The Ultimate Guide To: For Your Eyes Only Rose

A century of struggle has seen botanists attempt to crossbreed wild Rosa persica with domestic garden roses. Initial experiments saw weak plants suffering from mildew and developing blackspot.  

The breakthrough occurred following thirty years of work by Chris Warner of Warners Roses in Shropshire. Eventually he managed to hybridise Rosa persica. With remarkable patience and determination he made gradual gains on both key sides: the new shrubby plant’s health, form, and vigour, and the striking contrast of the blotched flower, a deep wine red centre that contrasts strongly with an apricot halo. He said it took growing 1000 to pick out 2-3 new plants with the required characteristics.

The Bond film For Your Eyes Only starred a Bond girl aptly named Carole Bouquet.

Flourishes in a variety of soils especially when mulched with manure or compost. Tolerates slightly alkaline to slightly acidic soil.

Read our planting guide here.

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RHS rating of H6 indicating a minimum temperature range of -15C to -20C.

Excellent disease resistance. However, all roses can be susceptible to some degree to rose black spot, rose rust, replant disease, rose dieback, and rose powdery mildews. Potentially affected by mites, sawfly and aphids.

Treat mildew by pruning affected leaves.

Treat aphids by growing plants that attract insects that prey on aphids. See companion plants below.

Treat blackspot by removing and destroying fallen leaves. For persica hybrid roses, it is recommended not to cut off affected stems as this can cause the rose stress and potentially weaken the plant. Instead, simply remove the leaves and encourage new growth by continuing to feed and water.

We do not recommend using chemical fungicides as they risk reducing soil health and negatively affecting biodiversity.

See our help guides for more details.

Best planted in full sun although anecdotally tolerant of dappled shade.

Read our planting guide here.

Not suitable for cut flower arrangements.

Read our ‘How to Cut a Rose For Display’ guide here.

Keep the soil consistently moist, especially during the growing season. Water at the base of the plant to prevent fungal diseases.

Read our watering guide here.

Slow-release feed early in the season followed by foliar feed during the growing period.

Read our feeding guide here.

A granular, slow release feed such as English Roses Protect & Grow Slow Release Rose Feed supports all round health, and nutrients are released steadily over the course of a few months. Combine this with a foliar feed such as English Roses Protect & Grow Rose Foliar Feed in the summer months, for a quick burst of nutrients that encourage beautiful blooms.

Hard prune in February or March. Regular deadheading during the season promotes new growth. See our pruning guide here.

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or hardwood cuttings in autumn, or by chip budding in summer.