Floribunda
Iceberg
White · repeat-blooming · Zones 5-9
Floribunda Rose
Lilli Marleen
Deep velvety-red, dependable bedding floribunda.
The Lilli Marleen is a red floribunda rose valued for its reliable repeat flowering and clean, dependable habit. Below you'll find a full profile of Lilli Marleen — its characteristics, how to grow it, where to use it in the garden, and answers to the questions gardeners ask most.
About Lilli Marleen
Lilli Marleen belongs to the floribunda roses, a class defined by medium blooms carried in large clusters. Where a hybrid tea gives you one perfect flower, a floribunda gives you a whole trussful, which makes it the better choice for sheer garden color.
In flower, Lilli Marleen is red and fills the plant with bloom in wave after wave, carrying a light, pleasant fragrance. It is hardy across USDA zones 5-9, so it suits a wide range of gardens with the right seasonal care.
Characteristics and form
Lilli Marleen makes bushy, compact, well-branched plant, typically around 2.5 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. The blooms are medium blooms carried in large clusters, medium in size, set against glossy green foliage. Knowing a rose's habit and mature size is the key to placing it well: give Lilli Marleen room to reach its full spread without crowding its neighbors, which also keeps air moving through the plant and disease at bay.
How to grow Lilli Marleen
Plant Lilli Marleen where it will get at least six hours of direct sun a day in fertile, well-drained soil with good air movement around it. In cold climates, set the graft union — the swollen knob where the variety joins the rootstock — at or just below the soil line; in mild climates, keep it at soil level. Once planted, water deeply and less often to encourage deep, drought-resistant roots.
- Light: Full sun, six hours or more; morning sun is best because it dries dew early and limits disease.
- Soil: Rich and well-drained, slightly acidic at about pH 6.0–6.5. Improve heavy or sandy soil with plenty of compost before planting.
- Water: Deep, infrequent soakings at the base rather than frequent light sprinkling; more in heat, sandy soil, or containers.
- Feeding: A balanced rose fertilizer in early spring, repeated after the first flush to fuel the next.
- Pruning: Prune it in late winter to an open, outward-facing framework, then deadhead through the season.
Bloom habit: Repeat (recurrent). Lilli Marleen blooms in repeated flushes from late spring until the first frost. Deadhead spent flowers to bring on the next wave.
Where to use Lilli Marleen in the garden
Lilli Marleen suits bedding, low hedges, mass plantings, and mixed borders. Mass several plants of one variety for a block of color, edged with catmint, salvia, or lavender. For more ideas, see our guide to companion plants for roses.
Common problems and care
Floribundas are generally hardier and more disease-tolerant than hybrid teas. Watch for the usual rose troubles — black spot, powdery mildew, and aphids — and head them off with good air flow, base watering, and a tidy autumn clean-up. See our full guide to rose diseases and pests for identification and treatment.
Lilli Marleen — frequently asked questions
How big does Lilli Marleen get?
Lilli Marleen typically grows about 2.5 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide, forming a bushy, compact, well-branched plant. Its final size depends on your climate and how you prune it.
Is Lilli Marleen fragrant?
Lilli Marleen has a light, pleasant fragrance; it is grown more for its red color and habit than for perfume.
Does Lilli Marleen bloom more than once a season?
Yes. Lilli Marleen is a repeat-blooming rose that blooms in repeated flushes from late spring until the first frost, especially if it is deadheaded and fed through the summer.
What hardiness zones does Lilli Marleen grow in?
Lilli Marleen is hardy in USDA zones 5-9. That range describes the winter cold it can survive; gardeners colder than zone 5 should give it winter protection or grow it in a movable container.
Is Lilli Marleen easy to grow?
Floribundas are generally hardier and more disease-tolerant than hybrid teas. Give Lilli Marleen full sun, well-drained soil, and the ordinary seasonal care any rose appreciates, and it is a straightforward rose to grow.
How and when should I prune Lilli Marleen?
Prune Lilli Marleen in late winter to an open, outward-facing framework, then deadhead through the season — see our step-by-step guide to pruning roses for the full method.