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QUESTION: Are there any thornless roses? I was complaining to a friend about being jabbed and stuck by my rose bushes after working in the garden. She recommended thornless roses, but I had heard that there are no really thornless roses. Do you know which of us is right? And if they have any other name, would they smell as sweet? – Susan S
ANSWER: There’s a lot of contradictory information out there about which roses are thornless and which are nearly thornless, but everyone seems to agree on one standout. Zepherine Drouhin roses are listed as thornless next to lists full of nearly thornless options.
One source we found even says that Zépherine Drouhin is the only real thornless rose out there. However, we found lists of many other roses being touted as thornless, too. For our lists below, when sources differ from one another, we’ve either gone with what the majority say is true or with what the most credible source says.
And just so you don’t get tripped up by semantics, it’s true that technically, all roses are thornless because their thorns qualify as prickles botanically. You can tell that a rose has prickles instead of thorns because they can be easily removed from their places, and they seem to lay on top of the surface of the stem instead of coming from within. True thorns also come from buds or nodes on the stem, while a rose’s prickles are scattered all over.
People choose thornless or nearly thornless roses for a variety of different reasons. Whatever your reason, you’ll find plenty of options to choose from in our lists below.
The phrase “nearly thornless roses” is used to describe rose plants that may produce some thorns on old growth areas, just not on their new growth.
Thornless Roses
Pink Thornless Roses
- Bleu Magenta (mauve)
- Chloris (ballet pink)
- Cinderella (baby pink)
- Hippolyte (magenta)
- Kathleen Harrop (baby pink)
- Tausendschön (ivory with shades of pink)
- Zéphirine Drouhin (bubblegum pink)
Orange and Yellow Thornless Roses
- Irene Marie (coral and golden yellow)
Purple Thornless Roses
- Veilchenblau (lilac with blue)
Red Thornless Roses
- Smooth Prince (magenta to red)
White Thornless Roses
- Mme. Legras de St. Germain (creamy white)
- Mme. Plantier (parchment white)
Yellow and White Thornless Roses
- Goldfinch (buttery yellow and white)
- Lady Banks Rose (white or pale yellow)
- Lykkefund (light yellow with touches of white)
Nearly Thornless Roses
Orange Roses
- Crépuscule (peach with buttery yellow)
- Crown Princess Margareta (apricot and sunny yellow)
- Lady Hillingdon (pale orange)
- Oceana (True peach)
- The Shepherdess (blushed apricot)
Pink Roses
- A Shropshire Lad (yellow-tinged baby pink)
- Bride’s Dream (shell pink)
- China Doll (medium pink)
- Climbing Pinkie (bubblegum pink)
- Complicata (pink with white centers)
- Cornelia (blush pink)
- G. Nabonnand (ballet pink)
- Geoff Hamilton (baby pink)
- Heritage (ballet pink)
- James Galway (ruffled medium pink)
- John Clare (raspberry pink)
- La Marne (pink and white blend)
- Leander (pink and apricot)
- Martin Frobisher (Light pink)
- Mlle. Cécile Brunner (light pink outer leaves with pinker centers)
- Mortimer Sackler (Pale to medium pink)
- Nestor (Old rose, medium pink)
- Outta the Blue (Mauve)
- Paul Neyron (Rose pink)
- Reine des Violettes (Fuchsia)
- Rosa blanda species (Medium pink to pale pink)
- Rose-Marie Viaud (Mauve touched with lavender)
- Smooth Lady (Bubblegum pink)
- Smooth Satin (Peachy pink)
- The Generous Gardener (Very pale shell pink)
- Thérèse Bugnet (Medium pink)
Purple Roses
- Blue for You (blue lavender)
- Cardinal de Richelieu (mauve turning to purple)
- Tuscany Superb (Burgundy)
Red Roses
- Cambridgeshire (red and blaze orange)
- Smooth Velvet (Classic red)
Yellow Roses
- Ghislaine de Féligonde (light to pale yellow)
- Golden Border (also known as Comtesse du Barry; golden yellow)
- Golden Showers (lemon yellow)
- J.P. Connell (cream to buttery yellow)
- Mrs. Dudley Cross (pale yellow)
White Roses
- Aimée Vibert (pink buds with white blossoms)
- Climbing Iceberg (snow white)
- Clotilde Soupert (white with blush pink)
- Frau Karl Druschki (true white)
- Kew Gardens (white tinged with sunny yellow)
- Lichfield Angel (parchment white)
- Marie Pavié (White tinged with pale pink)
- Mme. Alfred Carriére (White with shell pink centers)
- Pure Perfume (Pure white)
The roses on these lists will be easier to care for in the garden and handle for flower arrangements than their thornier cousins. However, do remember that especially with almost thornless roses, thorns will appear on the old growth. If you are pruning or doing another task that requires handling the old growth, consider wearing gloves so you don’t get injured.
Learn More About Thornless Roses
https://www.countrygardenroses.co.uk/shop/42-Thornless-Roses/
https://www.fayobserver.com/article/20150418/lifestyle/304189722
https://www.heirloomroses.com/info/care/roses/thornless-roses/
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/thornless-roses-78213.html
https://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/varieties-of-thorn-free-roses
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