What is your goal in growing roses? It is for color in the yard, for bouquets in your home, or covering a fence? Do you want roses that can be contained in a small area or do you have plenty of space to grow several types of roses. There are several classes of roses that will fit into any garden.
Choosing the Right Roses for You
Hybrid Teas are considered the granddaddy of all roses. They produce classic florist type blooms, usually blooming one large flower to a single cane. Many are fragrant and make beautiful arrangements.
Grandifloras can also produce classic blooms but often bloom in sprays; several smaller flowers extending from one cane.
Floribundas produce an abundance of smaller flowers on a smaller bush and are a good choice for color in the garden, as are many shrub roses.
Climbers come in many varieties and make a wonderful addition to any garden if you have fences, walls, trellises or arches to cover.
Micro minis, miniatures and mini floras are compact bushes great for small areas or containers. The blooms are small, but abundant and perfect for tiny bud vases.
Old Garden Roses are those that existed prior to 1867, the year of introduction of the very first hybrid tea, ‘La France’. The flower form can be quartered, cupped, reflexed, globular or compact. After an initial spring bloom, some varieties may or may not bloom again that year. Most Old Garden Roses are quite fragrant.
See also: planning your rose garden.
