I will admit, I would not be the first person I would think of as someone who loves roses. And yet, they are growing on me. In the past, my disdain from roses came from the overuse of Knockout shrub roses, which sparkled into the market in in 2000, after years of breeding. Even now, I dislike the still popular Knockout shrub roses, because they are overused in landscapes.
But my love of roses actually comes from another source than the shrub types. Even now, I can recall the yellow "old fashioned" floribunda my grandmother had growing by the front walk into her garden. And my Grandpa Mitchell even had a climbing rose planted along the wall of his garage right by the basketball goal. And I got to prune it once. I have always attributed my love of plants to my grandparents, whether on the Trost or the Mitchell side. On the Trost side, a love of plants, collecting, and travelling, and on the Mitchell side came garden maintenance, birds, and design.
But we were talking about roses right?
A Love Affair with Roses
Americans both new and old have had an ongoing relationship with roses. Even in its early beginnings, there is historical evidence that new Americans grew various types of roses in their gardens. Newly arrived settlers made note of the native roses growing in fields and woods, as they tried to tame the American wilderness. According to the North American Plant Atlas (BONAP), there are 26 species of native roses. They can be found in every state except Hawaii.
Besides the native rose types, settlers brought various kinds with them to the New World. They planted them all over the place, so much so that 25 species are considered invasive throughout the United States, with Multiflora roses being the most aggressive. I myself have removed several clumps of multiflora rose from my woods and pastures.
But why do we love them? In the past, I would have said for their fragrance. But with many of the newer Knockouts and shrub-types, that is not true. They lack fragrance. It goes deeper than that. They have been immortalized it seems by the poets and authors of the old world. Roses are borne along in books, plays, writings, and paintings. They thrive in our landscapes because we take care of them, despite their thorny ways. And maybe too, they remind us of ourselves. Who here cannot say they have some thorniness in their life, but also some beauty and gift for the world?
Placing Roses in the Garden
Our forefathers(and mothers) put roses throughout the garden, but especially on walls, trellises, fences, and arbors. The tidy rows of shrub roses did not exit back then. They were flowing. And now, we try too much to tidy up the garden with the rose. Even though they still have thorns, roses are selected for the garden too much for their tidy appearance and ease of care. While it is true that even the Knockouts get insects and diseases now thanks to overuse, they are easy to prune and shape (as long as you do not have more than a few at a time).
But where would I put it in my garden? The reason I am re-falling in love with roses has to do with climbing types. A few years ago, my wife asked for a particular rose for Mother's Day. It was an orange-apricot colored climber, made popular by a youtube sensation. And it sold out the day they presented it. So instead, I went to the best place (Grimm's Gardens), and purchased a climber called 'Above and Beyond', which has peach-pink colored, fragrant blossoms. I built a trellis for it over our entry into the front garden. And never looked back.
When you are deciding where to put a rose, it may be a good idea to find out what type you are buying first.
Types of Roses
The very first rose I planted at our home was not the climbing rose, but a miniature rose that was on sale. I still have that little yellow rose, blooming now in part shade near where I am about to put a rose arbor and garden in. And the next one also was not the climber, but a Rugosa rose called Purple Pavement. Now, there are considered to be 7 types of rose for the garden. They include hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora, miniature, climber, landscape, and old-garden.
Hybrid Teas
Considered to be the most popular of all modern rose types, hybrid teas originated in the 1800s in France, by crossing Tea roses with Hybrid Perpetuals (a vigorous old-garden rose). 'La France' was the first of these roses to be developed, and they are known for having long stems, bright colors, and wonderful fragrance. They often bloom cyclically, similar to our re-blooming daylilies now.
There may be a hundred thousand or more cultivars, with more than 10,000 commercially available. That is a lot of roses! They are popular for florists, home gardeners, rose breeders and collectors, and botanical collections.
