CHOOSING THE RIGHT
ROSE FOR YOUR GARDEN
Let's go shopping!
So we've come up with our list and we're ready to go shopping.
What roses are going to give us the characteristics we're
looking for… There are three basic groups for us to
look at and a plethora of different types within those three.
We have:
1. Species roses
These are wild roses (at least they are somewhere) and humankind
has had little or nothing to do with how they have turned
out. They are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere from
the Arctic to the Tropics and, as a group, tend to be early
bloomers that put out masses of flowers that turn into masses
of hips (good bird food).
They tend to be very hardy and not very fussy about soil
conditions. Easily identified in the garden center by the
fact that you won't find a fancy name, just the genus Rosa
(sometimes just R.) followed by a species name (i.e. R. nitida
or R. rugosa). These are often hard to find in the trade,
as the industry seems more interested in that next NEW rose.
Let's start asking for more species roses at the garden center
because they are easy, low maintenance, and if we use natives
to our area, we can really help bolster the local ecology…
2. Old Garden Roses
All the roses man has had a hand in up until 1867. Broken
into two sub-groups we have:
Pre-China Roses
These are the roses grown in Europe before the everblooming
roses arrived from China, around 1800. These include Gallicas,
Damasks, Albas, Centifolias (Cabbage roses) and Moss roses.
China Roses
Not roses from China, but roses that were bred FROM roses
from China. These include Teas, Bourbons, Noisettes, Damask
Perpetuals, and Hybrid Perpetuals.
3. The Modern Rose
This group comprises 90% of what you will find in any garden
center and encompasses every rose created after 1867. In this
group we have Hybrid Teas, Polyanthas, Floribundas, Grandifloras,
Shrubs, Miniatures, Climbers, Ramblers, Hybrid Musks, Trees,
English roses and a host of individuals that defy classification.
See why we made a list?
There are a lot of roses out there. I've made my plea for
species, and the Old Garden roses are both difficult to find
and raise, so let's focus our attention on the Modern Rose,
our best bets.
Hybrid Tea
Hybrid Teas are the oldest of the modern roses ('La France',
the first, was introduced in 1867) and they have many of the
foibles of their older brethren; more susceptibility to disease
and fungus, such as blackspot, mildew, and rust and a lack
of hardiness (although the wide range of hardiness among this
group makes it difficult to generalize) keeps any of these
roses from making my list of favorites.
Yet, for some reason this is still the most popular group
sold in the United States. I suspect it is mostly old habits
(I have heard " I've gotten a new box rose from J&P
every year for fifty years") or new gardeners getting
their info from the old guy who got a new box rose every year.
But it could be that when grown right, deadheaded, dusted
and watered religiously this huge group can provide shades
and hues the other groups barely touch. Just be aware of the
maintenance tradeoff for all that beauty. Best as specimens
in their own border ('Helen Naudé' has been knocking
'em out on the show circuit for a few years now).
Polyantha rose
The polyantha rose is a cross between a Hybrid Tea
and R. multiflora, introduced around 1870. They are very hardy
but not very fragrant with sprays of smaller flowers. They
make excellent hedges and groundcover. R. polyantha 'The
Fairy Rose' is an old favorite of mine.
Floribunda rose
The floribunda rose appeared as a result of breeding
the polyanthas back to Hybrid Teas to get more hardiness.
The first was introduced in 1909, but the group wasn't formally
recognized until the 40's. They look like cluster-flowered
hybrid teas, and have the same iffy hardiness, and make up
for the lessened fragrance with slightly better disease resistance.
Use as hedges or in borders.
Grandiflora rose
Grandiflora roses were crosses between Hybrid Teas
and Floribundas. 'Queen Elizabeth' was introduced in 1954
along with the new English Monarch and they are both still
going strong; I like this rose for almost everywhere in the
country. Still some hardiness issues in the group and still
only moderate disease resistance. Taller plants that make
good hedges and specimens.
Shrub roses
Shrub roses are a widely inclusive group; sort of a catch-all
for everything that doesn't fit neatly into the other categories.
As such a huge amount of the very newest roses fall into this
category and if I could only pick one group of roses this
is it. Flower Carpet, Dream Rose, the Carefree Series from
Dr. Buck, Meidiland landscape roses, Towne and Country landscape
roses and a wide selection of hybridized species all fall
into this category, so there is a wide range of hardiness
and disease resistance, but generally you will find the best
of both in these roses.
This is the rose group that all you beginners and no-maintenance
types should look into; the best of the bullet-proof are here.
But don't forget these are roses and some maintenance is necessary
to keep them looking good and not just surviving. All the
ones I've named are great; look for 'Sea Foam', and a newer
favorite of mine, 'Knockout' which will actually take a little
shade. All of the groundcover roses and "landscape"
roses fall in with this lot and some folks put the English
Roses in this group. For those who need a REALLY hardy rose,
try the Canadian raised Explorer Series. These rugosa hybrids
are pretty much hardy to the sub-arctic, so they'll work in
Minnesota…
Miniature roses
Minature roses are really older than 1867, but were
lumped into the Moderns when they were rediscovered in Switzerland
in the late 1800's. They are being rediscovered again and
are gaining popularity as window box and container plants.
