Old-fashioned richly petaled golden blooms and strong anise fragrance make this Jackson & Perkins classic worth rediscovering.
Bred by Jackson & Perkins and returned from our rose archives, this Vault Collection favorite flowers in continuous waves on an easy-to-grow 4-foot shrub.
Golden Zest Shrub Rose is a Jackson & Perkins classic worth rediscovering. Each 4-inch golden-yellow bloom is packed with approximately 120 petals arranged in an old-fashioned quartered form, creating the richly layered look of a treasured garden rose. Strong anise fragrance makes the flowers just as memorable for their scent, while continuous waves of bloom bring this distinctive combination of color, form, and fragrance to the garden throughout the season.
Bred by Jackson & Perkins and originally released in 2024, Golden Zest recently returned from our rose archives as a member of the J&P Vault Collection. Roses selected for the Vault represent cherished varieties from Jackson & Perkins history that deserve to be enjoyed by a new generation of gardeners. Golden Zest makes a compelling case for its return with abundant flowers, sturdy cutting stems, an easy-to-grow nature, and a versatile 4-foot shrub habit.
Why You'll Love It
Extraordinary old-fashioned blooms packed with approximately 120 petals
Rich golden-yellow color brings warmth to beds, borders, and mixed plantings
Strong anise fragrance adds a distinctive licorice-like scent
Flowers heavily in continuous waves over a long season
Easy-to-grow shrub habit makes it a good choice for beginning rose gardeners
Sturdy stems are excellent for bringing its richly petaled flowers indoors
Member of the J&P Vault Collection of treasured roses from Jackson & Perkins history
Why This Rose Stands Out
Golden Zest is the kind of rose the J&P Vault Collection was created to preserve. Bred by Jackson & Perkins and brought back from our rose archives, it combines qualities that remain just as compelling today: unusually petal-rich flowers, old-fashioned form, distinctive fragrance, generous flowering, and approachable garden performance.
The flowers are especially remarkable. Approximately 120 golden-yellow petals form 4-inch, quartered double blooms with the richly layered appearance associated with classic roses. Strong anise fragrance adds another memorable dimension. Yet Golden Zest is not simply a rose to admire up close. Its bushy 4-foot by 4-foot habit and continuous flowering give it enough presence to contribute substantial color to borders, mixed beds, hedges, and containers.
Plant Highlights
Rose Type: Shrub Rose
Collection: J&P Vault Collection
Bloom Color: Golden yellow
Bloom Size: Approximately 4 inches
Petal Count: Approximately 120 petals
Flower Form: Old-fashioned, quartered, double; cupped to flat
Fragrance Strength: Strong
Fragrance Notes: Anise
Bloom Season: Late spring through fall
Growth Habit: Bushy, upright shrub
Mature Height: Approximately 4 feet
Mature Width: Approximately 4 feet
Sun Exposure: Full sun
USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9
Special Strengths: Easy to grow, continuous flowering, suitable for beginners, excellent for cutting
Best Garden Uses: Mixed beds, borders, hedges, containers, cutting gardens, and specimen plantings
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the J&P Vault Collection? The J&P Vault Collection brings treasured roses from Jackson & Perkins history back into the garden. Varieties are selected from our rose archives for their enduring appeal, historical connection, and qualities that make them worth growing again.
What makes Golden Zest Rose unusual? Golden Zest combines approximately 120 petals in each 4-inch bloom with an old-fashioned quartered flower form and strong anise fragrance. That unusual combination of golden color, richly layered flowers, and distinctive scent gives the rose its memorable character.
What does Golden Zest smell like? Golden Zest has a strong anise fragrance. Anise has a distinctive sweet, licorice-like character, making this an especially interesting choice for gardeners who enjoy roses with unusual fragrance notes.
Is Golden Zest a good rose for beginners? Yes. Golden Zest is an easy-to-grow shrub rose and a good choice for gardeners who are relatively new to growing roses.
Does Golden Zest bloom repeatedly? Yes. Golden Zest flowers heavily in continuous waves over a long growing season, providing repeated displays of its golden-yellow blooms.
How large does Golden Zest grow? Golden Zest develops into a medium-sized shrub approximately 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Its bushy habit works well in mixed beds, borders, hedges, containers, and as an individual garden specimen.
