There are many flowers and plants I would love to grow, but do not have the knowledge, or experience to do so. Roses are one of these that I speak of.. But this year I’m going to try my hand at it anyway.
I have always thought roses to be beautiful and romantic, but did not care for the thorns, diseases and bugs like the Japanese beetle and aphids to name a few.
I wanted roses that did not entail pain, and a lot of work, and I always envied the gardener who appeared to grow them without breaking a sweat. Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m aware that most plants and flowers have a few nemeses, and will need a little maintenance from time to time….. But I’m happy to learn that Mother Nature has designed a few that will allow us to just sit and enjoy them with little effort.
During an internet search I came across several breeds of roses from the Antique (Old fashioned rose) to the Modern hybrid that may fit the bill.
Through these sources, I have learned that I too, can grow roses regardless of my lack of wisdom and brown thumbs. I learned that many of the Antique roses are hardy, meaning that they are resistant to the diseases and bugs that plagued most hybrid roses.
Other possible picks are the Shrub and the Modern rose, both possessing the cross genes of sturdy roses, giving them the same inherit resistance to fend off most ills that plagued roses, these attributes however, does not mean that you won’t deal with ANY pest or disease issues, It means that these breeds have the fighting power to bounce back if attacked!
Other possible picks are the Shrub and the Modern rose, both possessing the cross genes of sturdy roses, giving them the same inherit resistance to fend off most ills that plagued roses, these attributes however, does not mean that you won’t deal with ANY pest or disease issues, It means that these breeds have the fighting power to bounce back if attacked!
I have also learned that if I wanted roses I had to be forgiving of their thorniness and avoid thorny painful pricks, by investing in a good pair of garden gloves..
Go figure!
I read that sheepskin garden gloves are the best, and I have my eye on a pair of gloves called Bionic Rose gloves by Active wear. http://www.activeforever.comIf you own a pair of Bionic rose gloves, please share your views about them, In-fact drop me a line about any of your favorite garden gloves that you just can't live without.
Below is a list of roses on my wish list. I uploaded photos from our gardening friends of Flickr. I’d like to Thank Flickr and all the nice people there that share and allow me/ us to use their lovely photos. .. I have certainly found them very helpful when I need examples on the spot.
Please share your stories, experiences and tips about these, and your own favorite rose/roses; I would love to hear from you.
Tea rose ( Isabella Sprunt 1855)
Kiss Me Rose
Photo credit: by last_woodsman of flickr.com
Shrub rose Kiss me: ‘ Rosa kiss me’ This one belongs to a collection of roses called “ Easy Elegance” Wow what a cuttie! It is a multi-stemmed rose that blooms all year. It’s hardy, highly disease resistant and fragrant. It can handle the likes of the city (urban areas ) and is not picky about soil ph… Just don’t allow it to stand in water… Kiss me hates that!
Everest Double Bloom
Everest Double Bloom: (Peter Beales 1979) this beautiful rose with its pink and apricot hues is highly scented and very disease resistant. I chose it because of its soft peachy color… I have forgotten where I first saw this rose; it may have been from one of my catalogs and unfortunately I don’t happen to know where that catalog is. A gardener I found on the net expressed that this rose actually has three scents. Smelling like apples and cloves in the morning and a more common rose scent in the evening. For more on this rose follow the link … http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.2682.0
Knockout Rose
Knockout rose: introduced 2000: (“Rosa Knockout) a modern shrub rose family that are very disease resistant and low maintenance ; they are very popular with residential gardeners and commercial establishments for this reason... Another plus for these roses are that they need no deadheading.
Sunny Knockout
Sunny Knockout: ( Rosa’ Radsunny’) is new to this family of roses; it is the first fragrant knockout in this line and the first yellow knockout. They bloom from spring until frost. I came across this rose while browsing at my local garden center; I smelled it way before I saw it… It has a wonderful citrus fragrance…. I love it.
Belinda's Dream
Belinda’s Dream Shrub rose introduced in 1992: I have heard tones of good, about Belinda’s Dream; it is a modern shrub rose with a bushy habit, I read that it’s a repeat bloomer and can take on heat from the likes of Florida; it’s virtually carefree with very little pest or disease problems, how’s black spot and powdery mildew resistant work for You! It will certainly work for me!
It also has a wonderful sweet fragrance, some gardener’s say that of raspberries.
It also has a wonderful sweet fragrance, some gardener’s say that of raspberries.
Zephirine Drouhin
Zephirine Drouhin Antique rose 1868: pronounced (Zeffe-e-Reen Drew-heen)
I first came across this rose at my favorite park, Belle Isle, several years ago. The park has a flower house called the Ann Script Whitcomb conservatory. I caught the scent of this rose as I passed it along the back of a brick wall where it towered 8 feet or more, some label it a climber, others a shrub, it is thornless and it too had a wonderful sweet fragrance like that of raspberries. It was the scent of this rose that sparked my curiosity and desire to seek out scented roses for my future gardens... However I have read conflicting stories concerning this rose... Some express no issues with its care; while others expressed that they have suffered all the ill’s that plague roses. I assume that climate may play a factor in the care of this rose.
