Selecting Roses?

Question

I need some expert advice in selecting roses for my back yard which I am planning to plant them in the top of the slope area near fence. Which is best/hardy verity which comes back every year for sure? I live in Central New Jersey.

Answer 1

Roses come in different classes. Some like the well known Hybrid Teas can be touchy. These were developed more for flower competitions than general garden use so require more care. I hated my mothers roses because of all the dusting and pruning needed except for one old yellow climber that needed nothing. That was a great rose.
New lines of roses are very disease resistant and more fragrant so do much better for the garden. Breeders specializing in resistant roses include John Clements who has an amazing display garden that is never spayed. Look at his 'Morning Has Broken' if a good yellow with great disease resistance is your choice.
http://www.heirloomroses.com/index.htm
It can be very overwhelming looking at all the roses in all the different classes. So to start simply look to what you like. How many petals? 5 for a single rose 20 - 100 are double to full double.
Then the flower can open flat or stay cupped. The petals can scroll or reflex. The rose can be quartered or the quartering can be muddled. The center can be buttoned or open to display the stamens.
My favorite flower form is a small 2-3 inch, muddled rose, with a button eye, and ruffled petals of moderate substance and about 30, fragrant petals.
Thin petals often have more fragrance but do not last very long. I live in Seattle so roses with 60 petals or more mostly ball in the rain. Then they look like wads of wet tissues and turn black with rot.
If you live with Japanese beetles know they love roses. In Philadelphia I saw plants that never bloomed because they had all the buds eaten. There are organic methods that work.http://gardening.about.com/od/rose1/a/or...
http://www.extremelygreen.com/roseguide....
http://www.greenharvest.com.au/greennote...

Buying roses is not hard. Look for three good canes larger than a pencil. Anything less than three is not worth buying. More is ok but not necessary.
Some of my favorite rose breeders are Tom Carruth, David Austin, and Ralph Moore. Look at Carruth's 'Night Owl' 'Ebb Tide' 'Raven' or 'Midnight Blue'
Austin I have 'Jayne Austin' 'Anne Boleyn' & 'Pat Austin' but I want 'Molineux'
Look for Moore's Halo series of miniatures.
Rosa glauca may only bloom once but the foliage is stunning, I just planted a Clematis viticella 'Margot Koster' to climb up it for a second season of bloom.
There are roses that change color as the flower ages.
'Mutabilis', 'Flutterbye and 'Joseph's Coat' are mine.
Roses vary in size from the micro miniature to the Lady Banks Rosa banksiae 'Lutea' that can grow 20 feet or Rosa Kiftsgate that can get even longer.
Is fragrance going to be a primary factor in selection? Then look to Carruth and Austin as both make a practive of breeding for fragrance. When looking there is a rule of thumb that says that thin rose petals release fragrance readily, thus roses with thin petals seem more fragrant. The consequence of thin petals is that the flower does not last well when cut no do they stand up to heavy rain like you get in New Jersey.

Answer 2

my personal favourites are the David Austin Old English roses They are disease resistant and self cleaning and they bloom profusely. the best way to buy those is in package deals we just got one from Jackson and perkins or go directly through David Austin . I agree that the teas take too much care.

Answer 3

Lady banksia roses - pink, yellow, & white. My personal favorite is Cecile Brunner-which has profuse, tiny pink flowers with a wonderfully scented aroma.