Shrub
Distant Drums
Mauve/tan · repeat-blooming · Zones 4-9
Shrub Rose
Penelope
Creamy-pink musk rose with coral hips.
Penelope is a shrub rose in cream white that earns its place through season-long bloom and rich scent. Below you'll find a full profile of Penelope — its characteristics, how to grow it, where to use it in the garden, and answers to the questions gardeners ask most.
About Penelope
Grouped among the shrub & landscape roses, Penelope shows the hallmarks of the class: single to double flowers, often borne in clusters. The modern shrub rose is bred for garden performance above all — hardy, healthy, and generous with bloom for very little work.
In flower, Penelope is cream white and fills the plant with bloom in wave after wave, carrying a strong, carrying 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
Penelope makes rounded, bushy, self-supporting shrub, typically around 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. The blooms are single to double flowers, often borne in clusters, medium in size, set against green and generally healthy foliage. Knowing a rose's habit and mature size is the key to placing it well: give Penelope 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 Penelope
Plant Penelope 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). Penelope blooms in repeated flushes from late spring until the first frost. Deadhead spent flowers to bring on the next wave.
Where to use Penelope in the garden
Penelope suits landscape beds, informal hedges, mixed borders, and mass plantings. Use it as a dependable flowering shrub among perennials and other shrubs. For more ideas, see our guide to companion plants for roses.
Common problems and care
Modern shrub roses are bred for strong disease resistance and low maintenance. 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.
Penelope — frequently asked questions
How big does Penelope get?
Penelope typically grows about 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide, forming a rounded, bushy, self-supporting shrub. Its final size depends on your climate and how you prune it.
Is Penelope fragrant?
Yes — Penelope has a strong, carrying fragrance, and scent is one of the reasons to grow it.
Does Penelope bloom more than once a season?
Yes. Penelope 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 Penelope grow in?
Penelope 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 Penelope easy to grow?
Modern shrub roses are bred for strong disease resistance and low maintenance. Give Penelope 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 Penelope?
Prune Penelope 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.