If you own one please share your experiences and tips... I would greatly appreciate it.
If you own one please share your experiences and tips... I would greatly appreciate it.
A mystery rose I call Ollie after my grandfather
I transplanted this rose from my grandparent's garden over 20 years ago, and placed it at my front garden gate. It blooms about twice, once in May and again in June. It is not scented, but I thought had a lovely color. It starts out as it unfolds with a deep velvety reddish purple, (see photo below ) then when completely opened, a velvety hue of red that I can't quite describe.
It is a hardy shrub rose that I suspect my be an Antique rose, for it has the hardy characteristics of the old fashioned roses that stand the test of time. Aphids and diseases have attacked it numerous times over the years, and my lack of knowledge on rose care didn't help matters much, But I am pleased to say, that it is still here today. Thank you for any assistance in the identification of this rose.
I'd like to give a special little thanks to the FlowerLady of Flower Lady's Musings, for her helpful tips and advice. Visit her site if you like, and take a look at her lovely roses at http://flowerladysmusings.blogspot.com
It is a hardy shrub rose that I suspect my be an Antique rose, for it has the hardy characteristics of the old fashioned roses that stand the test of time. Aphids and diseases have attacked it numerous times over the years, and my lack of knowledge on rose care didn't help matters much, But I am pleased to say, that it is still here today. Thank you for any assistance in the identification of this rose.
I'd like to give a special little thanks to the FlowerLady of Flower Lady's Musings, for her helpful tips and advice. Visit her site if you like, and take a look at her lovely roses at http://flowerladysmusings.blogspot.com
good for you branching out with roses! some of those look so beautiful--tea rose and everest double bloom, and especially sunny knockout, those are my favorites. i'm lucky to live right near a beautiful rose garden where all the variety names appear on plaques--i like to wander around and smell them all, read the plaques and wonder where their names came from.
ReplyDeletewow Emily that must be fun! I like the new Sunny knockouts too, they smell like a fresh bowl of sliced lemons.
ReplyDeleteThey are all beautiful, but I love "Belinda's Dream". I have this vision of a trellis dripping in pink climbing roses.
ReplyDeleteMy dad used to grow yellow roses. I've been sitting here and googling yellow roses trying to remember the type he grew. Can't find it, but hope it comes to me in the middle of the night or something.
I love roses! I mix them in with my perennials and really don't give them too much extra treatment. If they are difficult they have to go. Eileen from Gatsby's Gardens had a post recently with some new roses that are supposed to be really easy.
ReplyDeletehttp://gatsbysgardens.blogspot.com/2011/01/proven-winners-home-run-rose.html
Roses can get addicting :)
Hi Linda, I can't wait to get a hold of Belinda's Dream they look so lovely and I hear that they smell really nice too.
ReplyDeleteCatherine..I couldn't agree with you more, any rose that is difficult has got to go! Thanks for leaving the website on gatsby's gardens I check it out.
Thanks Vetsy for writing about roses. I consider myself a novice and I am so looking forward for some hardy roses (thanks for the info on hardy rose :-D). Rose is one plant that's really challenging for me to grow. Once my pot got clogged and the plant just rotted very quickly. I am still keeping a mini rose and the plant seems to be not easy to please as well.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew more about roses! The deer have enjoyed mine immensely so I really only have two roses that are bush types....and I can't remember their names.
ReplyDeleteI think any of the roses you choose will be magnificent...I have seen those knock-out roses on other blogs and heard good things about them.
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ReplyDeleteStephanie I would love to have just three that I could manage to grow without them croaking on me.
ReplyDeleteRosey I heard lots of positives as well about the Knockouts.
Thank you both for stopping by.
Beautiful roses! I look forward to seeing how your flowers grow. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never tried to grow roses myself, but maybe I should...?
Thank you Bumble Lush..I'm going to try.
ReplyDeleteHi Vetsy,aren't all those roses beautiful. My dad could grow them, and I can enjoy them. I do have a shrub rose (name?), and I have not killed it yet. Only problem is that it does not get enough sun - so I should move it. Something attacked it this past summer, but a little environmentaly friendly spray took care of that.
ReplyDeleteHope you will have time to post about your yard this year.
Thank you Maya I bet your dad grew some beautiful roses. I hope that I will have the time to post my gardens as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Vetsy,
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice assortment of roses. I think that Belinda's Dream is my favorite. I also love the one that was your grandparents'. When I saw it, I thought, "Now there's an old rose." The blooms are so velvety and deep colored. You must have the skills to grow roses if you managed to move that one and have it do so well
I've tried one or two roses at a time once in awhile, but didn't figure out how to keep them trimmed and shaped so they looked decent. I thought 'icicle' was going to do well, but it didn't survive its first winter. I have a small one with small flowers that does well. I'm thinking about seeing if I can root a stem this spring to get a couple more of them going. I don't know enough about roses to know if that can be done. Oh, and the miniature rose I got because my husband likes them survived last winter in its pot in our egress window well last year. I hope it does this year, too.