With that end in mind, I look to the new Palace series of
roses or the older Sunblaze series as good bets. Careful,
many of the miniatures sold at florists or checkouts around
the country are hothouse plants that won't take any cold at
all; make sure to ask. Average hardiness and decent disease
resistance, these are the roses for your container garden
or small city garden.
Climbing rose
Climbing roses are a workhorse bunch that can be
made to creep and climb over most anything from trellises
to trees. It's another big group, many are sports of Hybrid
Teas or Floribundas while some are species selections or hybrids
with better disease tolerance and hardiness. Getting vertical
with your roses is the best way I know to make a new rose
garden look old fast- in fact climbers can be used in most
any garden at all for the flower power and instant height
they impart.
The color spectrum for roses is represented, from the white
of 'Iceberg', to the blush of 'New Dawn',
the huge salmon-pink blossoms of 'America' to the red of 'Blaze';
your palette can even stretch into the yellows with the fine,
but unfortunately named, 'Golden S------'. Make sure you ask
for the climber as most of these are sports off of Hybrid
Teas. 'Zephirine Drouhin' is an older Bourbon climber
enjoying resurgence as a choice for light shade, but it can
be a bit squeamish about blackspot and mildew. Think about
mixing climbers in perennial or annual beds, over hardscapes
and trellises or even up into trees (an old English favorite,
often over crabapples)
 
Remedy Fungicide: 100% Organic
Prevents blackspot and mildew. More
information available here .
Rambling Roses
Ramblers are an old fashioned lot (sometimes called pillars)
that have fallen out of favor in the United States; most anything
you might do with a rambler you can do with a climber. They
are all single bloomers and not many are found in the trade
but 'Chevy Case' springs to memory from the Rose Walk at Longwood
Gardens for it's clean, vigorous growth and deep red flowers…
Musk roses
Hybrid musk roses are another fallen group that isn't
often found in the trade. 'Nymphenberg' is the occasional
exception for it's apricot buds, repeat salmon-pink flowers,
apple-like fragrance and multitude of uses; it can be trained
as a climber, a rambler, or a shrub
Trees roses
Trees roses are not truly a distinct group like Hybrid Teas
or shrubs, but more of a way of training roses. As such you
will find a huge range in hardiness and disease resistance.
I prefer the look of a smaller flower on tree roses (it fits
their scale better) and the smaller flowers are often favorites
like the 'Fairy rose' and 'Sea Foam', so
they are easy to coordinate in the garden AND to take care
of.
English Roses
English Roses are a newer group and the brainchild
of a single man, David Austin. Looking to bring back
the old world fragrance and flower shapes of the antiques
he began an exhaustive breeding effort that has made his name
nearly a household word (it's certainly a garden center word).
This is a great place to begin if you want to get started
in Old Garden Roses; these are generally easy to
grow although that old rose parentage can sometimes rear it's
ugly head ( 'The Squire comes to mind; I remember
falling in love with the darkest red flower and it's wonderful
fragrance, only to repulsed time and again by the habit and
foliage). In his own book Mr. Austin rates his roses from
one to four and even he cannot be kind to some of his progeny,
so be careful which English rose you choose (his yellows are
a very strong suit).
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery and there
are a number of similar programs from around the world praising
him. The Renaissance Roses from Denmark and the Generosa
Roses from France are two very good programs that may
have even gone The English Roses one better in the
disease category. (These are considered shrub roses; I include
them here due to their similar natures)
So have you found the one you need top get the job done?
Not yet? Checking with a state extension service, your local
master gardeners program or try looking for a local rose society.
Plenty of folks at these places would love to talk to you
about roses or know the person who does! And if that doesn't
work you can always go talk to the old guy on the end of the
street with 50 roses…
Angel Face
Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.
The Angel Face rose has a beautiful and well balanced Old Rose scent, the
quintessential rose fragra...
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Blaze
Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.
The Blaze rose is a low maintenance rose that has pure red flowers. Blaze
roses provide continuous b...
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Bonica
Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.
The Bonica rose was voted the World's Favorite Rose in 1997 by the World Federation of Rose Societie...
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Carefee Delight
Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.
The Carefree Delight rose is a delightful
shrub rose that is very free flowering with vivid pink blooms...
SOLD OUT
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Carefree Beauty
Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.
The Carefree Beauty rose has an open bloom and is light Rose Bengal
color which ages lighter.
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|
Knock Out
Nature Hills Nursery, Inc.
The Knock Out rose is a glowing example of disease resistance at its best. The cycle of bloom and gr...
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