It’s hard for me to resist roses that are fragrant and, for the most part , undemanding in their needs. Among those that show up on my list of perennial favorites are Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea,’commonly referred to as Yellow Lady Banks. In late Spring this species rose produces masses of small double yellow blooms on long canes. Mostly thornless, Lady Banks looks good even when she’s not flowering. Be sure to give her lots of space as she develops into a large plant over time. R. ‘Buff Beauty’ makes a great climber or rambler, displaying masses of apricot-yellow roses with a strong tea scent; while R. Perle d’Or a compact shrub, produces clusters of small double orange-pink flowers for months. A repeat bloomer it also flowers in the fall. I plant it with asters, hardy mums and burgundy leaved Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo.’ For perfume R. ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ is hard to beat. In my garden it begins to bloom in late April, displaying large deliciously fragrant, double pink blooms. Mildew resistant and thornless , this beauty scrambles up a trellis in my mixed border . Its nearby companions include Acer palmatum ‘Villa Taranto,’ a cutleaf Japanese maple with new foliage that is tinged in red; and glowing in front of this rose, the soft yellow spikes of Baptisia ‘Carolina Moonlight.’ At the base of ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ a large Rosemary provides an effective evergreen anchor.
During a visit to a garden in Nashville a few years back I admired the deft way the gardener trained the pink flowered Rosa ‘William Baffin,’ and Clematis ‘‘Henryi, with large striking white flowers, to grow up the same arbor. The effect was charming. Next to the same arbor she added the diminutive shrub rose Rosa ‘Marie Pavie.’
David McMullin of Very Good Plants www.verygoodplants.com is offering a limited number of heirloom roses this spring including R. ‘Altissimo’ a climbing Floribunda with single red flowers; R. ‘Climbing Cecile Brunner,’ a fast growing large climber with blush pink blooms; Rosa chinensis ‘Mutabilis,’ the Butterfly Rose, a carefree shrub offering flowers of yellow, pink, orange and red; and R. ‘Old Blush,’ also a shrub type, which grows to about 5′ tall with small medium pink flowers over a long period. Happy companions for all of these roses include Siberian Iris, hardy geraniums and herbs like rosemary and golden creeping thyme.
As a group, Knockout roses continue to be a popular choice for the landscape as shrubs, hedges, screening or part of the mixed border, not only for their nonstop flowers but for their resistance to pest and disease problems. A few of the popular selections include red, double red, pink, double pink and most recently a yellow with fragrant flowers called Sunny Knockout, with flowers that open bright yellow and fade to a cream yellow.
Rosa ‘Home Run’ is one of the offspring of the Red Knockout rose with single poinsettia-red flowers. It grows 4′ tall and wide and is a good candidate for the garden or a container.
Erica’s Pick
Altissimo Rose
Botanical name: Rosa ‘Altissimo’
About the plant: Altissimo is a climbing Floribunda rose with single rich red flowers that are mostly single. A repeat bloomer it is also disease resistant and grows 8 to 10′ tall by 5 to 6′ wide.
Use in the garden: Train it to grow up a fence, wall or arbor. Combine it with perennials and cool season annuals like snapdragons.
Planting and care: Plant this rose in full sun. Water and fertilize it on a regular basis for the best results.
Sources: Very Good Plants, 7011 South Goddard Rd., Lithonia, GA 30338 Open Saturdays through June, 9am-1pm. Visit www.verygoodplants.com for directions.
Roses Unlimited, 363 N. Deerwood Dr., Laurens, SC 29360,864-682-7673 www.rosesunlimitedownroot.com
For Knockout Roses, Ashe-Simpson Garden Center, Habersham Gardens, Land Arts Nursery and Scottsdale Farms.
