Types of Roses

Roses—you really can grow them!

So many times we have heard folks say, “Oh, I can’t grow roses!” What they really mean is that they have gotten the wrong rose for the wrong spot. Anyone can grow roses as long as you are willing to do a little research into what the rose is and what it likes.

Here in Texas we have trouble keeping grafted roses alive. We treat them as short-lived perennials. However, the antique or own-root roses, which grow on their own roots and have survived on their own at old homesteads and in graveyards for years do excellently well. They also thrive in most of the United States (I have my doubts about Alaska) and don’t require much care.

Choosing your rose

First, you must consider where the rose is going to be planted. Most roses prefer a sunny spot with about six or more hours of sunshine, and protected from the wind. Roses will grow and do well with less sun but they will have fewer blossoms.  The soil should be good—amending with compost is a good idea since the rose will be there for years and this is your one big chance to do it a favor. Good drainage, average soil that isn’t compacted, and some organic matter mixed in before planting and you are well on your way to growing great roses!

There are lots of rose types--floribundas, Bourbons, polyanthas, Chinas, teas, ramblers, miniatures, grandifloras, climbers—and each has its own special attraction. Choose a rose because you like its color, its scent, and because it will fit in the space you intend for it. Read the tag attached to the rose to find out what its space requirements are, and believe the information! Roses crowded together don’t grow as well, and you can’t appreciate their unique qualities.

Climbers don’t really climb. They don’t have tendrils or any way of clinging to a support, so they have to be tied and trained until they are sturdy enough to hang on to the arbor or trellis by  the canes woven through the support. Ramblers do just that (we aren’t talking container roses here) and are especially adapted to draping over fences.

Chinas, floribundas, grandifloras and Bourbons are big, showy and usually fragrant roses. They make a statement in your garden. They are less adapted to being cut and put in a vase than the teas, but do make a good-smelling bouquet.

Polyanthas have smaller blooms with fewer petals, but are a great rose for borders or where you want a smaller rose bush. The “miniature” in true miniature roses refers to the size of the bloom, not the bush itself. The miniature roses that are tiny little imitations of roses are hybrids bred for small bush size.

Antique Roses

These are the roses your great-grandmother had. They grow on their own root and are not grafted; they have scent; and they are not prima donnas. So many antique roses are regaining their rightful place in modern gardens. I haven’t met an antique rose that I don’t like, except Mermaid which will take over the state if allowed, and Lady Banks that blooms once in the spring and then eats the rose arbor. Antique roses tend to be vigorous, but only these two are really dangerous!

Reliable Rose Sources
 

Most good nurseries carry own-root and antique roses, and can advise you on the specific requirements of a certain rose.

We have bought roses from these sites and are happy both with the roses and with the customer service. These sites haven’t paid us to mention them, nor have they given us free roses (darn!).

Chamblee’s Rose Nursery, 10926 US Hwy 69N, Tyler, Texas 75706. Phone 1-800-256-7673, website www.chambleeroses.com. They have excellent customer service, reasonable prices and shipping, and a great selection.

The bad news first—roses get black spot, which is black spots on the leaves and causes the leaves to fall; they can get powdery mildew in humid situations with poor air circulation; and some roses tend to “ball” in humidity, which means their buds turn brown on the outside and fail to open. Now the good news—black spot is not fatal and can be considered “fall foliage” in that the foliage falls off and new replaces it. Powdery mildew can be treated by a mixture of baking soda and water, or a mixture of milk and water, and balling only happens under certain circumstances and all you lose are a few blooms.

We dead head our roses, mainly because most of them are antique roses and form hips (which are the seed pods of a rose, high in Vitamin C if you want to nosh on them). Once the hips form the rose thinks it has done its duty and will bloom less, with strength going into seed formation rather than blossoms. Deadheading consists of cutting off the spent bloom at the first joining of a five or seven-leaf frond with the main stem. You can usually see a tiny red nub at the joint that becomes the next flowering branch.  Deadheading isn’t necessary, but it is a great excuse to spend some time communing with your roses.