What kind of roses should I get?

[WIkalanchoe]

Hi folks!
I'm new to growing my own roses but after this last year I have decided that I would love to have some more on our land. I say "some more" because when we bought the place it came with a tall shrub of single petal white roses out next to the garage. With some research I found out that they were called "Sally Holmes" roses. I also found out that they had been severely neglected and had to read up and do a little pruning.
But having these roses made me want to plant a few more varieties. But I can't decide what to get. I'd appreciate any suggestions.
Any color is fine. I would definitely like to collect rose hips. And I only really have the time for something that would be easy to moderately difficult to raise.

 

[Rosalind]

Ooooh, I've been wanting a Sally Holmes. I got one, then somehow managed to kill it, although the surrounding roses were fine.

If you want easy-peasy roses, I would go with a rugosa. They get lovely big hips for tea and jelly and so forth, they are nearly indestructible (people plant them here by the beaches, where the water is all brackish and salty), they smell heavenly, they have enough spines to deter any casual passing-by neighbor dogs or cats who may wish to poop on your lawn.

 

[WIkalanchoe]

You managed to kill a Sally Homes? The previous owners of our farmette had been trying to intentionally kill the Sally Holmes on our land for a few years and never fully succeeded. I was told after a few years they just gave up and let it grow wild. Last fall I dug up a few of the suckers coming off the main plants and transplanted them to a different part of the yard. I'm hoping that they'll come back this spring and take root.

 

[Rosalind]

You managed to kill a Sally Homes?

Yeah, and the David Austen English fancy-shmancy ones that cost a small fortune, planted maybe 5 feet away, did fine.


Pure talent, I guess. Maybe the lesson there is, "don't plant a Sally Holmes with two shovelfuls of compost in clay-ish soil with greensand, manure and fishmeal. Especially do not mulch it with leafmold & straw and wrap it in burlap for the winter." I was too nice to it.

 

[WIkalanchoe]

Well, Thanks Rosalind. I just ordered some Japanese Rugosas. Then again I'm a sucker for anything japanese. If they really do get hedglike I'm thinking I might be able to use them to block the deer from our property?

 

[smom1976]

My big lots has them for $3 I figured if it died I wouldnt be out much and the picture on the front was pretty with cream and peach and pink rose.

I might go back and pick up some more..

 

[WIkalanchoe]

Hey if you can get them that cheap and they survive, more power to you!

 

[Greensage45]

Hi,

Ideally you would want to look for a rose that is on its own root system. Roses on their own roots have the potential to live over a 100 years, where as the grafted named roses are short-lived and can start to choke themselves around 10 years old; some do live longer but not as long as one would on its own roots.

Next is maintenance. A bush rose would require pruning. This would be either yearly or twice depending on the growth factors and how much the rose thrives. A rambler should never be pruned unless it sets off an odd branch that does not work with the overall appearance. (a rambler is one of my favorites). Ramblers are similar in appearance to a climber but each branch only reaches about 10 feet and then stops. A climber takes some training and then each climber is going to either work with you or it wont. Some climbers are just better at it than others.

One of my favorite roses is a rambler called Austrian Copper, the leaves are even fragrant. Ideally the rambler should resemble a fountain or an octopus-like shape, each branch overcasting the next creating a great weeping look. Ramblers tend to bloom once but there are a few everbearing ramblers like BeBop.

Any rose is worth growing in my opinion; it is just finding the right color and the right shape.

Take care, Ron

 

[Reinbeau]

I decided last year to only grow roses on their own roots. If they aren't hardy enough for my climate then I just won't grow them. I bought roses last year from Heirloom Garden Roses, all their roses are on their own root. They are planted out in my new herb garden, we'll see how they do this season.

 

[Southern Gardener]

I cant count how many roses Ive killed! I started out with hybrid teas They would start out beautifully in the spring, then blackspot would develop and by the end of the summer there wouldnt be a leaf left on them. I got rid of them one by one since all the babying and special care I was doing just didnt work.

So I found The Antique Rose Emporium. The antiques are supposed to be hardy and easy to grow wrong! The few I did buy I ended up giving away to a friend, save two my Veilchenblau and my Lady Banks. I swore Id never buy another rose bush again!

Never say never . . . My boss started telling me about the Knockout rose. I put my fingers in my ears lalalalalala Im not listening to you! No! No! he says this rose is different!!! You have to get some I have some and mine are beautiful! I chopped it back last summer and its huge now and they bloom all summer and into fall and I have crappy soil YOU HAVE TO GET SOME!!!

Well the Knockout flies out of our garden center Im not kidding. Customers come in and buy 10 and 15 at a time. So before we sold out of them my sis went and bought 4.
We planted them last weekend.