Rosa Mundi (R. gallica Versicolor)
Sport of the Apothecary Rose · Zones 4–8 · Pink striped white · Moderate, classic gallica fragrance
The oldest striped rose still in gardens — a sport of the medieval Apothecary rose with each petal painted in a different pink-and-white pattern. Once-blooming in early summer, compact, and tougher than nearly anything in the catalog.
Ferdinand Pichard
Turbat, 1921 · Zones 5–9 · Crimson striped pink · Strong damask fragrance
The striped rose that gardeners cite as the standard: bold scarlet-and-pink stripes on full quartered blooms with a rich damask scent. A Hybrid Perpetual with old-fashioned manners — one big flush plus some repeat, and hips in fall.
View Ferdinand Pichard in the PetalPals catalog
Fourth of July
Tom Carruth, Weeks, 1999 · Zones 5–9 · Red striped white · Fresh apple fragrance
Fireworks in climbing form — festive red-and-white striped petals on long clusters that made it the first climber to win AARS in decades. Fast, clean, repeat-blooming, and the easiest way to make a fence look like a party.
View Fourth of July in the PetalPals catalog
Peace
Meilland, 1945 · Zones 5–9 · Golden yellow, pink edges · Mild, sweet fragrance
The most famous rose ever bred — enormous golden blooms blushed rose-pink at the edges, propagated by the millions after World War II. Bicolor of the softest kind: less a stripe than a sunset, and still one of the most satisfying garden roses anywhere.
View Peace in the PetalPals catalogOranges ’n’ Lemons
Harkness, 1998 · Zones 6–9 · Orange striped yellow · Light fruity fragrance
Zest made visible — cheery orange-and-yellow striped blooms carried in sprays all season on an upright, bushy plant. The best striped rose for a cutting patch, since every bloom lands a little differently.
View Oranges ’n’ Lemons in the PetalPals catalogHocus Pocus
Tantau, 2000 · Zones 6–9 · Black-red striped gold · Mild fragrance
A sport of Black Magic with the dark velvet petals splashed and streaked in gold — the most dramatic rose on this list by far. Bred for the cut-flower trade, so the stems are long, the blooms last, and the pattern is hypnotic up close.
Picasso
Meilland, 1971 · Zones 6–9 · White streaked red and pink · Light tea fragrance
Grandiflora clusters speckled and streaked like its namesake’s brushwork — each bloom a slightly different mix of white, red, and rose. A distinctive, artistic plant for the middle of a border, flowering in waves all season.
View Picasso in the PetalPals catalogHandel
Sam McGredy IV, 1965 · Zones 6–9 · Ivory edged rose-pink · Mild fragrance
An elegant climber of big ivory blooms edged in carmine-pink — the coloring sharpens in cool weather and softens in heat. Long-lasting blooms on a vigorous plant that suits a pillar or arch with formal presence.
Mardi Gras
Weeks, 2008 · Zones 6–9 · Pink, yellow, orange blend · Light spice fragrance
A joyful floribunda — every bloom a different swirl of pink, yellow, and apricot, so the plant looks like confetti from bud to full open. AARS-winning, disease-tolerant, and one of the easiest multicolors for beginners.
View Mardi Gras in the PetalPals catalogRainbow’s End
Ralph Moore, 1990 · Zones 6–9 · Yellow edged red · Light spice fragrance
The miniature that proves multicolors fit anywhere: perfect little hybrid tea-shaped blooms of yellow that deepen to red at the edges, on a tidy plant happy in a pot. Superb for a patio table, a sunny step, or the front edge of a rose bed.
Common questions
Related guides
Top 10 Most Fragrant Roses
The benchmark fragrant roses are Mister Lincoln and Papa Meilland among red hybrid teas, Double Delight for spice-plus-sweet, and Gertrude Jekyll and Munstead Wood among modern shrubs — with the old Bourbon Madame Isaac Pereire as the all-out perfume champion. Every pick below is fragrant at garden-nose distance, not just when sniffed up close, and each carries its scent character — damask, tea, fruity, or myrrh — so you can choose the perfume you actually want.
Read the guide Top 10 ListsTop 10 Climbing Roses for Zone 6
The best climbing roses for zone 6 combine real cold hardiness with repeat bloom: New Dawn, Eden, Climbing Iceberg, Don Juan, and Westerland top the list. Each pick below is hardy to at least zone 6 without special protection, repeats through summer rather than blooming once, and has the vigor to cover an arch, fence, or pillar within a few seasons.
Read the guide Top 10 ListsTop 10 Climbing Roses for Zone 7
Zone 7 opens the door to the big, romantic climbers that need more warmth: Lady Banks, Mermaid, and the old Noisettes lead the list. Every pick below is fully hardy in zone 7, healthy without routine spraying, and big enough to cover a wall, pergola, or fence — choose repeat bloomers if you want flowers all season, and the once-bloomers for one jaw-dropping spring show.
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