Roses

Roses Royal Enough for Royals

They are the Queens of the garden – here's how to select and care for them

Over the 2,000-year history of rose cultivation, gardeners have developed countless variations of the 250 naturally occurring rose species. Roses come in almost very shape and size and can survive in most parts of the world. And, with the exception of the fabled blue rose, they can be found in every color of the rainbow,

Such history and variety have given roses an air of aristocracy, and like aristocrats, roses demand the best of living conditions wherever they happen to be. They need full sun, extremely well-drained, slightly acidic soil, and 1 or 2 inches of water per week to thrive. A balanced fertilizer mix like 10-10-10 should be applied monthly from spring through early fall, and a spray that combines a fungicide and insecticide should also be used every 7 to 10 days during the growing season. You should prune roses back about one-third to one-half in winter or early spring and remove any dead or broken canes.

As for selecting a specific variety or rose, if scent is your raison d'être, try the Arizona (a grandiflora), the Chrysler Imperial (a hybrid tea), or the Fragrant Cloud (also a hybrid tea). If your thumb is not fully greened, try hardy roses that require little maintenance, such as the Carefree Wonder (a shrub or climber), the Aqyarius (a grandiflora), or the Double Delight (a hybrid tea).

A rose. Picture by Elena.

For the rose gardener looking for the very best, here are the roses judged by the American Rose Society as the most prized in the land based on their color, shape, bloom size, fragrance, and ease of growth:

Hybrid tea – largest of all the roses. First Prize (pink blend), Peace (yellow blend), Granada (red blend), Tiffany (pink), Tropicana (orange-red), Mister Lincoln (dark red), Garden party (white), Double Delight (red blend), Paradise (mauve), Lady X (mauve).

Grandifloras – medium to large blossoms, but taller than hybrid tea. Quen Elizabeth (pink), Pink parfait (pink blend), Sonia (Pink blend).

Floribundas – Smaller than a grandiflora, but with more buds, the smallest floribundas grow in large sprays. Europeana (dark red), Little Darling (yellow blend), Iceberg, White), Walko (Dark red).

Miniatures – The same as the floribunda, only with much smaller blossoms. Starina (Orange-red), Beauty Secret (red), Cinderella (white), Toy Clown (red blend), Magic Carousel (red blend).

Climbers – Large flowers that shoot right up the trellis. Can sometimes be shrubs. Galway Bay (orange-pink), Don Juan (dark red), Handel (red blend), Dortmund (medium red), May Queen (Light Pink).

Old garden roses – From roses that were developed before the turn of the Xxth cenuty. Many varieties. Rosa rubrifolla (pink), Rosa hugonis (yellow), Koenigin ((pink), Sombreuil (white), Tuscany (Mauve).