Tough Roses for Tough Times           

I grow roses but they have to be tough to make the cut in my garden.  This means that I generally grow old garden roses, many of which are extremely fragrant.  I leave those that  require a regular spray program to look good and thrive, for the serious rose growers.  I have incorporated the roses I grow into my perennial garden.

Climbers

  One that I added last spring is  Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’.  This old-fashioned climber dates to 1868 and is still popular today.  The semi-double deep rose flowers are very fragrant and the thornless canes are easy to deal with if you train this rose up an arbor, trellis or column.  The flowers peak in the spring and the fall and the canes will easily reach 15 to 20’ high.    Another climber I have grown that is vigorous and disease resistant is Rosa ‘New Dawn.’  The pale pink fragrant flowers cover the plant in spring and then continue on and off through the summer, with another flush in the fall.   The glossy green foliage looks good all summer.  One word of caution this rose has lots of thorns so site it in a spot where you won’t be bothered.  Since it produces more flowers on old wood, keep pruning to a minimum. 

 One of the first  climbers to flower  is the species rose Yellow Lady Banks, Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea.’  This nearly thornless evergreen rose was introduced from China to Europe in 1824.  Popular in many established southern gardens this beauty blooms once in the spring  producing masses of double yellow blooms that last for up to four weeks. 

Don’t be fooled by the delicate looking narrow foliage, this plant quickly develops into a large specimen with a beautiful trunk (orange and brown bark) that requires a substantial structure to support it.  This rose also blooms on older wood, 2nd and 3rd year so prune out dead canes and keep other pruning to a minimum.    The canes  grow 15 to 20’ long or longer.   For some reason deer don’t seem to bother this rose so it makes a perfect candidate for a natural garden.  Another selling point is that once it is established it will tolerate periods of drought.    There is also a white form ‘Alba’ with fragrant flowers but it is not as vigorous as the yellow form. 

Shrubs

It’s always rewarding when plants live up to their reputations.  This is the case with the Knockout roses, Rosa ‘Radrazz.’   Although I don’t grow any (space limitations) this carefree plant has vivid  cherry-scarlet flowers  beginning  in spring and continuing  late into fall.  This is a rose you don’t have to dead-head or worry about spraying.  It makes a great hedge, specimen or foundation plant easily growing 4’ tall and wide.  The clean foliage and disease resistance are other reasons this rose appeals.  If you want a more subtle color Pink Knockout is also a good  performer. 

A shrub that I do grow is Rosa ‘Perle d’ Or.’  As far as putting on a show it doesn’t compare to the Knockout roses but the delicate intensely  fragrant flowers which start out apricot in but and open to pale pink are a delight.  The apple green foliage looks good most of the summer and this rose blooms heavily in spring and then sporadically in summer with another flush in fall.   It is also a manageable size growing 3 to 4’ high and wide.  I limit pruning to removing dead wood or shortening the occasional long shoot. 

This old-fashioned rose has been designated an Earth Kind rose which means it has gone through rigorous testing by horticulturists at Texas A&M University.  The roses that receive this honor require a minimum of care,  adapt to a wide range of conditions and are good performers in the landscape. Rosa mutabilis, called the Butterfly rose is another to receive this designation. 

A rose that I look forward to growing and one that  is at the top of Pat Henry’s list (of Roses Unlimited)  is a bourbon called Rosa ‘Mystic Beauty’ with very fragrant pinkmulti-petaled flowers, vigorous growth and continual bloom from May to December.

Sounds great, I’ll let you know how it performs for me. 

For information on rose culture visit www.antiqueroseemporium.com or www.rosesunlimitedownroot.com

Erica’s pick

Zephirine Drouhin rose

Botanical name: Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’

About the plant: This old-fashioned climber is a bourbon rose with fragrant semi-double, deep rose flowers.  It is both vigorous and thornless and blooms heavily in the spring and then lightly in the fall. 

Use in the garden:  Train this rose up an arbor, fence or column in the perennial garden.

Planting and Care:  Full sun is ideal, a minimum of 4 to 6 hours and a well drained soil that is rich in organic matter. 

Source: Roses Unlimited, 363 N. Deerwood, Laurens, SC 29360
864-682-7673