Roses to brighten your landscape
Roses are one of the most popular garden plants in the world due to their wide range of plant forms, flower colors, and fragrance. Today, there are thousands of rose cultivars in the world which can make selecting the right one for your garden a challenge. That said, the choice becomes easier if repeat bloom, winter hardiness, and disease tolerance are desired.
Most gardeners prefer a rose that will bloom repeatedly throughout the growing season. If this is important, stay away from roses that bloom only once. There are several roses that will not survive our winter conditions unless they are protected during the winter by utilizing the Minnesota tip method or covering with ample amounts of mulch. If this does not sound appealing, look for roses that are known to survive over winter. Keep in mind that a repeat blooming rose can suffer some cane dieback and still bloom. These roses will form flowers on new growth and if the rose regrows vigorously in the spring and flowers, it will make an excellent addition to the garden. Roses are susceptible to several foliar diseases that result in the loss of foliage. Repeated foliage loss will reduce plant size, vigor, and the ability to survive over winter. Also, a rose with no leaves is not very attractive. Although fungicides and sanitation can control foliar diseases, these control measures add extra time and money into the maintenance of the rose. To avoid extra maintenance costs, choose roses that are known to be tolerant of foliar diseases.
Given the thousands of rose cultivars, it should not come as a shock that there are several that comply with the above criteria (i.e. repeat bloom, winter hardiness, and disease tolerance). In fact, there are too many to mention in this article so I will share just a few of my favorites which include, Peppermint Pop™, Music Box™, Campfire™, Highwire Flyer™, and ‘John Cabot.’
Peppermint Pop™ and Music Box™ are compact roses with a mounded shape reaching heights of 2-3 feet. Campfire™ is wider than it is tall, reaching a height around 2 feet. Highwire Flyer™ is a little larger, nearing 4 feet tall and wide in our region. The largest is ‘John Cabot,’ reported to get 10 feet or taller. Peppermint Pop™ produces multicolored blooms of cream through deep pink. Music Box™ has beautiful buttercream petals that turn warm pink in the sunlight. As the name implies, Campfire™ has multicolored flowers reminiscent of a campfire. Blooms start out yellow and turn cream and then carmine. Highwire Flyer™ produces robust hot pink blooms while ‘John Cabot’ produces a deep magenta flower with good fragrance.
Roses add beauty to any garden. Given the thousands of rose cultivars in the world, there is sure to be one that works for you. Please go to https://z.umn.edu/rosepics to view pictures of the roses previously described. If you have questions about roses or any horticulture topic, please call me at the University of Minnesota Extension office, Clay County at 218-299-7338 or by email [email protected]
Source: KFGO
