Floribunda Rose - French Lace
Rosa 'Jaclac'
An elegant All-America Rose Selection winner known for its pristine white blooms with delicate peachy-pink edges that create a lace-like appearance. This compact floribunda produces clusters of perfectly formed flowers continuously throughout the growing season with a light, sweet fragrance. Exceptionally hardy and disease-resistant, making it perfect for beginners and low-maintenance gardens.
Sun
Full sun
Zones
5–11
USDA hardiness
Height
1-8 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Floribunda Rose - French Lace in USDA Zone 7
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Floribunda Rose - French Lace · Zones 5–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
Complete Growing Guide
French Lace roses are typically purchased as bare-root plants or container-grown specimens rather than started from seed, as they're propagated varieties. If you're planting bare-root roses, the ideal time is during dormancy in early spring, roughly two to four weeks before your last frost date, or in fall in mild climates. Container roses can be planted anytime the ground isn't frozen, though spring and early fall establishment periods produce the strongest plants.
Prepare planting sites with well-draining soil enriched with organic matter, spacing French Lace plants about three feet apart to allow air circulation through their compact, 1-to-4-foot mature form. Dig holes deep enough that the graft union (the bumpy joint near the base) sits just at or slightly below soil level in cold climates, or slightly above in warmer zones. Mix in aged compost or peat moss to improve drainage and provide essential nutrients, as these roses perform best in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5.
Water deeply at planting and maintain consistent moisture during the first growing season, aiming for one to two inches per week depending on rainfall and heat. Once established, French Lace is remarkably drought-tolerant, though regular watering encourages continuous blooming. Feed monthly during the growing season with a balanced rose fertilizer or a slow-release formula applied in spring. Stop feeding in late summer to allow the plant to harden off before winter.
The disease resistance of French Lace is one of its greatest assets, and this variety rarely encounters serious fungal problems like black spot or powdery mildew. However, occasional aphid infestations can occur during spring flush growth. Monitor new shoots and buds closely; a strong spray from the hose or insecticidal soap handles minor infestations effectively without harsh chemicals.
Pruning enhances French Lace's naturally compact, bushy growth habit and encourages prolific blooming. In spring, remove any dead or crossing canes, then cut back remaining stems by about one-third. Throughout the season, deadheading spent flower clusters promotes continuous flowering—this floribunda's defining characteristic—and prevents the plant from expending energy on seed production.
The most common mistake gardeners make with French Lace is overwatering in an attempt to maintain constant moisture. While young plants need regular hydration, established roses prefer drying out slightly between waterings. Soggy soil invites problems even in disease-resistant varieties. Additionally, many gardeners fail to prune aggressively enough, resulting in leggy plants with fewer blooms. French Lace responds beautifully to moderate pruning and rewards regular deadheading with months of those signature white-pink lace-like flowers that make this variety a beloved garden staple.
Harvesting
For French Lace roses, harvest when the outer petals have fully opened to reveal the distinctive white base with peachy-pink edges, and the bloom feels slightly soft rather than papery. The flowers should be at least two to three inches in diameter for optimal impact. Since this floribunda produces clusters continuously throughout the season, deadhead spent blooms regularly to encourage persistent flowering rather than waiting for a single flush. Cut stems early in the morning when they're fully hydrated, removing at least one-third of the stem and cutting just above an outward-facing leaf node to promote bushier growth and more blooms for future harvests.
The accessory fruit is called a hip and forms after the flowers finish blooming. The hip will appear under the sepals of where the flower was after the flower dies. They will turn from green to red. They are filled with many achenes surrounded by irritating hairs.
Color: Green, Red/Burgundy. Type: Achene. Length: < 1 inch. Width: < 1 inch.
Garden value: Showy
Harvest time: Fall
Edibility: The fruit (called the hip) is edible.
Storage & Preservation
French Lace roses are cut flowers best stored in a cool environment (35-40°F) in a vase with fresh, floral preservative-treated water. Keep away from ripening fruit and direct sunlight. Shelf life typically ranges from 7-14 days. Preservation methods include: 1) Drying—hang upside down in a dark, well-ventilated space for 2-3 weeks to create lasting arrangements. 2) Pressing—place blooms between parchment paper under heavy weight for 2-4 weeks for decorative crafts. 3) Glycerin treatment—submerge stems in a glycerin-water solution to preserve color and flexibility for extended display.
History & Origin
Rosa 'Jaclac', commonly known as French Lace, was introduced by Jackson & Perkins in 1981 and won the All-America Rose Selection award in 1985. This floribunda was bred during the company's golden era of rose development, when they were actively creating disease-resistant varieties for American gardeners. While detailed genealogical records of its parent varieties remain relatively scarce in publicly available horticultural literature, French Lace emerged from Jackson & Perkins' breeding program that emphasized compact growth habits and continuous flowering characteristics typical of floribunda selections from that period. The variety's distinctive peachy-pink edging on white petals reflects the aesthetic preferences of 1980s rose breeding, which favored bicolor combinations and ornamental appeal alongside practical disease resistance and hardiness traits.