Can Golden Zest be used as a cut flower? Yes. Its sturdy stems are suitable for cutting, allowing you to enjoy the richly petaled golden flowers and strong anise fragrance indoors.
Care Tips
Plant in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Water deeply while the rose becomes established and during dry periods. Remove spent flowers as needed to maintain a tidy appearance and encourage continued flowering. Prune in late winter or early spring to remove dead or damaged wood, maintain its bushy shape, and encourage healthy new growth.
Grow with Confidence
For more than 150 years, Jackson & Perkins has helped gardeners grow exceptional roses with confidence. Explore our expert resources for planting, care, pruning, seasonal maintenance, and more.
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals that are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
Jackson & Perkins is one of the most recognized names in the gardening industry. In fact, for decades rose lovers have considered Jackson & Perkins synonymous with great roses. How has Jackson & Perkins earned this reputation? Simple, for over 100 years we have brought our customers the world's finest selection of roses.
Jackson & Perkins became a leader in the world of roses by producing dozens of award-winning roses. Jackson & Perkins has won more All-America Rose Selection awards than any other US company. In addition to the AARS awards, Jackson & Perkins has won numerous other awards, including the coveted Golden Rose of The Hague and the Royal National Rose Society’s President’s International trophy, among others.
From seed to market a new garden rose can take 8 to 10 years to develop. Every year, thousands of seedlings are grown but only a handful are selected to move into the trial phase. During this time, potential new roses are grown and evaluated in different climatic regions of the country. Our rosarians are looking for rose bushes that have stronger disease resistance, vigorous growth habits, and clean healthy foliage. When it comes to blooms, they are looking for improved flower form, unique colors, and strong fragrance.
Today Jackson & Perkins offers over 200 varieties of roses that includes a broad selection of exclusive roses, historical favorites, and innovative genetics from hybridizers around the world. We have two seasons each year for roses. In the spring, we offer bare root rose bushes, bare root 36” trees, 24” patio trees, and container grown roses. Our fall season is all bush roses, and they are available in 2QT and 1GL containers.
Whether you are new to roses or are an experienced rosarian, our online store has rose varieties for you. Our website is packed with information. You will find each rose fully described and lots of articles and videos that will help answer all your questions. Our call center staff have decades of experience and are just a phone call away.
Jackson & Perkins is here to help you in every way on your rose-growing journey. There is no other plant in the garden that comes in more colors, fragrances, shapes, or forms, or performs as many functions than roses do.
Choosing Your Roses
Bare root roses are the most common form of roses for spring and early season planting, and come in two types: grafted and own root.
Grafted roses, sometimes referred to as budded bare root roses, have roots that belong to a different variety of rose than the shoots. While the shoots will grow into the variety of rose you've selected, the root variety has been specially grown and developed for hardiness, improved resistance to common diseases, and improved resistance to certain weather conditions. The roots on any grafted rose you receive are usually already two years old, so they'll establish in your garden more quickly when planted.
Own root roses are grown from rose shoot cuttings and develop their own root system. Unlike grafted roses, both their roots and shoots come from the same variety of plant.
All Jackson & Perkins bare root roses are maintained in a suspended state of growth in our state-of-the-art wet cooler, so they'll be delivered to you with no foliage or blooms. The wet cooler has a uniform storage temperature set just above freezing and uses a fog system to provide consistent humidity of 100%, ensuring the roses remain fully hydrated and don't exit dormancy before leaving our facility. While you might see some variance in size, even within the same variety of bare root rose, all our roses meet the same rigorous standards of quality.
So, not sure which type of bare root rose you should choose? Don't worry, we've got that covered. We've researched which varieties of bare root roses grow better as grafted or own root, and both types can be planted in the early spring months, so just choose the variety of rose you're most interested in and get planting.
Though you might be surprised or intimidated when you receive a box of bare root roses filled with roots and shoots, rest assured, with the proper care, these little bundles will grow into stunning roses.
Container Roses
Container roses are typically available in 2-quart sizes or larger and come with established foliage that may or may not have blooms. While bare root roses should generally be planted in early spring, container roses allow you quite a bit more flexibility in planting time, from spring all the way through fall in many zones. Fall can be a good season to plant container roses because it allows them enough time to establish themselves before cold or freezing temperatures arrive.
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