These Gorgeous Rose Varieties Require No Pruning Or Deadheading

Roses are a staple in many ornamental gardens, adding a touch of romance and elegance to the landscape. But these stunning plants have a reputation for being fussy. From regularly deadheading and fertilizing to annual pruning to cut them back for the winter, these gorgeous shrubs can seem high maintenance.

Luckily for modern gardeners, there are as many as 20,000 cultivars worldwide, including many that have been bred specifically to be low-maintenance. Of those, Monrovia's Grace N' Grit and Nitty Gritty are two of the easiest to care for. These shrub roses require no pruning or deadheading and have been cultivated to be disease-resistant and tolerate a wide range of climates. Grace N' Grit is an especially good variety for gardeners who want loads of long-stemmed blooms you can cut to create a stunning floral centerpiece for your table. Nitty Gritty, on the other hand, is a bit more compact and works best as a low hedge or front border plant. Whichever variety you choose, these low-maintenance roses still need plenty of sun and water to thrive.

Grace N' Grit and Nitty Gritty are two popular shrub rose varieties because they are well-behaved and easy to care for. While many rose varieties need to be pruned and deadheaded throughout the summer to encourage new foliage and blooms to grow, these two cultivars available from Monrovia require neither. They both grow into a lush, yet tidy, shrub that blooms repeatedly all summer long. The reason they don't need pruning or deadheading: both varieties are self-cleaning. That means spent petals drop on their own, and the shrub starts producing another round of blooms as soon as the current ones start to drop.

Another key to their low maintenance is their toughness. The "grit" in both cultivar names refers to the roses' ability to thrive in a wide range of climates. They're both suited to hardiness zones 4 through 9 and more disease resistant than other rose varieties. For those in hot climates, the Grace N' Grit has thrived in both dry and humid summers all through its hardiness zone range. Meanwhile, those on the coast or in urban settings will appreciate the relative pollution and road salt tolerance of Nitty Gritty.

Low-maintenance doesn't mean no maintenance. While these rose varieties are hardy and self-cleaning, some basic care and planning can help your rose garden thrive. To start, choose a site that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight during the summer. In hot climates, it's best to choose a site that gets shade during the hottest part of the day. If that's not possible, you can DIY a sun shade to protect them from the afternoon heat.

Spring is the best time of year to plant roses because you want to get them in the ground while they're still dormant but right as the temperatures are warming up enough to wake them up. When planting, mix compost into your fill soil to improve the nutrient profile and texture. Depending on how poor your existing soil is, you can create a mixture that's up to 30% compost. Then, finish off with a layer of mulch. Once planted, water deeply to remove air pockets in the soil and ensure good root-soil contact.

After that, roses need about 1 to 2 inches of water per week. In weeks where it doesn't rain enough, you can supplement by hand-watering. You can also add fertilizer or mulch after each round of blooms to kick start the next round of growth. But if low-maintenance is your goal, skip that and just add a layer of new compost and mulch at the start of each growing season.