Some cultivars recommended for our region include the following:
- Peace (pink yellow bicolor)
- Mister Lincoln (red)
- Moonlight Romantica (double honey-yellow)
- Grande Dame (pink-red)
- Apricot Candy (honey-apricot)
- Blue Moon (pale lavender)
- Good As Gold (orange-yellow)
- Eternal Flame (canary yellow)
- Honor (white)
- Peach Swirl (pink with yellow streaking)
Floribundas
The floribunda rose was created in the early 1900s. It was created by breeding hybrid teas with polyantha roses. Polyantha roses are low maintenance shrub roses known for producing clusters of small. dainty flowers. And of course, the floribunda gets its small flowers from the polyantha. They were introduced as "floribunda" at the 1939 World's Fair in New York by grower Jackson and Perkins.
Floribundas come in a wide range of colors, but most have a slightly cascading or climbing habit, suitable for landscape applications. The main difference between floribundas and landscape roses is that the blooms are more abundant, and borne in sprays or large clusters. Some of the best cultivars for the Central Great Plains region include:
- Moondance (White)
- Adobe Sunrise (apricot)
- Burgundy Iceberg (double purple)
- Campfire (yellow red combo)
- Candy Cane Cocktail (white with red edges)
- Distant Drums (lavender pink)
- Hummingbird (yellow with pink edges)
- Iceberg (white)
- Lemon Burst (Double yellow)
- Julia Child (pale yellow)
- Nelson Mandela (orange)
Grandifloras
The grandiflora rose was created in 1954 by crossing hybrid teas with floribundas. The first known cultivar was 'Queen Elizabeth', noted for its bright pink hue, vigorous growth, and abundant flowers. Floribundas give you large flowers in clusters, held high on longer stems. They can grow 4 to 6 feet tall, making them perfect for back of the border or screening.
While there are fewer cultivars overall of floribunda roses, there are several hundred to choose from. We can grow many of them in our gardens in the Central Great Plains, including:
- 'Twilight Zone' (double dark purple)
- 'Rock & Roll' (light pink with red striping)
- 'Strike it Rich' (golden yellow)
- 'Fun in the Sun' (double pink/apricot/yellow)
- 'Octoberfest' (pink-orange)
- 'Cherry Parfait' (pale pink with red edges)
- 'White Lightnin' (white)
- 'Miss Manners' (bright pink)
Miniature Roses
This was the first rose I planted into my garden, back in 2015. I still have it, and it has become the cornerstone of what will likely be my own rose collection. Maybe I will never have a Knockout on the place, but I may be set to have a collection of fragrant, old-garden and climbing roses. I never thought I would ever have a rose collection, but then, I never thought I would have a daylily collection either. And see where that turned out.
Miniature roses originated from China, with the discovery of Rosa chinensis minima, and later improved through breeding with Polyanthas. They burst into popularity in the 19050s, thanks to breeder Ralph Moore, the "Father of the Miniature Rose". I think they have remained in popularity today because of their small size (many people do not want large gardens anymore), and because they seem easier to plant, prune, and maintain. And they could be right. Some cultivars include:
- 'Sun Sprinkles' (yellow)
- 'Judy Fischer' (double pink)
- 'Autumn Sunblaze' (red)
- 'Bronze Medal' (honey apricot)
- 'Black Jade' (dark red)
- 'Gourmet Popcorn' (white)
Climbing Roses
I think my new passion may be more for climbing roses than any others. Since I am always adding plants into the garden, it is nice to have something that grows up, and can be placed onto a trellis or pergola. I am currently in the process of building a pergola in front of our house for just this. It will hold a swing, and I plan to plant a couple of climbing roses and maybe a wisteria on it.
Climbing roses were cultivated in China and Babylon, well before the modern hybridization of roses. Wild species such as the musk rose and the Wichurana rose provided the climbing habit and vigor. However, the reblooming characteristics of modern climbers came about with hybridization in the 1800s. A chance sport of an old favorite (Dr. W. Van Fleet) became the 'New Dawn' climbing rose, and brought the first truly modern, repeat-flowering climber with fragrance. That happened in 1930.
