Orange roses are a relatively recent arrival in the long history of rose breeding, since the original wild roses that gave rise to modern cultivars existed only in shades of white, pink, and red, with yellow not appearing until the early 20th century and true orange following only after breeders learned to blend yellow and red pigments within a single bloom. Wilhelm Kordes II in Germany is generally credited with producing the first orange floribunda, ‘Independence,’ in 1951, and Mathias Tantau followed shortly after with an orange-toned hybrid tea that opened the door to decades of further experimentation. Today orange roses are bred across nearly every classification recognized by the American Rose Society, including hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora, climbing, groundcover, and shrub types, with the David Austin English Rose line contributing some of the most romantic, softly blended orange and apricot tones available.
The color orange in roses covers an unusually wide spectrum, from the palest peach and apricot to vivid tangerine, coral, and deep, smoldering amber, and many cultivars shift dramatically in tone as they age, often opening one color and fading or deepening to another entirely by the time the bloom drops its petals. A mature hybrid tea or grandiflora orange rose typically reaches 3 to 6 feet tall with large, high-centered blooms averaging 3 to 5 inches across, while floribundas stay more compact at 2 to 4 feet and carry their orange-toned blooms in generous, repeat-flowering clusters. Climbing orange roses, whether classified as large-flowered climbers or the hardier Kordesii-type shrub climbers, can send vigorous canes anywhere from 8 to 15 feet up a trellis or arbor, and English Rose shrubs bred by David Austin are frequently versatile enough to be trained either as a large freestanding shrub or a short climber depending on the gardener’s needs.
Fragrance is an especially strong selling point among orange roses, since the class includes some of the most intensely spicy and fruity-scented cultivars in the entire rose world, with many growers describing the scent of a good orange rose as reminiscent of ripe apricots, citrus peel, or warm baking spice. This reputation for fragrance has made orange roses a favorite target for breeders specifically chasing scent alongside color, and cultivars from Harkness of England, Kordes of Germany, and Weeks Roses and Armstrong Nurseries of the United States have consistently ranked among the most fragrant roses of their respective eras. Most modern orange roses are hardy across USDA zones 5 through 10, and disease resistance has improved considerably in recent decades, with newer AARS-winning introductions specifically bred for stronger resistance to black spot and powdery mildew than many of the older, more fragrance-focused orange cultivars from the mid-20th century.
Symbolically, orange roses represent enthusiasm, energy, passion, and fascination, making them a popular choice for celebratory bouquets and for gardeners wanting to inject warmth and vibrancy into an otherwise cool-toned planting scheme. Many of the cultivars below have earned major industry honors, including All-America Rose Selections awards and international rose trial medals, reflecting more than 70 years of dedicated breeding work devoted to perfecting this once-impossible color in a genus that began with only white, pink, and red to work with. Whether trained up an arbor, massed in a border, grown for exhibition, or cut for a fragrant bouquet, the following 40 types represent some of the most celebrated orange roses across the full range of rose classifications.
Types of Orange Roses
Independence
Independence is a floribunda bred by Wilhelm Kordes II in Germany and introduced in 1951, historically significant as the very first orange floribunda ever created and a foundational cultivar for the entire orange rose category that followed. Its orange-red, moderately fragrant flowers are large and double-petaled, appearing in generous clusters on long stems set against large, dark, glossy green foliage, and though newer orange floribundas have since surpassed it in disease resistance, Independence remains treasured among heirloom rose collectors for its pioneering role in rose breeding history.
Just Joey
Just Joey is a hybrid tea bred by Cants of Colchester in England and introduced in 1972, producing large, ruffled, apricot-blend blooms with an exceptionally strong, sweet fragrance that helped it earn the title of World’s Favorite Rose in 1994, one of the highest honors the World Federation of Rose Societies can bestow. Its five-inch, softly waved petals shift subtly in tone from coppery orange at the center to a paler apricot at the edges, and the plant performs best in warmer climates where its scent and color both intensify, making it one of the most consistently beloved orange hybrid teas ever produced.
