Every spring I start to think about moving roses, changing the configuration of some of the rose beds, adding roses and getting rid of some roses that haven't performed very well. The Fairy is never on any of these lists because I like it just the way it is in my yard. It is not in a rose bed with any other type of rose. It stands on its own and looks great.
For those of you who are not familiar with The Fairy, it is a light pink polyantha that was introduced in 1932. Ortho's Complete Guide to Roses describes polyanthas as "sturdy plants that are smaller than floribundas." Since The Fairy is the only polyantha that I have, I can't make any general statements about them as a type of rose. But I can tell you about this particular polyantha.
n my garden, The Fairy is in its own little circular bed in my back yard along a walk way. I have had this plant for 4 years and have been amazed at how quickly it grows. The Fairy has very small, glossy green foliage that make the bush beautiful even when it isn't in bloom. If it never bloomed it would still be
a very attractive shrub in my back yard. The fact that it blooms almost constantly throughout the summer is quite a bonus.This plant is very disease resistant and winter hardy. In my garden, it requires almost weekly pruning during the growing season to keep it within its intended boundaries.
The growth habit of The Fairy includes low spreading canes. I never seem to get them contained in the bed before my husband cuts the grass. He must like this bush too because he never complains about the intruding canes getting in the way of the lawnmower. Ortho's book describes The Fairy as "low-maintenance." That is true if you don't have it in a confined space like I do.
The growth habit of The Fairy includes low spreading canes. I never seem to get them contained in the bed before my husband cuts the grass. He must like this bush too because he never complains about the intruding canes getting in the way of the lawnmower. Ortho's book describes The Fairy as "low-maintenance." That is true if you don't have it in a confined space like I do.
The blooms on this bush are clusters of tiny, ruffled soft pink flowers with a slight fragrance. The polyantha is not a rose that you would include in a hybrid tea bed because it would look out of place. As a shrub rose, it is certainly appropriate in a landscape along with other plants, with floribundas or other shrub roses. It also looks great by itself in the yard.
The Fairy gets about 3 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. The sprays of roses can be cut and look quite nice in a vase. I can't tell you if this bush is clean if it isn't sprayed because I always include it in my spray schedule. I can say that I have never had blackspot on the bush.
The 2006 American Rose Society's Handbook for Selecting Roses rates The Fairy 8.7. That rating means it is "a very good to excellent rose which can be recommended without hesitation." I certainly do recommend the soft pink blooms, glossy foliage and vigor of this popular polyantha without any hesitation. I decided to buy this rose without seeing it in a garden. Instead, the large number of tiny blooms on one spray caught my eye at the Louisville Rose Society's fall show several years ago. I'm sure if you see it, you too will be enchanted by this dainty flower.
