There are so many varieties of roses it is difficult for the backyard gardener to sort them into categories. Let’s say there are seven main types to pick from and make your garden bloom both high and low, single bloom, multiple bloom, and any other way. It all gets confusing so let’s try to simplify.
The Floribunda Roses are bushy have large blossoms with clusters of three to fifteen blossoms on a stem. The colors of the flowers are generally the most vivid. These look great in large plantings of different colors and will stop traffic when everything is in bloom. There scent is pleasing so be sure to place them near a deck or veranda so you can get the most out of their perfume.
They Hybrid Tea Rose is the type you get at the florist in dozens or half dozens. When one talks about a rose, this is the perfect one you may think of. The single bloom usually grows on long, tall stems. The bloom has a high center with other petals curling and twisting behind it. These roses have a delightful fragrances.
A cross between a hybrid tea and floribunda is called a Grandiflora. These plants are tall, up to 6 feet tall, and bloom all season long. The blossoms grow in clusters with stems slightly shorter than the hybrid tea and longer than the floribunda.
Landscape Roses or Shrub roses are highly disease resistant and don’t require much babying to provide you with showy blossoms. They don’t need much pruning because they are more compact than other varieties and their blossoms keep going all season long. Many gardeners use these roses as ground cover because they tend to grow close to the ground and spread. Multiple roses grow on stems and will cover an area relatively quick. Some of these roses have single petals. That means there is a center point inside of a raised bud in the middle and several rows of petals radiate from that point instead of the folding and twisting of other roses. Plant several colors together to make a carpet of roses on a hillside.
You will need a trellis or a wall for the Climbers to grow on. This type of rose shoots out long arching canes that can be trained to grow up a fence or trellis. You can place lattice work up on a wall and they will happily climb up it and around. The flowers grow in clusters on the stems and are lovely when growing on an arching trellis over a path.
Miniature Roses are sweet and beautiful and can be grown indoors. These roses only grow six inches to a foot or two tall. The flowers bloom all summer long and if you place them in the house you will find they almost always have flowers on the stems.
Old roses, heritage roses, or species rosescome in some of the types above, but should probably be in a class themselves. Some of these roses have about five petals radiating from a raised center. They come in all colors and are very disease resistant. The flowers mostly grow in clusters and some will climb. They are also called wild roses and some have very deep roots. This is the variety that produce the lovely red hips that make for interest in the winter garden. Another set of old roses come from Europe and have really wonderful scent. An example of these would be the Damask rose which grows in a very large bush (almost a tree) and gives off a luscious scent. It has been used for perfume for years. Some of these old roses are called Cabbage Roses because they look like a head of cabbage. Their petals repeat and they resemble more of a peony than a rose.
Go to your local nursery to find out what kind of roses do well in your area. There are so many colors, sizes, shapes, and scents to choose from and don’t limit yourself to just one type of rose. Make sure your garden has a multitude of types that grow very tiny and small to very tall and big and add in a few climbing roses to add height to your garden.
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