I want some large, easy-care rose bushes- suggestions?

[littlelemon]

I live in an old farmhouse with a front porch, and I would love to have some large rose bushes in front of the porch railing. I think it would add to the beauty of the house and be so lovely. I don't have much experience with roses, so I need some help.

The spot I would plant the roses in would be in full sun. Right now I have perennials there, which I would transplant. Ideally I would like the bushes to grow to a height of about 4', with a width of about 3'. I don't want fussy roses, or roses that have that "cultivated" look. I want full, leafy bushes, so you can't really see the porch railing behind the bushes. I like the look and smell of wild roses, and I want my rose bushes to have that wild look. Any suggestions?

 

[ninnymary]

In my area I have a hard time with roses. Being by the coast we have too many foggy days/mornings. This leads to rust and powdery mildew.

I was just reading my Organic Gardening magazine and it has a good article on rugosa roses. These are fragrant, trouble free, and are great for organic gardeners. You may want to look into these. I'm thinking of trying one of them next year.

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

I think Mary hit hit mark with her rugosa suggestion. They fulfill

your list of requirements, and they are known for "throwing" their

fragrance. I have several at the edge of the lawn, a good 100+ feet

from the house, and when they're blooming you can smell them

when you walk out the door.

I originally had them along the front walk, against the garage, but

moved them because they were ugly in the winter.

You can minimize the ugliness in winter part by trimming them

down, in the fall so they are all even along the top, giving them a

more uniform appearance. At least, that's what I did for a year or

two before I moved them, and I thought it helped a bunch.

Rugosas have pretty foliage, and I think they would look fantastic

in front of your farmhouse! Lots and lots of variety available too.

 

[littlelemon]

I looked that variety up, and it is EXACTLY what I am looking for. Thank you so much!

 

[patandchickens]

Be aware that there are a lot of things that go under the "rugosa rose" umbrella (the term is usually used not just for the species R. rugosa [which comes in raspberry-sherbet-pink and in white varieties] but also for a whole host of hybrids with some rugosa heritage.

There is a surprising (to me) amount of variation in HOW disease-resistant and cold-tolerant and abuse-tolerant they are. Also range of variation in growth form, some of them want to be large and bushy, some small and bushy, some large and fountain-shaped, some just really want to be few-stemmed and spindly-ish.

So I would suggest doing some reasonable amount of research before settling on one particular rose.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[littlelemon]

Thank you for the info Pat, I will keep that in mind!