Floribunda, Shrub Rose 'Astrid Lindgren'

This rose is stunningly beautiful and an incredibly prolific bloomer. I planted Astrid Lindgren as a bare root about 15-17 years ago. Zon...Read Moree 6a. It came from a wonderful nursery in Waldoboro, Maine, called the Rosearie. Sadly out of business now. There were no pictures in the simple print catalog, but the description described the lush blossoms and said it was a favorite for arbors. I took a chance.
Astrid needed a year or so to get fully established and exploded with gorgeous masses of blooms. The first ten years, the open blooms reminded me of slightly blushing gardenias. The last several years, the color seems a deeper pink, and the petals seem less thick and velvety. Still amazingly lovely, however! The blooms seem to be on the warm side of pale pink, medium sized.
Astrid quickly grew tall. Lots of giant arching canes. She now reaches about 14 feet tall. Very bushy, but I trim out a hollow/empty center to prevent black spot. She does get some, but not bad. I just trim off the twig that’s affected. The Japanese beetles don’t visit Astrid as much as they visit Heritage and Over the Moon, which are very fragrant.
Astrid blooms abundantly in clusters. Good for cutting although some small buds on a cluster may not bloom in the vase. But this rose is so prolific that I can waste unopened buds without regret.
This year (2020), the first two flushes were over-the-top magnificent, with only about 10 days between them. Masses of flowers. The scent is lovely, moderate to mild. The blooms continued through July and then into August at a lesser rate — until I did significant pruning in August due to lots of rain, tremendous growth, and some black spot. Within 10 days, Astrid was covered with buds again. They are about ready to pop.
This year, I didn’t do much to care for her (no composted manure in spring, no regular feedings during the summer, no spraying except a simple oil in rainy May). In Spring, I did major pruning and applied some granular, slow-release fertilizer. We had an unusual heat wave this year (30 days over 90°F by mid-August with two solid weeks in July around 92. In August, I had some leftover tomato liquid fertilizer and gave her a drink. Wow, she burst into buds. Very Little rain in July and August, so I’ve been watering almost daily.
Astrid is so pretty, easy going and reliable; she feels like an old friend. And she’s an absolute star in my garden.

Does not grow tall in Maine's climate. Very pretty.