A rose that opens soft yellow and flat as a saucer is easy to spot in a border, and The Pilgrim is one of those. It grows as a bushy shrub in most yards and stretches into a climber where winters are mild.
What Is the The Pilgrim Rose?
The Pilgrim is a hybrid English rose bred by David Austin in 1991. It is sold as a shrub and also trained as a climber, so the same plant can fill a border or cover a fence, depending on your climate and how you tie it.
The flowers are soft yellow, showy and fragrant. They start cup-shaped, then gradually open to a large, flat rosette packed with 60 to 140 petals.
Growth is vigorous and bushy. Blooms come in several flushes from summer to fall rather than in a single burst, which keeps color in the yard late into the season.
From the almanac
Roses in your state
The dates on this page depend on where you live. Your state's page carries its frost dates, its USDA zones and the year laid out month by month.
Northeast
Southeast
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Midwest
Southwest
West
Pacific Northwest
Canada
Where Does the The Pilgrim Rose Grow Best?
The Pilgrim is hardy in both cold and warm climates, but its habit changes with the weather. Its final form depends on the climate and how it is trained.
- Gulf Coast: Check with your local county extension office before deciding how much room and support it needs.
- Upper Midwest: Check with your local county extension office before treating it as a shrub or a climber.
- Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic: Check with your local county extension office before choosing a freestanding or trained form.
Your local county extension office can tell you the months that fit your local climate.
How to Care for the The Pilgrim Rose Through the Year
Waking Up
As growth restarts, check the planting spot. The Pilgrim tolerates shade but flowers best in full sun with fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Improve poor soil before planting so it is fertile, humus-rich, and well drained.
Pruning
Prune in late winter, before new growth gets going. Cut last season’s growth back by one-third, and take some of the older stems down to the base so the plant keeps making fresh wood.
On a climbing plant, tie new shoots in horizontally. Cut the side shoots that flowered back by two-thirds.
Bloom
The first flush opens as the weather warms, and the plant keeps producing in waves from summer to fall. Cut flowers for the house if you want to enjoy the fragrance indoors.
Summer
Good airflow matters here because mildew is the plant’s soft spot. Keep the center of the shrub open, water at the base rather than over the leaves, and watch new growth for a powdery coating.
Autumn
The last flush often arrives as nights cool. Enjoy it, and keep an eye out for deer, since they chew this rose and tender fall growth is easy for them to reach.
Winter
Winter protection depends on local conditions, so check the guidance for your state before cold weather arrives. Use the quiet months to plan late-winter pruning and to set up a support if you want a climber.
The Pilgrim Rose Diseases and Weak Points
The Pilgrim has good resistance to the usual rose diseases. Its trouble spots are specific, and they are easy to plan around once you know them.
| Threat | How The Pilgrim handles it |
|---|---|
| Usual rose diseases | Good resistance |
| Mildew | Susceptible |
| Deer | Susceptible to chewing |
If deer walk through your yard, protect the plant with a fence or netting. For mildew, keep the plant open to airflow and the foliage dry.
Is the The Pilgrim Rose Right for Your Yard?
It suits a sunny spot with decent soil where you want scent and a full, old-fashioned flower. It is less suited to shade or to open yards with heavy deer traffic.
- Choose it for a border or a fence when you want fragrant yellow blooms over a long stretch of the season.
- Skip it, or fence it, if deer visit often and you cannot protect the plant.
- Contact your local county extension office to see the months for planting and pruning where you live.
Common Questions
How Far Apart Should You Plant the Pilgrim Roses?
Allow 3-5 feet between plants in a group. That spacing gives each shrub room to fill out and lets air move through, which helps with mildew.
Can the Pilgrim Rose Grow in Shade?
It tolerates shade, but flowers best with full sun.
How Do You Get More Flowers from the Pilgrim Rose?
Deadhead the spent blooms. Removing them encourages more flowers, and with several flushes from summer to fall, that adds up.