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

Playboy

Rosa 'Playboy'

Medium · Some experience

About Playboy

Playboy is a striking bright bicolor floribunda rose with yellow-orange-red flame blend, producing clusters of 3 to 4 inch semi-double blooms with a light apple fragrance on a 3 to 4 foot bush. A modern classic since its 1976 introduction, it remains one of the most vivid and cheerful floribunda roses in American gardens.

  • 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 Playboy

Watering

  • Springevery 5 days
  • Summerevery 3 days
  • Fallevery 7 days
  • Winterevery 14 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 30 days
  • Summerevery 30 days
  • Fallevery 45 days
Get watering reminders for Playboy — free on iPhoneDownload on the App Store

At a Glance

  • NativeEurope
  • Height3–4 ft (0.9–1.2 m)
  • Spread2–3 ft (0.6–0.9 m)
  • Flower colorOrange, Red, Yellow
  • Foliage colorGreen
  • SoilLoamy, Well-drained, Rich
  • LocationsYard

Bloom time

BLOOM CYCLE

Peak bloom

May–Sep

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

Deadhead clusters for repeat bloom; prune late winter

Fragrance

LIGHT FRAGRANCE

The flowers have a light tea 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

Playboy · Native
  • Native
  • Europe

History

Illustrated historical scene for Playboy

Rosa 'Playboy' is a vivid multicoloured floribunda rose bred by Scottish hybridizer Alec Cocker of James Cocker & Sons in Aberdeen, released in 1976 from a cross between 'City of Leeds' and ('Chanelle' x 'Piccadilly'). The single to semi-double blooms, just seven to twelve wavy petals around a boss of golden stamens, open with yellow bases that flush into bright scarlet-orange at the tips, giving flowers a glowing flame effect unmatched among floribundas. Large clusters on vigorous upright plants cover the bush through the season.

'Playboy' won the Gold Medal at Portland in 1989 and remains a favorite for bold garden color, landscape beds, and mass plantings; its glossy disease-resistant foliage and free-flowering habit make it reliable even in indifferent care. Light tea fragrance. Famous for its flame-colored yellow-orange-red blend that changes as flowers age.

Symbolism & meaning

What It Symbolizes

Playboy Rose is vibrant joy — flashy single flame-colored blooms blending scarlet, gold, and orange in petals that look almost lit from within. Its cheerful spirit shines best in mass display, hedges of it flowers like a stadium full of small bonfires. It is the rose that refuses to apologize for being loud, and gardens are better for it unrepentant brightness.

  • Vibrant joy — flashy flame-colored blend
  • Cheerful spirit — bright mass display

Where the Name Comes From

Named 'Playboy' to convey the flashy flame-colored cheerful personality of the flowers.

Uses & Fun Facts

  • Flame-blend yellow-orange-red blooms for cheerful summer bouquets
  • Vivid bicolor floribunda for landscape mass plantings

Related plants

More Rosa plants

Plants with similar care

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water Playboy?

In summer, water about every 3 days; in winter, about every 14 days. Adjust for heat, pot size and drainage.

How much light does Playboy need?

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

Is Playboy 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 Playboy easy to grow?

It is moderately demanding: a good choice once you have a little experience.

When does Playboy bloom?

It typically blooms May–Sep in the Northern Hemisphere.

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