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

Sally Holmes

Rosa 'Sally Holmes'

Easy · Beginner friendly

About Sally Holmes

Sally Holmes is a world-renowned shrub rose bred by English amateur Robert Holmes in 1976, producing massive trusses of single creamy-white flowers with golden stamens on an arching 6 to 8 foot shrub. Each open bloom resembles an apple blossom, and the plant can carry hundreds of flowers at once from late spring through fall. Exceptionally disease-resistant and beloved in American gardens from coast to coast.

  • Cut-flower
  • Disease-resistant
  • Long-blooming
  • Pollinator-friendly
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 Sally Holmes

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 Sally Holmes — free on iPhoneDownload on the App Store

At a Glance

  • Height5–8 ft (1.5–2.4 m)
  • Spread4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m)
  • Flower colorWhite, Cream, Pink
  • Foliage colorGreen
  • Fruit colorOrange
  • 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

Huge clusters of single creamy-white blooms, deadhead for repeat flush

Fragrance

MODERATE FRAGRANCE

The flowers have a sweet musky 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.

History

Illustrated historical scene for Sally Holmes

Rosa 'Sally Holmes' is a single-flowered shrub rose bred by English amateur hybridizer Robert A. Holmes of Nottinghamshire, released in 1976 from a cross between the floribunda 'Ivory Fashion' and the hybrid musk 'Ballerina'. Holmes named the rose for his wife Sally. The arching shrubby plant produces enormous corymbs of up to forty flowers, each a wide five-petalled single bloom of creamy white faintly flushed pink at the bud stage, centered on a prominent tuft of golden stamens; open trusses resemble small bouquets of single white dogwoods.

'Sally Holmes' won the Royal National Rose Society's Gold Medal, Baden-Baden Gold Medal, Portland Gold Medal, and in 2012 was voted into the World Federation of Rose Societies Hall of Fame. Light sweet musky fragrance; excellent as a specimen, climber, or mass-planting.

Widely planted in American botanical gardens from Longwood to Huntington for its reliable performance and elegant single blooms.

Symbolism & meaning

What It Symbolizes

Rosa Sally Holmes expresses pure grace through its elegant creamy single blooms centered with golden stamens, opening from soft pink buds in massive trusses. Its name carries married devotion, given by the breeder in honor of his wife. It is often read as a flower of named love, a shrub rose whose meaning is the public gesture of dedicating something widely admired to one specific person, beauty made personal by the inscription on the label.

  • Pure grace — elegant single blooms with golden stamens
  • Married devotion — named for breeder's wife

Where the Name Comes From

Named by breeder Robert Holmes for his wife Sally, introduced commercially 1976.

Uses & Fun Facts

  • Trained as small climber or back-of-border shrub feature
  • Apple-blossom-like trusses cut for fresh arrangements
  • Single creamy flowers expose stamens to native bees
  • Massive trusses bloom from spring to frost

Related plants

More Rosa plants

Plants with similar care

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water Sally Holmes?

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

How much light does Sally Holmes need?

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

Is Sally Holmes 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 Sally Holmes easy to grow?

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

When does Sally Holmes bloom?

It typically blooms May–Sep in the Northern Hemisphere.

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