Ah, roses. From bud to bloom to falling petals, no garden, from cottage to contemporary, is complete without at least a few of these dreamy flowering shrubs. Their broad variety of growth habits, sizes, colors and textures can fill any niche in the home landscape, and as breeders have made improvements in disease resistance, they’re less work, too. As long as the site is right, there is no reason you can’t have roses in all parts of your garden. Here are five favorite ways to use them.
Create Structure
Sure, you could plant an evergreen or conifer, but taller shrub roses planted close together make a beautiful, efficient hedge to create privacy or to define property lines. Lower growers are spectacular when used to outline a path or dividing parts of the garden from another. The secret to a dense rose hedge is planting your bushes close, not more than 18” apart. Here are three to try: White Rugosa Rose, Tahitian Treasure Rose, Sunny Knock Out Rose.
Vertical Impact
Climbing and rambling roses such as Eden Climber Rose are great at adding interest to dull walls and fences. They also provide cooling, flower cover to arbors and pergolas; use shorter varieties to cover pillars or tuteurs. We recommend these three with caution: some climbers grow large, so choose accordingly and provide a sturdy structure. Here are three to try:
Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose (10-20 ft long)
Golden Showers Climbing Rose (12-14 ft long)
White Lady Banks Climbing Rose (15-20 ft long).
Spruce Up a Mixed Border
Roses can play a supporting role as well. Look for taller varieties such as The Charlatan Climbing Rose to add height and scale to the back of a border and free-flowering, mid-sized shrubs to amp-up the summer show of foundation plantings comprised of mixed evergreens. Here are three to try: Iceberg Shrub Rose, Francis Meilland Hybrid Tea Rose, Chateau Merlot Shrub Rose.
Romance a Container
Most larger roses are eye-popping in a large container and can live their lifetime in just one large pot. Many places in the yard are nearly impossible to plant in. Using resort sized pots poolside, on patios and hard parts of the garden to plant is a beautiful solution to problem areas. Try planting one of the new compact roses such as a Sweet Spot Peach alone or snuggled in with a mix of perennials and annuals. Here are three to try: Sunrosa Soft Pink Shrub Rose, Sweet Spot Calypso Rose, Peachy Keen Shrub Rose.
Dressed to Thrill
Roses are always impressive when planted in mass, trained into unique forms like a tree rose or allowed to ramble as a groundcover like with an Apricot Drift Rose. When designed correctly, your landscape will be a showstopper worthy of any garden tour and easier to care for than you think.
Until next issue, I’ll be helping locals design with roses here at Watters Garden Center. QCBN
By Ken Lain
Ken Lain, the mountain gardener, can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his web site at WattersGardenCenter.com or FB.com/WattersGardenCenter .
Leave a Reply