I hope school is going well. I'm glad you enjoyed my bird photos. I have been asking Larry to put the fallen feeder back up. One of these times, he'll do it.
Thank you Sue..
ReplyDeleteHi there Vetsy and thanks for dropping by my blog : ) I love my Zephirine D. the fragrance is absolutely wonderful and the almost thornless canes are easy to manage .. I would have had it trained all over my deck rail by now but with new landscaping happening I cut it way back so I can lift it in the Spring with the other plants and resurface the soil in the raised bed there.
ReplyDeleteSo in short I haven't had difficulties with it at all .. if you love an intense rose smell (old fashioned wonderful scent ?) I planted William Shakespeare .. I'm not a fan of David Austin roses but for this one I make an exception the scent is heavenly.
Morden Sunrise is a VERY easy rose with no problems .. but no real scent sadly, I love the flowers though so it is a keeper for me. I want to get "Ballerina" as a companion climber for ZD on the deck rails.
I also have JP Connell a soft, soft buttery yellow flower .. gorgeous ! I also have Orange Velvet Climbing rose (I keep forgetting how many roses I have !!) and it is a beauty too.
Too many gorgeous roses out there and I am running out of space ! haha
Good luck with choosing your roses there are so many great ones .. it can drive you batty ;-)
Joy
Thank you Joy! I will try those for sure. William Shakespeare sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I need to lean more about roses... your mystery one is just gorgeous too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Heather.
ReplyDeleteHi Vetsy....how are your classes going?
ReplyDeleteMy garden gloves are Atlas 370. They are inexpensive and I buy them on Amazon although I sometimes see them in retail stores. I could use a pair like the one you featured because they go up higher on the arm.
I have about a dozen shrub roses that are almost carefree and bloom from June until we have a very hard freeze.
Seems like everyone around here has Knockout Roses, except me. You should probably include one of those. Your grandfather's rose is so very special and it's gorgeous. Wouldn't he be pleased to see it growing out there by your garden gate?
Happy weekend to you, Vetsy, and thanks for being a faithful visitor to my blog.
donna
Dear Vetsy, How wonderful that you have decided to try growing roses! I planted a small rose bed last summer and will be interested to see how it fairs after this very icy winter.
ReplyDeleteI think the roses you mention are all good choices. You will find Knockouts the easiest to grow ... I have some, but they lack scent, which is disappointing.
I hope your classes are going well! Thank you for your kind wishes prior to my hospital stay! I am home now and feeling well. I'll post soon. P x
Donna thank you for posting your garden gloves. I find that sharing tips and ideas with one another is very helpful. You have 12 shrub roses Wow! I bet they are all pretty, and of course 12 roses have got to be carefree for sure. Thank you for sharing I appreciate it.
ReplyDeletePam so happy to hear that you are fine, and you are very welcome.
Thank you both Donna and Pam, things are so far so good with my classes.
Vetsy, I can not tell you how much I enjoy this post. I am looking to add some roses to my garden this year. I have a few but I live in the pacific northwest and our wet climate create havoc on my roses. I treat for black spot and mildew but I can never completely kick it. I am going to dig up my old roses and try some of your disease resistant varieties. The information in your post was a great help to me in planning my garden this year. Thank you so much, really, from the bottom of my heart. Jana
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Jana. I look forward to chatting with you this summer about our gardens and garden plans.
ReplyDeleteP.S... Jana I also hope that you find just the right roses for your climate.
ReplyDeleteI have read and have been advised by other gardeners, that climate plays a role in the success in some varieties.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for us both. We'll just have to keep trying until we find the roses that's right for our gardens.
Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to your garden endeavors as you and I continue to search for that perfect rose.
Not all these roses will work so far North, certainly not Isabella Sprunt. Tea roses are tender and may die in even in zone 6. I think you should consider once-blooming roses, like gallicas or albas which have a long and interesting history and you won't have to worry about Japanese beetles (they will be out of bloom by then). Also, no deadheading, but lots of ornamental hips. I have heard that David Austins do well in your zone, but I am not sure.
ReplyDeleteThank you Masha, I'll make a note of it.
ReplyDeleteVetsy, belated Happy Valentine's Day to you. Did you post something on your chocolate blog for VD? I'll go over and take a look.
ReplyDeletedonna
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ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me, and happy Valentines to you too.
ReplyDeleteI think your mystery rose is Dr. Huey root stock.
ReplyDeleteThank You..... I did a image search and I think you are right! It looks just like it.... Thank you! Sorry I'm 2 years late with the response LoL!
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