Origin: Temp. & Subtropical Northern Hemisphere (such as Europe & Asia)
Advantages
- +Award-winning All-America Rose Selection with stunning white and peachy-pink blooms
- +Continuous flowering throughout the season provides extended garden color and beauty
- +Compact growth habit suits small spaces and container gardening exceptionally well
- +Highly disease-resistant nature eliminates most fungal and pest management concerns
- +Light, sweet fragrance adds sensory appeal without overwhelming nearby plantings
Considerations
- -Peachy-pink edge coloring may fade in intense heat or direct sunlight
- -Requires consistent deadheading to maintain continuous blooming throughout season
- -Compact size limits cut flower production compared to larger rose varieties
Companion Plants
Lavender, catmint, and marigolds are the companions most worth planting near French Lace. All three stay low enough — 12–24 inches — that they won't shade the rose's bud wood, and their strong scents do genuinely confuse aphids and thrips at close range, say within 18 inches. Marigolds specifically produce alpha-terthienyl in their roots, a compound documented to suppress nematode populations in surrounding soil. That's a real mechanism, not folklore.
Chives, garlic, and alliums work through a different route: the sulfur compounds they release as they grow appear to deter aphids and Japanese beetles. Plant chives along the drip line of the bed every 18 inches or so — it's low-effort and doubles as a kitchen crop. Clematis pairs well structurally rather than chemically; it climbs vertically and doesn't compete for root space at the same depth French Lace occupies.
Black walnut is the plant to keep far away from any rose. The juglone it releases through roots and decomposing leaf litter is toxic enough to cause wilting and dieback in a wide range of plants — and the effect zone can extend well beyond what most gardeners expect from a single tree. Dense shade trees present a different problem: root competition and light reduction will cut into the 6+ hours of full sun French Lace needs to set blooms reliably. Skip brassicas too; they're heavy feeders that draw down the same soil nutrients roses depend on through the entire growing season.
Plant Together
Lavender
Repels aphids, spider mites, and other rose pests while attracting beneficial pollinators
Marigold
Deters nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies while adding vibrant color contrast
Chives
Repels aphids and Japanese beetles, helps prevent black spot disease
Catmint
Natural pest deterrent against aphids and ants, attracts beneficial insects
Garlic
Repels aphids, spider mites, and thrips through strong sulfur compounds
Clematis
Provides vertical interest and shares similar water/nutrient needs without competition
Alliums
Deter aphids, slugs, and other pests while providing early season blooms
Geranium
Repels Japanese beetles and leafhoppers while complementing rose blooms
Keep Apart
Black Walnut Trees
Produces juglone toxin that inhibits rose growth and can cause yellowing and death
Large Trees
Create excessive shade and compete for nutrients, reducing rose flowering and vigor
Brassicas
Heavy feeders that compete for nutrients and may stunt rose growth
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Excellent disease resistance to most common rose ailments
Common Pests
Generally pest resistant, occasional aphids
Diseases
Highly disease resistant, very rare issues
Troubleshooting Floribunda Rose - French Lace
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Dark spots on leaves with irregular, 'feathered' edges; leaves yellowing and dropping — can start mid-season after wet weather
Likely Causes
- Black spot (Diplocarpon rosae) — a fungal disease that splashes up from soil or infected leaf litter during rain
- Watering overhead late in the day, which extends leaf wetness into the evening and overnight
What to Do
- 1.Strip affected leaves and bag them — don't compost them
- 2.Mulch the root zone to stop soil splash, and switch to drip or base watering only
- 3.Prune out any infected canes in winter and clean up all fallen leaves before spring; NC State Extension's IPM guidance specifically calls out these cultural steps as your first line of defense against black spot on susceptible cultivars
New shoots are abnormally elongated, stay red instead of greening up, and the plant is growing excessive thorns or distorted, bunched growth (witches'-broom)
Likely Causes
- Rose Rosette Disease (RRD), caused by Rose rosette virus and spread by the microscopic eriophyid mite Phyllocoptes fructiphilus
- Note: witches'-broom alone can also result from low-dose glyphosate drift — rule that out before assuming RRD
What to Do
- 1.If excessive thorniness and red shoot retention appear together, that combination is a strong indicator of RRD per NC State Extension — there is no cure
- 2.Remove and bag the entire plant immediately to prevent mite spread to neighboring roses
- 3.Don't replant a rose in the same spot for at least one full season; monitor nearby roses for the same symptoms over the following 4–6 weeks