Mermaid Potted Climbing Rose

About Mermaid Climbing Rose

Rosa ‘Mermaid’ — Hybrid Bracteata, Large-Flowered Climber
🌹 A legendary single-flowered climber with luminous blooms and incredible vigor

Mermaid is a breathtaking climber famous for its enormous, single, light yellow blooms and glossy, nearly evergreen foliage. Bred by William Paul & Son in the early 1900s, this hybrid bracteata rose produces huge, sulphur-yellow flowers—often 5 inches across—with a halo of golden-amber stamens that glow against its rich green leaves. Once established, Mermaid blooms almost continuously through the season, covering long, arching canes in flowers with very little effort.

This is a truly vigorous rose, capable of reaching 15–25 feet tall and up to 20 feet wide, making it a dramatic choice for walls, fences, large arbors, and expansive landscape features. Mermaid is also renowned for its impressive disease resistance and ability to tolerate some shade, making it as tough as it is beautiful.

💐 Plant & Flower Traits

• 🌹 Rose Type: Large-flowered climber, Hybrid Bracteata

• 🎨 Color: Light yellow / pale sulphur-yellow with amber-gold stamens

• 🌸 Bloom Style: Large, single blooms (4–8 petals), about 5" across

• 🔁 Flowering: Continuous / perpetual bloom through the season once established

• 🌬️ Fragrance: Moderate, soft and pleasant

• ✨ Display: Often blooms by the thousands on mature plants

🏡 Growth & Garden Habits

• 🌿 Growth Habit: Very tall, vigorous climber with long, armed canes

• ↕️ Height: ~15–25 ft

• ↔️ Width: Up to ~20 ft

• 🍃 Foliage: Glossy, dark green, attractive and often nearly evergreen in mild climates

• 🗡️ Thorns: Strongly armed with thorns/prickles

Mermaid can quickly create a dramatic, cascading presence when trained along rock walls, fences, or large structures. In some gardens, it’s even used as a living “organic deterrent” where its thorny canes protect boundaries while still looking beautiful.

🛡️ Health & Suitability

• 💪 Vigor: Extremely vigorous and fast-growing once established

• 🌱 Disease Resistance: Very disease resistant

• 🌤️ Light: Shade tolerant; thrives in full sun and will tolerate some shade, especially in warmer climates

• ❄️ Hardiness: Best in USDA Zone 7b and warmer

• 🏞️ Best Uses:

  • Large walls and fences

  • Big arbors and pergolas

  • Landscape focal points

  • Informal hedges and “living barrier” plantings

💕 Why Gracie Loves It

“Mermaid is pure drama in the best way—those huge, soft-yellow single blooms with golden stamens against glossy green foliage are absolutely unforgettable. When she’s happy, she covers herself in flowers and gives an incredible show with almost no pampering.”

🌱 Growing Recommendations

• Site:

  • Choose a warm, sheltered spot with full sun to light shade.

  • Ideal along a south- or west-facing wall, sturdy fence, or large structure.

• Soil:

  • Well-draining, fertile soil.

  • Avoid waterlogged or very poor-draining sites.

• Planting & Spacing:

  • Allow plenty of room—this is a very large climber.

  • Give solid support and plan for 15–25 ft of vertical reach and wide spread.

• Care Tips:

  • Prune lightly or not at all in early years—Mermaid resents hard pruning.

  • Once established, remove only dead or wayward canes to manage size.

  • Water deeply and regularly during establishment; after that, she’s quite tough.

Fast Growing Plant Shipping & Guarantees

• 🚚 Ships in 1-3 Business Days

• 🛡️ Complimentary One-Year Grow With Grace™ Guarantee

• 🌱 Arrives dormant and ready to grow into a luminous, large-scale climber that makes an unforgettable statement in the garden