Alexander
Alexander is a floribunda, sometimes grown as a tall shrub for its unusually vigorous canes, bred by Jack Harkness in England and introduced in 1972, frequently described by rose growers as the single most intensely orange rose in cultivation. Its brilliant vermilion-orange, high-centered blooms appear on notably tall, upright canes that can reach 6 feet or more, making it useful for hedging or the back of a mixed border, and its unfading, saturated color has made it a benchmark cultivar for gardeners specifically seeking the boldest possible orange.
Dicky
Dicky, more formally registered as ‘Anisley Dickson’ after the wife of its breeder, is a floribunda bred by Patrick Dickson in Northern Ireland and introduced in 1983, producing perfectly proportioned sprays of coral-salmon blooms on a hardy, low-maintenance plant. Its reliable, floriferous nature and resistance to common rose ailments have made it a long-standing favorite among gardeners who want dependable, continuous orange-coral color without the demanding care regimen some hybrid teas require, and its neat, well-formed flower clusters make it equally suited to borders and cutting.
Amber Queen
Amber Queen is a floribunda bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy IV and introduced in 1984, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its golden peach blooms that stand out dramatically against dark green, bronze-tipped foliage, carrying a spicy-sweet fragrance that has made it one of the most aromatic orange floribundas of its generation. Reaching a compact, bushy habit under sunny conditions, its rich amber-gold tone and reliable disease resistance have kept it a popular garden choice for over three decades since its release.
Remember Me
Remember Me is a hybrid tea bred by Jack Harkness in England and introduced in the mid-1980s, producing coppery-orange, high-centered blooms with a light fragrance on a vigorous, upright plant well suited to both garden display and cutting. Its warm, coppery tone sets it apart from the more common tangerine and coral shades found elsewhere in the orange rose category, and its dependable repeat bloom has made it a popular choice for memorial and tribute plantings, a role suggested by its evocative name.
Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire is a hybrid tea producing coral-orange, high-centered blooms with a light, pleasant fragrance on a vigorous, disease-resistant plant well suited to inland and warmer growing regions. Its bold, fiery coloring and dependable garden performance have made it a popular recommendation among regional rose societies specifically for climates with intense summer heat, where its color holds up notably well compared to some of the more delicate, fade-prone orange hybrid teas.
Lady of Shalott
Lady of Shalott is a shrub and climbing rose bred by David Austin in England and introduced in 2009, named for the Alfred, Lord Tennyson poem, producing an enchanting blend of sunset orange, strawberry pink, and golden yellow within each loosely cupped bloom. Its apple-cider and clove-scented fragrance and versatile growth habit, capable of being trained as either a large freestanding shrub or a modest climber up an obelisk or pillar, have made it one of the most award-winning and widely admired English Roses in the orange color range.
Lady Emma Hamilton
Lady Emma Hamilton is a shrub rose bred by David Austin in England and introduced in 2005, producing blooms with a distinctive habit of opening deep red before quickly shifting to rich orange tones, giving the shrub a constantly evolving, multi-hued appearance throughout its bloom cycle. Its strong, fruity fragrance and compact, well-branched growth habit have made it a popular choice among David Austin’s orange-toned offerings for gardeners who want dramatic color transformation within a single plant.
Vavoom
Vavoom is a floribunda producing delightfully bright orange flowers with a sweet, fruity aroma, prized above all for its bold, unabashedly saturated color that remains visible and eye-catching even when the plant is tucked into a shadier corner of the garden. Its unmatched brightness among orange floribundas has made it a favorite for gardeners who want maximum visual impact from a relatively compact, easy-care shrub.
Double Easy Orange
Double Easy Orange is a floribunda producing vivid apricot-colored, big, showy flowers from spring through frost on a compact, carefree plant that maintains its rich orange tones remarkably well despite summer heat. Bred as part of the popular “Easy” series of low-maintenance garden roses, its manageable size and reliable color retention have made it a favorite for gardeners with limited space who still want a big, punchy dose of orange in a small package.
