Selecting Roses for Your Garden
By Mary Bernard, Master
Gardener
Many gardeners have become wary of growing roses in their
gardens due to their reputation as demanding plants with many pest and disease
problems. They believe that roses lack the
toughness required in today’s low-maintenance landscapes. It is commonly assumed that all roses require
intensive use of pesticides to produce beautiful blooms on lush, blemish-free
plants.
The good news is that
recent developments in rose breeding have produced some outstanding varieties
of landscape roses (also known as shrub roses) that are more suitable for most
landscape uses that either hybrid tea or grandiflora roses.
Landscape roses are
very hardy, have greater pest and disease resistance, and require less pruning
than traditional garden varieties of roses.
Landscape roses are adaptable to a wide variety of soil conditions, and
are more tolerant of wind, drought, and salt spray, making them suitable for
coastal plantings. They provide a profuse
display of flowers, usually in large clusters.
Petals tend to drop off cleanly, so “deadheading” (removal of spent
flowers) is not necessary.
There are three types
of landscape roses:
1.
The
upright varieties grow as medium to
large sized shrubs. These are useful for
hedges, borders, and screens. Varieties
include ‘Pink Meidiland’, ‘Sevillana’ and ‘Simplicity’.
2.
The
mounding shrub roses are more
rambling than upright varieties. These
are useful in borders and mass plantings.
Varieties include ‘Scarlet Meidiland’, ‘Flutterby’, and ‘Lady of the
Dawn’.
3.
Ground cover types are low-growing varieties
that are useful for sloping banks, borders along walkways, or cascades over
walls. Varieties include ‘Alba
Meidiland’, ‘Flower Carpet’, and ‘Carefree Delight’.
The bare-root rose planting season
starts in mid-winter, but now is the time to think about selecting the right
varieties for your situation. Consider
using one or several of the landscape roses in your garden. Consult a knowledgeable nursery salesperson
to find out which varieties are best for your area. It’s a good idea to reserve or pre-order the
roses of your choice as many popular varieties sell out early.