Grows like a weed in the Pac. Northwest. Its like the Queen Elizabeth of the floribundas here.

If it gets cool enough, the blooms are orange. Typically, they are blended. In extreme August heat, they start out a yellow blended coral, and end up off-white and coral. 4 or so bloom cycles per growing season. Not really disease prone here, and the stems are typically clean. Its only bad trait here is that it can sometimes take off growing in odd directions.

Playboy is a perfect example of a rose that needs spring freeze protection. I grew it in a zone 6 garden with a bit of shade and it was perfectly cold hardy for the five or six years I lived there. I planted it in a zone 7b garden in the mountains of AZ. It did all the right things: losing its leaves at frost and staying dormant through winter. Then in early April when daytime temperatures were in the mid-seventies and nighttime temperatures were normally in the mid forties or low fifties it leafed out vigorously. As happens at least once every year during the last three weeks of April a cold front blew through, nighttime temperatures dipped below 20F, and Playboy died. So it is cold hardy at least to zone 6b, but spring frost can kill it in zone 7b. Except for this problem, Playboy would be my favorite non-fragrant rose.

This rose is as rugged as a rock. It seems to be able to put up with just about anything -- drought, reflected heat, shade -- and always manage to look healthy and flower freely. Repeat is very quick and there always seem to be a few flowers on the bush. The leaves always look great -- rich, bright green and SHINY. The only disease I have ever seen on Playboy was a touch of mildew on a plant that had been allowed to go completely dry and had wilted before recovering. I guess the mildew was able to take some advantage of the temporarily weakened plant. That same plant quickly outgrew the mildew problem and has looked healthy as a horse ever since.

Those expecting lemon yellow flowers edged in orange will be disappointed in hot and sunny summer weather when the flowers quickly become creamy white with pale pink edges. The yellow and orange color is strongest and most lasting during the cool days of spring and autumn. And then, Playboy is truly a thing of beauty.