Tangerine Skies
Tangerine Skies is a climbing rose producing bunches of pumpkin-orange flowers with a sweet fragrance on canes capable of reaching about 8 feet when given adequate support. Like most climbing roses, its bloom production improves considerably when its long canes are trained horizontally along a wall or fence rather than allowed to grow straight up, and its prolific, season-long flowering has made it a popular choice for gardeners wanting concentrated tangerine-orange color on a vertical structure.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is a shrub rose bred by David Austin in England and introduced in 2016, named after the beloved children’s author, producing cupped and double golden-apricot blooms with 30 to 40 petals each and a fragrance combining tea rose and citrus fruit notes. Remarkably hardy down to negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, this easy-care rose shows high resistance to fungal disease and common rose pests while blooming consistently from spring through fall, making it one of the most garden-worthy and dependable orange-toned English Roses available.
Easy Does It
Easy Does It is a floribunda bred by Weeks Roses in the United States and introduced in 2010, the sole All-America Rose Selections winner that year, producing ruffled, scalloped petals in a distinctive tangerine-to-peach-pink blend with up to 30 petals and a fruity fragrance. Blooming profusely from spring to fall against glossy, light green foliage, its compact, bushy growth habit has made it a favorite for beds, borders, and containers where dependable orange-toned color is the priority.
Flower Carpet Amber
Flower Carpet Amber is a groundcover shrub rose, part of the popular Flower Carpet series, producing clusters of orange-yellow flowers about 2 inches wide that age gracefully to soft pink with a peach blush as they mature. Blooming profusely atop glossy, disease-resistant foliage from spring to frost, its heat tolerance and low-maintenance spreading habit have made it a popular landscape choice for covering banks, slopes, and large bare areas with dependable, ever-shifting orange-to-pink color.
Warm Welcome
Warm Welcome is a climbing miniature rose bred by Chris Warner in England and introduced in 1991, producing small, semi-double, vivid orange blooms in generous clusters on compact climbing canes reaching 6 to 8 feet. Its manageable size relative to full-sized climbers, combined with its vivid, unfading orange color and repeated flowering throughout the season, has made it a popular choice for gardeners who want the vertical interest of a climbing rose in a more restrained, miniature-flowered form.
Livin’ Easy
Livin’ Easy is a floribunda bred by Jack Harkness in England and introduced in 1996, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its ruffled, orangey-apricot blooms carried in generous clusters on a compact, disease-resistant plant. Its dependable, continuous bloom from spring through frost and its manageable size have made it one of the most widely recommended low-maintenance orange floribundas for gardeners seeking reliable color without extensive care.
Hot Cocoa
Hot Cocoa is a floribunda bred by Tom Carruth for Weeks Roses in the United States and introduced in 2003, producing unusual, smoky russet-orange blooms with a rich, chocolate-tinged undertone unlike any other rose color in commercial production. Its tall growth habit for a floribunda, reaching up to 4 feet, and its exceptionally distinctive, moody coloring have made it a favorite among gardeners and floral designers seeking something genuinely different from the bright, cheerful oranges typical of the class.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is a floribunda bred as a tribute to the South African statesman, producing orange-red blooms in generous clusters on a vigorous, disease-resistant plant with reliable, continuous bloom throughout the growing season. Its rich, warm coloring and its symbolic dedication have made it a popular choice for memorial gardens and tribute plantings honoring Mandela’s legacy of resilience and reconciliation.
Good As Gold
Good As Gold is a hybrid tea producing golden-orange, high-centered blooms with a light fragrance on a vigorous, upright plant well suited to both garden display and cutting. Its warm, sunny coloring and classic hybrid tea flower form have made it a dependable choice for gardeners wanting a straightforward, cheerful orange-gold hybrid tea without the more complex, multi-toned blends found in some other cultivars.
