Bill Warriner bred the Simplicity roses for Jackson Perkins with a practical aim: produce a shrub that would reward gardeners who did not want to spray and prune and fuss. Released in 1979, the group covers a wide color range from white and yellow through red, lavender, and beyond, all sharing the same densely branched, upright habit that grows 3 to 5 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. Semi-double to double blooms arrive heaviest in spring and early summer, then continue in flushes through fall. The foliage runs from light to dark green and stays clean and attractive through the growing season.

The hedge application is the obvious one: plant them at close spacing and they knit together into a thorny, flowering boundary that requires only a light prune to remove dead or crossed canes. They also work in containers on a large patio or as specimen plantings in a mixed border. Zone 6 gardens need to provide winter protection. Heat tolerance is genuine, making these roses practical where summer conditions are punishing, and while no rose is entirely without pest and disease exposure, these handle adversity better than many of their relatives.