The following is courtesy of website:
Climbing Pinkie photo by Linda T. Collins
For many gardeners, a rose is a rose. But before you plant one, you need to delve a little deeper. There are several categories of roses, and within each one, there are numerous cultivars.
Now is an excellent time to plant hardy shrubs, including roses, but before you go to the nursery, think about how you want to use them and why you intend to grow them.
The trend is to incorporate roses into your landscape planting just like any other shrub. This works well with old garden roses, landscape roses, polyanthas and floribundas.
Rose bushes vary greatly in size, so also consider how big a shrub would look best in your location.
If you want to grow roses with perfect flowers on long stems for cutting, choose cultivars of hybrid teas and grandifloras (although most roses make nice cut flowers). These rose bushes often have rather tall, awkward shapes that do not combine easily with other plants. That, along with their exacting cultural requirements, such as pruning and spraying, is why these roses are often grown together in separate beds.
If you want to train roses on a trellis, arbor or fence, choose rose cultivars from the climbers, ramblers and old garden rose categories. Look for those that produce long, vigorous canes, such as the noisette roses.
Repeat-flowering (everblooming) roses bloom heavily in April, May and June and again in October, November and December — and intermittently through the summer.
Once-blooming roses bloom profusely around April, May and June, then produce few or no flowers afterward.
The following list does not include all categories of roses, but does cover the more popular ones that will do well in our area.
Hybrid tea roses: Large, exquisitely shaped flowers produced singly on long stems are the hallmarks of hybrid teas. The flowers of many cultivars are richly fragrant and come in an amazing range of colors. The plants range in size up to more than 6 feet and can be leggy and awkward in appearance. Often highly susceptible to black spot, these roses generally require regular spraying and pruning to remain healthy. Repeat flowering.
Rosa chinensis was the first repeat-blooming rose discovered.
Grandiflora roses: These are tall plants that produce hybrid-tea-like flowers singly or in clusters of a few flowers on long stems. Generally comparable to hybrid teas, they also require similar care. Repeat flowering.
Floribunda roses: A useful type for landscape planting, the shrubby growth is less ungainly than hybrid teas. The flowers are smaller than hybrid teas, often brightly colored and produced in clusters. Fragrance is light or lacking entirely. Repeat flowering.
Polyantha roses: Excellent in landscape plantings, polyanthas are vigorously growing bushy plants that produce small flowers in large clusters or sprays. Most are relatively disease resistant, and they are some of the more reliable and easy to grow roses for our area. Many cultivars are fairly small, staying around 3 feet, while others can get quite a bit larger. Repeat flowering.
Climbing roses and ramblers: Many types of roses will produce long canes that can be tied or trained on a support. Some roses have been bred to climb while others are vigorous mutations of bush roses. Climbing roses generally do not "climb" the way vines do, and must be tied or woven onto supports. Ramblers and many climbers are once blooming, but some climbers are repeat flowering so check before purchasing.
Miniature roses: Tiny to small bushes under 2 feet, miniature roses are delightful in containers. They are very hardy and will easily tolerate winter weather when planted in the ground. On a small scale (less than an inch), the flowers are similar to hybrid teas and come in many colors. Repeat flowering.
Landscape roses: This is a catchall category for rose cultivars that tend to be bushy and useful for landscape planting. This category includes the popular and reliable Knock Out roses and the smaller-growing Drift roses. Repeat flowering.
Old Garden roses: "Old garden rose" or "antique rose" are catchall terms used for many distinct categories developed before 1867. Some grow better in Louisiana than others. These roses are outstanding choices for our gardens. Within each category, there are many cultivars. Old garden roses are generally less available at local nurseries than other types. Watch for plant sales at the New Orleans Botanical Garden in City Park. The garden's staff often propagates old garden roses from its collection and offers the plants at its sales. Or you can find old garden roses online at specialized mail-order nurseries, such as the Antique Rose Emporium.
China roses: Rosa chinensis was the first repeat-blooming rose discovered, and the China roses are derived from this species. (All repeat flowering roses likely have R. chinensis in their breeding.) The abundant flowers are not highly scented and have thin, delicate petals. The foliage is neat, dark green, pointed and rarely bothered by black spot. These roses have a bushy, twiggy growth habit that fits in well with landscape plantings. Repeat flowering.
Tea roses: Wonderful roses for Louisiana, teas produce relatively large flowers in pastel shades and light reds. The fragrant flowers are produced continuously on robust bushes that are rugged and disease resistant. Repeat flowering.
No comments:
Post a Comment