer months.
The Veilchenblau can be planted in full to partial sunlight and is ideal to grow against a support such as a wall or an archway.
Zéphirine Drouhin
Finally, our last rose without thorns, the Zephirine Drouhin. Another climbing rose, the Zephirine Drouhin offers a display of large, bright pink roses that bloom from Spring to Winter.
This climber can grow up to 15 feet tall making it ideal for a pergola, archway, or fence. The Zephirine Drouhin does prefer to be planted in full to partial sunlight.
This list of 23 roses without thorns makes a beautiful addition to any garden. They are easy to maintain and you don’t have to worry about cuts and scrapes from sharp thorns.
Why not try a combination of these roses planting once flowering and repeat-flowering roses to enjoy them from Spring to Winter?
For more flowering guides and inspiration for your garden, take a look at these posts below:
