Culture
Best grown in medium moisture, slightly acidic, well-drained garden loams in full sun to part shade. Best flowering and disease resistance generally occur in full sun, however. Water deeply and regularly (mornings are best). Avoid overhead watering. Good air circulation promotes vigorous and healthy growth and helps control foliar diseases. Summer mulch helps retain moisture, keeps roots cool and discourages weeds. Remove spent flowers to encourage rebloom. Crowns need winter protection in cold winter areas such as St. Louis. Remove and destroy diseased leaves from plants, as practicable, and clean up and destroy dead leaves from the ground around the plants both during the growing season and as part of a thorough cleanup during winter (dormant season). Prune as needed in late winter to early spring.
WHITE MEIDILAND generally requires little pruning.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Rosa is a genus of about 150 species of deciduous (occasionally evergreen) shrubs and climbers noted for their beautiful, often fragrant, single, semidouble or double flowers which are borne singly or in clusters on often prickly stems clad with 5-9 leaflets often having toothed margins.
Shrub roses are usually large-growing bushes between 4-10 feet tall and as wide. They are a very diverse group of hybrids and usually produce clusters of flowers several times a year but some may bloom just once in spring. They do not require the heavy pruning required of hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora roses unless being pruned to control size. Plants can be allowed to grow large with minimal pruning.
Genus name comes from the Latin name for rose.
WHITE MEIDILAND is one of the Meidiland roses. They are a series of landscape and groundcover roses developed by Meilland of France. Meidiland roses are generally noted for their growing vigor, disease resistance, winter hardiness, tolerance for a wide range of growing conditions and general ease of maintenance. WHITE MEIDILAND is one of the most prostrate of the Meidiland roses. It is a groundcover type that typically grows to only 2’ tall but spreads to 5-6’ wide. It features double white flowers (to 4” wide) over a long late spring to frost bloom period. Flowers have no fragrance. Glossy dark green compound leaves have 3-7 oval leaflets. Parents of this rose are Rosa ‘Temple Bells’ (seed parent) and Rosa ‘MEIgurami’ (pollen parent). U.S. Plant Patent PP6,028 was issued on January 26, 1988.
Problems
Roses are susceptible to a large number of diseases, the most common of which are black spot, powdery mildew, rust and rose rosette. Although good cultural practices are the first line of defense in disease control, regular preventative fungicide applications throughout the growing season are usually required, particularly in humid climates with regular rainfall such as the St. Louis area. Potential insect problems include aphids, beetles, borers, scale, thrips, rose midges, leafhoppers and spider mites. Local rose associations and extension services are usually able to offer specific recommendations and advice for selecting and growing roses.
Uses
Mass as a ground cover. Edging.