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Plant care

Queen of Sweden Rose (Queen of Sweden) care

Rosa 'Queen of Sweden'

Also called Queen of Sweden, Austiger.

RHS H6USDA 5-10Pet-safeIndoor Around 1.1-1.25 m tall and 0.75 m wide

Watering rhythm

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Deeply once or twice weekly through the growing season, more in heat

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Light

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained loam, pH 6.0-6.5

Humidity

40-70%

Temp

15-25°C

Pet safety

Pet-safe

Mature size

Around 1.1-1.25 m tall and 0.75 m wide

Care at a glance

Light

Aim for at least 4-6 hours of direct sun on the leaves. Plant in full sun with 6+ hours daily for the freest flowering. It performs well in open, sunny positions and its upright form suits massed or hedge planting. If your only bright window faces south, that's perfect for queen of sweden rose — same window any aroid would fry on.

Watering

Watering queen of sweden rose: deeply once or twice weekly through the growing season, more in heat. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Water at the base to keep foliage dry and discourage blackspot. Deep, infrequent soaking builds strong roots; mulch helps hold moisture between waterings.

Soil and pot

Queen of Sweden Rose grows best in fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained loam, ph 6.0-6.5. Enrich the planting area with well-rotted manure or compost. Good drainage prevents winter waterlogging; an annual organic mulch feeds the plant and conserves water. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Queen of Sweden Rose sits happiest at around 40-70% humidity and 15-25°C (59-77°F). An outdoor rose indifferent to ambient humidity, and one of the healthiest English roses for resisting humid-weather disease. Keep spacing open so leaves dry quickly after rain. If you keep the room above 15 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed queen of sweden rose sparingly. Apply a balanced rose fertiliser in early spring and again after the first flush in summer, with an annual mulch of well-rotted manure or compost. Stop feeding by late summer so growth hardens before frost. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on queen of sweden rose in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Blackspot — Dark fungal leaf spots in wet seasons; base watering and clean-up of fallen leaves keep it minimal, and this is a notably resistant variety.
  • Aphids — Greenfly gather on new shoots and buds; rinse off with water or encourage predatory insects rather than spraying routinely.
  • Bloom fading in heat — The soft apricot-pink can pale quickly in strong sun and high heat; this is normal, and removing spent blooms keeps fresh colour coming.
  • Powdery mildew — White coating on shoots if roots dry out in humid conditions; keep soil evenly moist and maintain good air movement around the plant.

Propagation

Take hardwood cuttings in autumn or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer for personal use. As a protected David Austin variety it is commercially propagated by budding onto a rootstock. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Queen of Sweden Rose is pet-safe. The genus Rosa (true roses) is ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The thorns can still injure or irritate a pet's mouth if chewed. Do not confuse with unrelated toxic plants bearing the 'rose' name, such as desert rose or Christmas rose. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Queen of Sweden Rose care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Rosa 'Queen of Sweden'?

Rosa 'Queen of Sweden' is most commonly called Queen of Sweden Rose, but it is also known as Queen of Sweden, Austiger. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Queen of Sweden Rose apply identically to anything sold as Queen of Sweden.

How much light does queen of sweden rose need?

Queen of Sweden Rose grows best in direct sun (at least 4-6 hours). Plant in full sun with 6+ hours daily for the freest flowering. It performs well in open, sunny positions and its upright form suits massed or hedge planting.

How often should I water queen of sweden rose?

Water queen of sweden rose deeply once or twice weekly through the growing season, more in heat. Water at the base to keep foliage dry and discourage blackspot. Deep, infrequent soaking builds strong roots; mulch helps hold moisture between waterings. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is queen of sweden rose toxic to cats and dogs?

Queen of Sweden Rose is pet-safe. The genus Rosa (true roses) is ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The thorns can still injure or irritate a pet's mouth if chewed. Do not confuse with unrelated toxic plants bearing the 'rose' name, such as desert rose or Christmas rose.

What USDA hardiness zone does queen of sweden rose grow in?

Queen of Sweden Rose is rated for USDA zone 5-10 (outdoor garden rose) and RHS hardiness H6. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Queen of Sweden Rose deep-dive guides

Every aspect of queen of sweden rose care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Queen of Sweden Rose qualifies for 10 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Queen of Sweden Rose is also commonly called Queen of Sweden or Austiger.