We have a lovely Lady Banks rose (Rosa banksiae) blooming this month, as it grows up a column adjacent to our back porch. It is a beauty this year! This rose was named after Lady Banks, the wife of the botanist Sir Joseph Banks. Prior to its introduction to Europe, it is thought to have been grown in gardens for hundreds of years in China.
Lady Banks is a thornless climbing rose that makes an appearance once a year in the spring with dramatic miniature white or yellow, single or double blossoms. This climber has a very subtle fragrance.
I have read that the Lady Banks Rose is one of the more drought-tolerant rose species, which is important in California as we watch our water usage.
This rose can grow to be 20′ in length, so if you are choosing one for your garden, be sure to pick the right place – a large arbor or space where it can expand and grow. There is even a famous Lady Banks rose in Tombstone, Arizona which was planted in 1885 that covers 8,000 square feet with a 12-foot circumference trunk!
