Rose suggestions

[nachoqtpie]

Okay, so, I have a small-ish space that I want to put roses in in the garden. I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but I'm going to guess around 5x8?? maybe a bit smaller.

I would like BEAUTIFUL roses! That smell good... and are pretty... and will attract bees and beneficial bugs... and I could cut some if I wanted, but not an absolute on that one.

I fell in LOVE with this one

I really like the "florist" type roses, but since I'm not really a rose aficionado (tho I would like to be!) I have no idea what I'm supposed to buy! LOL

My mom used to grow roses, but, we lived up north, so every fall she would cut them down to almost the ground and put a bucket over them. It always made me so sad to see them cut like that. I don't know if that's how it's SUPPOSED to be done, but, I just kinda.... cut the dead stuff off and let it grow where it will!

What do you guys think? What kind of things should I plant?

 

[ninnymary]

I'm a sucker for David Austin english roses. I just love their scent and how they fit in with my victorian home and english type garden. They do well for me and I'm sure you could find some for your zone. They are a little pricey by the time you add shipping costs. Sorry I don't know how to add links to their website.

I think roses do require some upkeep but since I only have 4 I'm able to maintain them.

Mary

 

[so lucky]

If you don't need especially long stems, the florabundas are good. Lots of them have nice fragrance. If they do, it will usually be mentioned in the description. You are probably in an area of high summer humidity, which many of the hybrid tea roses don't like....or any rose, for that matter. Black spots on leaves, and powdery mildew are the bane of rose growers. If you can find a rose that says it is resistant to those two diseases, and has a good smell, and is a frequent bloomer, go for it.
I agree with Mary, the old English roses are some of the best smelling, and very hardy. Mine get black spot, but bloom anyway.
Some of the most beautiful roses (in pictures) turn out to be so temperamental that they can only be grown in special greenhouse conditions. Not great for the typical home garden. Read up on the variety before you buy.

 

[journey11]

That's a beauty! I go for the flashier ones too.

The hybrid tea roses can be more work to maintain, but if you keep up with them, they're definitely worth it. Just starting out (or if you think you might not be faithful to spraying), I'd look for those with disease resistance specified because they'll be easier. You do have to cut them back (except for climbing roses), fall or spring. I mulch mine now since the winters have been so harsh past couple of years.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Oh gosh.. we don't really have a themed house? LOL We live in a double wide on a permanent foundation... just like everyone else on the street but one person.. who happens to have a 2 story modular... LOL Our house is a light yellow with green shutters (and I'll be painting the door green as well this year). Along the front there are several boxwoods (I think that's what they are) but I HATE them because in the summer they smell like cat pee! I want to tear them all out, but of course my mum says I shouldn't because it will affect the "curb appeal" and possibly the resale value. *stomps feet*

I've been looking at Jackson and Perkins roses.. which is where I found the one pictured. They do have some that are labeled "guaranteed" to grow in my zip code. I just don't know if I should spend $25/bush PLUS shipping for something that I might kill in the first year.

I'll keep the disease resistant thing on my mind when I start to really look to buy.

 

[ninnymary]

Nachoqtpie, you do not have to have a themed house! lol That is just me being so darn perfect. Roses are so beautiful that they can go anywhere. Check to see if there is a one year guarantee policy. I believed Jackson and Perkins had one years ago but not sure if they still do. It sounds like your space will only be big enough for 1 so you won't have to spend so much. You can plant something else around them like coral bells. Roses look nicer when planted in odd numbers.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Not on roses but on your boxwoods. Are you sure they are not privet? When privet are in bloom they are covered with small white flowers, quite showy, but the smell can overpower some people. In North Carolina privet could be pretty common.

When I was a kid in the ridges of East Tennessee, most of my homemade arrows for my homemade bow were made from privet because the limbs grow so straight and they are solid not hollow. I sometimes used lilac too. We hardly ever pruned them so they often got really out of control. The plunger on my homemade pop gun (made from elder) was also usually privet though dogwood worked for that really well too.

There are many different kinds of boxwood but the ones I just pruned in the front of my house here did not have any long straight limbs and they were definitely out of control.

 

[nachoqtpie]

These don't bloom at all. I don't know exactly what they are... but I know when it gets hot in the summer I try to use the side door more than the front door because of the smell!

 

[digitS']

I often notice that the low-growing junipers in some folks' yards smell like cat pee. I've figured out what causes that - cats.

I'm not very familiar with organic fungicides, altho using sulfur in water as a spray has worked for the peach tree, the last few years. We used to use it as a vapor in the greenhouse where I worked. That is, until something synthetic came along that we could use to keep mildew off the roses ... and, evidently, any out of our respiratory systems by the amount of it that we breathed .

Anyway, there are effective outdoor sprays, non-organic. Not just high humidity encourages mildew and black spot. Stress is a problem for plants and arid conditions and wind sets them up for these problems.

Not all that many florist roses have a nice fragrance. At best, some of them smell like "a plant." Floribundas have found homes in both greenhouses and outdoors. Tea roses came originally from southern China. I'd bet you have a great selection to draw from, Nacho'. Is there a public rose garden near your home you can visit, with a notebook? Pictures & id's sent off with your cellphone to your photo gallery ...

Steve

 

[nachoqtpie]

Hmmm... I'm not sure if we have a public garden... I'm going to have to look that up!

I know that Azaleas are EVERYWHERE here. I do think they are pretty in their hot pinks, purples, and whites, but, not as pretty as roses.