Strike It Rich
Strike It Rich is a grandiflora bred by Tom Carruth for Weeks Roses in the United States and introduced in 2007, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its deep golden-yellow blooms blushed with bits of ruby red, carrying a strong fragrance suggesting spice and fruit. A true grandiflora that blooms in clusters on long stems well suited for cutting, its great disease resistance and richly blended coloring, reminiscent of a stash of gold doubloons, have made it a standout among modern orange-gold grandifloras.
Lasting Peace
Lasting Peace is a grandiflora producing blooms in glowing, ever-changing hues reminiscent of an amber sunset reflecting on a sandy beach, honoring its ancestor ‘Peace’ with a similarly complex, shifting color palette. Its warm, multi-toned blend of gold, amber, and soft orange tones shifts subtly with light and temperature, and its grandiflora heritage gives it the clustered, long-stemmed bloom habit well suited to cutting that the class is known for.
Crazy Love
Crazy Love, part of the Sunbelt series, is a grandiflora producing a profusion of bright, bold orange blooms all summer long on a compact plant that is decidedly not for the faint of heart or lovers of soft pastels. Nearly always in bloom from spring to late fall, its dark, glossy foliage provides a striking contrast to its vivid orange flowers, and its compact stature for a grandiflora makes it more manageable in smaller garden spaces than many taller cultivars in its class.
Ketchup and Mustard
Ketchup and Mustard is a floribunda producing a bold, playful bicolor bloom combining bright red and vivid yellow within each flower, creating an overall orange-toned effect from a distance that gives the cultivar its cheerful, food-inspired name. Its high-contrast coloring and generous cluster production have made it a popular novelty choice among gardeners drawn to bold, unconventional bicolor roses rather than solid, single-toned blooms.
Marmalade Skies
Marmalade Skies is a floribunda bred by Weeks Roses in the United States, producing rich, marmalade-orange blooms in generous clusters with a fruity fragrance well suited to its citrus-inspired name. Its warm, saturated coloring and reliable, continuous bloom throughout the season have made it a popular modern choice for gardeners wanting a punchy, dependable orange floribunda for borders and mixed plantings.
Voodoo
Voodoo is a hybrid tea bred by Herbert Swim and O.L. Weeks in the United States and introduced in 1984, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its blended orange-yellow, high-centered blooms with a light, spicy fragrance. Its warm, sunset-toned color combination and classic exhibition form have made it a long-standing favorite among rose show competitors seeking a distinctive orange-yellow blend rather than a single, solid orange tone.
Brandy
Brandy is a hybrid tea bred by Anthony Perry for Armstrong Nurseries in the United States and introduced in 1981, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its smooth, apricot-orange, high-centered blooms with a light fruity fragrance reminiscent of its namesake spirit. Its clean, warm coloring and classic hybrid tea form have kept it a widely planted and dependable choice among apricot and orange-toned hybrid teas for over four decades.
Gingersnap
Gingersnap is a floribunda bred by William Warriner in the United States and introduced in 1978, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its deep, spicy orange blooms carried in generous clusters on a compact, disease-resistant plant. Its rich, saturated color and appropriately spicy fragrance, echoing its namesake cookie, have made it a long-standing favorite among gardeners specifically seeking a deep, warm orange floribunda.
Prominent
Prominent is a grandiflora bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany and introduced in 1971, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its bold orange-red blooms held on long, sturdy stems well suited to cutting, with a light fragrance and excellent disease resistance. Its vigorous, upright growth and dependable, continuous bloom throughout the season have kept it a garden favorite among grandifloras in the warm color range for over five decades.
Marina
Marina is a floribunda bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany and introduced in 1974, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its bright orange-coral blooms carried in generous clusters with a light fragrance on a compact, bushy plant. Its vivid, sun-drenched coloring and reliable disease resistance have made it a long-standing favorite for mass plantings and borders where dependable orange-coral color is the primary goal.