The climbing rose, unlike its name, does not actually have a way to support itself as it grows, like other vines. It has not tendrils, sticky cups, or other means to attach itself to supports. So we must train them and tie them to the supports we offer. Some of the best climbing roses for our gardens in the Central Great Plains include:
- 'Above & Beyond' (honey-apricot blush)
- 'Blaze Improved' (red)
- 'America' (salmon pink)
- 'Claire Austin' (white)
- 'Lady Banks' (yellow)
- 'Fourth of July' (red with pink/white striping)
- 'Stormy Weather' (purple with yellow center)
Landscape Roses
Now, there are many different modern types which may fall under the heading landscape roses. These can include shrub, rugosa, Knockout, Drift, carpet, and ramblers. And while many of you may think that the only landscape type roses are Knockouts and Drift, there is more to it. Shrub roses have been around for thousands of years, from native wild types to hybridized individuals. However, shrub roses were made popular and more well-known through excellent marketing programs focused on care, maintenance, disease resistance, and repeated blooming when the introduction of Knockouts came in 2000.
Landscape roses can be defined as those which have easier care in the garden, useful for shrubs, hedging, groundcovers, and with repeated bloom periods. There are many types and cultivars falling under the heading of landscape rose. I will not go into the many cultivars of the ever-popular brands of rose such as Knock Out, Easy Elegance, Drift, Meidiland, or Champion. Instead, I will focus on sharing a few of the cultivars which have impressed me over the years, some of which I have grown myself.
- 'Purple Pavement' rugosa rose (dark lavender)
- 'Apricot' drift rose (multicolored pink, apricot, honey, cantaloupe, yellow)
- 'Orange Glow' Knock Out (orange)
- 'Nearly Wild' shrub rose (pink)
- 'Rugelda' rugosa rose (yellow with pink tips)
- 'Music Box' Easy Elegance (yellow & pink)
- 'Simplicity' hedge rose (pink)
- 'At Last' Proven Winner shrub rose (apricot)
Old-Garden Roses
What are old-garden roses? These are ones that would be considered heirlooms, and those cultivated before 1867. This class includes Damasks, early introductions from China, Gallicas, Albas, Teas, and Moss roses. Many of these were the foundations of the modern day roses, through selection, breeding, and hybridizing. Even our native Arkansas rose, Prairie rose, and Climbing Prairie rose may fall into this category, even though I do not know if thy were "cultivated" after settlement.
They can be great additions to a collection or your garden if you just want something more unique. Of course, disease resistance and hardiness may be a trade off for growing them. A lot of them have hard to pronounce names.
- 'Duchesse de Montebello' (pale pink)
- 'Frau Karl Druschki' (white)
- 'Dupuy Jamain' (red)
- 'General Washington (double red)
- 'Rosa Mundi' (dark and light pink striped)
- 'White Bath' (white)
- 'General Kleber' (pale lavender/pink)
- 'Golden Moss' (Yellow)
A Few Others of Note
Not all roses fall into these categories. Certainly, our native types have not been much used for breeding, being part of the new world. And there are some which are known more by their breeder name than by their type. We seek out some of these, well-known as they are for the breeder or person who developed them. These include:
- David Austin
- Weeks
- Wilhelm Kordes
- Harkness
- Griffith Buck
- Jackson & Perkins
- High Country Roses
- Heirloom Roses
Conclusion
It seems that roses are falling out of style with new, young gardeners who want plants to be easier, less maintenance, pest & disease resistant, and good for pollinators. They want a purpose behind everything they plant, and they do not see much use for the rose. I beg to differ however. There are more uses for the rose than one may think. Besides its beauty and fragrance, roses can be eaten (petals and hips), used for perfumes, and many are good for pollinators. Our native roses, are hosts for several species of moths and beetles, and are pollinated by bees, wasps, beetles, and some butterflies.
I would expect roses to stay in fashion, at least in some capacity, no matter who is gardening. As young gardeners become old gardeners, their preferences in the garden will likely change, even as mine have, for more beauty in the purpose than purpose in the beauty.
Happy planting!
