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Golden Showers (Rosa 'Golden Showers'), whole plant
  • Golden Showers — close-up of leaves and flowers
  • Golden Showers — seasonal appearance
  • Golden Showers in a garden setting

Golden Showers

Rosa 'Golden Showers'

Easy · Beginner friendly

About Golden Showers

Golden Showers is a classic All-America Rose Selections winner from 1957, bred by Walter Lammerts in California, producing large fragrant clear-yellow semi-double flowers that fade to cream on canes reaching 8 to 10 feet. One of the few truly yellow climbing roses that repeat blooms reliably from spring to frost, it remains a signature yellow climber in American gardens for trellises, walls, and pergolas.

  • Fragrant
  • Climbing
  • Long-blooming
WATER
Regular
Top inch dry
LIGHT
Full sun
6+ hrs direct
HARDY
Hardy to -20°F (-29°C)
USDA hardiness zones 5–9

How to care for Golden Showers

Watering

  • Springevery 7 days
  • Summerevery 5 days
  • Fallevery 10 days
  • Winterevery 21 days

Soil · Rich & loamy

  • Top dressingBark mulch15%
  • Main mixRich loam + compost 3:170%
  • DrainageGravel15%

Use fully finished compost — fresh compost burns roots.

FERTILIZER

Balanced Feed 14-14-14

An even feed covers all three needs at once, keeping leaves, roots and blooms moving together with nothing pushed out of balance.

N33%P33%K33%
  • Nitrogen · Leaves
  • Phosphorus · Roots + Blooms
  • Potassium · Strength
  • Springevery 45 days
  • Summerevery 45 days
Get watering reminders for Golden Showers — free on iPhoneDownload on the App Store

At a Glance

  • NativeNorth America
  • Height8–12 ft (2.4–3.7 m)
  • Spread4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m)
  • Flower colorYellow, Cream
  • Foliage colorGreen
  • SoilLoamy, Well-drained
  • LocationsYard

Bloom time

BLOOM CYCLE

Peak bloom

May–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Clear yellow fragrant blooms fading to cream, deadhead for heavy repeat

Fragrance

MODERATE FRAGRANCE

The flowers have a sweet tea-rose scent.

Toxicity

Humans Slight

Unknown toxic principle

Slight

  • Stem
  • Contact

EXPOSURE Touching stems.

EFFECT Pricks from thorns.

NOTE Not toxic; thorns cause mechanical injury.

Safe

EXPOSURE No exposure route is reported.

EFFECT No toxic effect is reported.

NOTE Listed as non-toxic for dogs; avoid eating ornamental plants unless confirmed edible.

Safe

EXPOSURE No exposure route is reported.

EFFECT No toxic effect is reported.

NOTE Listed as non-toxic for cats; avoid eating ornamental plants unless confirmed edible.

Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

DISTRIBUTION

Golden Showers · Native
  • Native
  • North America

History

Illustrated historical scene for Golden Showers

Rosa 'Golden Showers' is a bright yellow climbing rose bred by American hybridizer Dr. Walter Lammerts at the Germain Seed and Plant Company in California, released in 1956 from a cross between 'Charlotte Armstrong' and 'Captain Thomas'. The cultivar produces loose semi-double to lightly double blooms opening rich golden yellow and fading gradually to lemon and cream with age, carried singly or in small clusters on long straight stems. The plant is a moderate-vigour climber, reaching three meters with stiffer canes than typical climbers, which lets it work well on pillars and small trellises as well as larger structures.

'Golden Showers' won the All-America Rose Selections award in 1957 and the Portland Gold Medal, and it remains the top-selling yellow climbing rose in North America over sixty years later. Moderate sweet tea-rose fragrance.

Symbolism & meaning

What It Symbolizes

The Golden Showers Rose carries joyful friendship, the yellow rose's traditional meaning of warm companionship lifted onto a climber's frame. Paired with the image of a golden cascade, its blooms shower down trellises and walls in pure gold. To plant it is to drape friendship itself over a structure — a vertical celebration of light, warmth, and the people who make a garden feel like home.

  • Joyful friendship — yellow roses symbolize warm friendship
  • Golden cascade — flowers shower down trellises in gold

Where the Name Comes From

Cultivar name evokes the cascading display of golden-yellow flowers tumbling from trellises like showers of gold.

Uses & Fun Facts

  • Golden yellow blooms release light sweet citrus rose scent
  • Pliable canes train onto pillars, fences, and small arbors
  • Long-stemmed yellow blooms striking in summer arrangements

Related plants

More Rosa plants

Plants with similar care

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water Golden Showers?

In summer, water about every 5 days; in winter, about every 21 days. Adjust for heat, pot size and drainage.

How much light does Golden Showers need?

Full sun: 6+ hrs direct. Watch the leaves — scorching or stretching means the light needs adjusting.

Is Golden Showers toxic to cats or dogs?

Pets Safe (Dogs Safe · Cats Safe) Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

Is Golden Showers easy to grow?

Yes — it is considered an easy, beginner-friendly plant.

When does Golden Showers bloom?

It typically blooms May–Sep in the Northern Hemisphere.

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