Part 1

There are loads of articles on roses. How to plant them, prune them, overwinter them, and a host of others. When it came time to pick a rose bush for the garden, or as a gift, we hit a brick wall! Let me break down the things to consider when you decide to buy a rose bush. Let’s assume for a moment that they all take the zone, light conditions, and soil type that you have.

First of all, do you want it to meet certain criteria, or do you want it to be cheap and easy? The easy way works for some, but often times, leads to frustrations and dead roses. That’s where you just pick up something on sale at a big box store. The one where you meet the criteria takes a lot longer, and may be more expensive (sometime cheaper, though). Let’s start there. Part 1 deals with flowers, fragrance, and form. Part 2 deals with thorns, leaves, and disease resistance.

Criteria

First, let me say that you will probably not find a single variety that meets all of those criteria that you want, so pick the top 3. Next, if you find a variety that meets those top 3, you may have to special order it. There are some wonderful online rose specialist nurseries, such as Jackson + Perkins and David Austen. Those two companies specialize in the latest types, which often are more expensive. Just because it is new, and one part of it is improved, doesn’t mean the overall plant is superior. Time will tell. The Antique Rose Emporium has the old fashioned varieties, some of which are very time tested.

Flower

Many people pick a rose just for the flower color. There is a huge variety to the flower beyond color. There are single petals, and multi-petals (the most recognized type). There can be one large flower at then end of a stem. These are great for cutting and bringing in, but don’t have as many flowers. The flowers can cluster at the end of the stem, which often had more color, although a smaller individual bloom. Then there is bloom frequency. The roses that have blooms covering the whole bush often only bloom once a year. If they bloom at a time when you are frequently in the garden, it’s wonderful. If it blooms at a time you are often on vacation, it’s not for you. There are some great exceptions, though, that will bloom in 2-3 flushes. Some even have a history of sending out awesome flowers, but 1 in 4 won’t fully open. Finally, does the bush drop off the spent flower, or make a rose hip out of it? Dropping them may look tidier, but the hips can have winter interest.

These differences in flowers are usually reflected in their class. There are too many differences to get into that in detail here, but there are some wonderful articles about the classes of roses, many of which the average person has never heard of (ex. Noisette).

Decisions – color, frequency, hips, single/double petals, cluster or single blooms.

Fragrance

It’s often assumed that all roses smell, and smell the same. Quite a few beautiful roses are scentless. If that criteria is important to you, make sure you check on it. The scents range from fruity such as lemon or apricot scents, to heavy musky perfume fragrances.

Decisions – scented or scentless, scent intensity.

Bush style

This also tends to confuse people. I know someone who tried to make a rose climb, when it likely wasn’t a climber to begin with. That’s a guaranteed frustration. If the size of the bush is of high priority, pay close attention to the info given about that variety. The most common type, hybrid tea, often make a compact bush. They are also more picky about not having stuff planted near them, dying in winter, and have the single bloom per stem. The roses that cluster have some varieties that get 20 ft tall, although the average is about 6. You might be trimming these often, but some flowers are worth it. These are less picky about being disturbed, having diseases, or winter die-off, though. There are some grafted into a tree form. These keep the blooms at eye level, but require trimming to keep them shaped, and often don’t bloom as often or completely. I’ve rarely seen the miniatures have a long life in the garden.

In the antique roses, you can get almost any class (teas, floribundas, musk) in almost any size, even up to 30 feet!

Decision – available space, climbing or vase-shaped, alternative form.

Please continue on to part 2 for the rest of the article, and helpful links once you decide to buy. For more info on how to make gardening easier, and pick the right plants for your garden, see the website below.

Author Bio: LJ Jackson is the owner of Growing Obsessions Wholesale Nursery and myfloweringshrubs.com. More discussion on popular flowering shrubs are available there.

Category: Gardening
Keywords: flowering shrubs, garden shrubs, rose bushes, rose bush, antique roses, flowering bushes