Bahia
Bahia is a floribunda bred by Herbert Swim for Armstrong Nurseries in the United States and introduced in 1974, winning the All-America Rose Selections award for its warm orange blooms carried in generous clusters on a compact, disease-resistant plant. Named for the vibrant Brazilian state, its bold, tropical coloring and dependable garden performance have kept it a recognizable and well-regarded orange floribunda since its release.
Whisky Mac
Whisky Mac is a hybrid tea bred by Mathias Tantau Jr. in Germany and introduced in 1967, producing deep, smoky amber-orange blooms with an intense, distinctive fragrance that has made it one of the most beloved fragrant orange roses in British gardening history. Its rich, whisky-toned color and powerful scent have kept it in continuous cultivation for well over half a century, despite a reputation for somewhat greater susceptibility to disease than many newer introductions, a tradeoff many fragrance-focused gardeners consider well worth making.
Anne Harkness
Anne Harkness is a floribunda bred by Jack Harkness in England and introduced in 1979, producing large, apricot-orange blooms in generous, long-lasting clusters on notably tall, vigorous canes that can reach 5 feet or more. Its exceptional cluster size and late-season bloom, often continuing well into autumn after many other roses have finished, have made it a favorite among gardeners and flower arrangers seeking dependable orange color late into the growing season.
Fred Loads
Fred Loads is a shrub rose bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy IV and named after a celebrated British gardening broadcaster, producing large trusses of bright orange-vermilion, semi-double blooms on a notably tall, vigorous shrub reaching 6 to 7 feet. Its exceptional height and continuous, generous bloom throughout the season have made it a popular choice for hedging and the back of a mixed border, where its bold color and imposing size can be fully appreciated.
Westerland
Westerland is a hardy Kordesii-type shrub and climbing rose bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany and introduced in 1969, producing large, ruffled, apricot-orange blooms with a strong, fruity fragrance on a vigorous plant that can be grown as either a substantial shrub or trained as a short climber. Its excellent cold hardiness and disease resistance, hallmarks of the Kordesii breeding line, combined with its rich, warm coloring, have made it one of the most versatile and widely planted orange-toned roses for gardeners in colder climates.
Autumn Sunset
Autumn Sunset is a climbing rose producing large clusters of apricot-orange blooms with a light fragrance on vigorous canes well suited to a trellis, fence, or arbor. Its warm, seasonally appropriate coloring and reliable repeat bloom throughout the growing season have made it a popular choice for gardeners wanting a full-sized climbing rose with the soft, blended orange tones associated with an autumn sunset.
Fragrant Apricot
Fragrant Apricot is a hybrid tea producing large, apricot-orange blooms with a notably strong, sweet fragrance on a vigorous, upright plant well suited to cutting. Its combination of rich color and intense perfume has made it a popular choice among gardeners who prioritize scent alongside the warm, inviting tones typical of the best apricot and orange-toned hybrid teas.
Louise Clements
Louise Clements is a shrub rose producing warm, apricot-orange blooms on a compact, well-branched plant bred for reliable garden performance and continuous bloom throughout the season. Its manageable size and dependable color have made it a popular choice among modern low-maintenance shrub roses in the orange and apricot color range.
Matchless Mother
Matchless Mother is a shrub rose producing soft, warm orange-toned blooms on a compact, disease-resistant plant bred specifically for reliable garden performance and continuous bloom. Its dependable color and manageable size have made it a popular choice for gardeners seeking a low-maintenance orange shrub rose suitable for smaller garden spaces or container growing.
Tequila Sunrise
Tequila Sunrise is a hybrid tea bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy IV and introduced in 1988, producing striking bicolor blooms with golden-yellow petals dramatically edged in fiery orange-red, creating a sunset-like gradient that gives the cultivar its evocative name. Its bold, high-contrast coloring and classic, high-centered hybrid tea form have made it one of the most visually dramatic and widely recognized orange-toned hybrid teas of the late 20th century, still popular today among gardeners seeking a truly eye-catching bicolor bloom.