Excerpt of LANDSCAPING WITH ROSES By Mary Yee

It’s time to take roses out of the rose garden and explore the many other ways they can be used in the home landscape.

For all their beauty and the devotion they inspire, roses are underutilized in the garden. There are several reasons for this. Probably anyone who has ever grown at least one rose has quickly discovered that in regions with severe winters, many won’t make it to spring without protection; in warm, humid climates, many are prone to disfiguring diseases such as blackspot and rust. The idea of regularly having to use toxic chemical sprays to maintain a plant’s health and appearance has deterred many gardeners from growing roses. And, until a few years ago, our views of how to use roses in the garden were limited by the long-held custom of segregating them in unappealing rows in large beds—sometimes referred to as “rose prisons.”

In the past few decades, plant breeders have been trying to make roses even more popular by creating varieties that suit many landscape needs and meet consumer demands for improved adaptability and pest and disease resistance. Rambling roses have long been used to cover arbors and soften harsh fence lines. Now there are also roses bred to serve as ground covers and mini roses that can provide an unusual edging for a sunny path or be grown in outdoor containers. Many of these have varying degrees of pest and disease resistance; some have been bred especially to withstand severe winter cold.

(Photo by Jerry Pavia)

Know Your Roses

Contrary to common perception, it is possible to grow roses without resorting to a regimen of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. To begin, remember that almost all roses will perform their best if they are planted where they can get good air circulation and about eight hours of sun a day.

Once you’ve identified a good site for roses, it’s important to find out which roses do well in your region. “There are thousands of roses to choose from,” says Peggy Bowers, rose enthusiast and horticulturist at AHS headquarters at River Farm, “so you have to do your homework on a rose’s disease resistance and cultural requirements rather than just being taken in by a pretty face.”

If you’re looking for lower-maintenance roses, avoid many of the older hybrid Teas, Floribundas, and Grandifloras. These have spectacular blooms but delicate constitutions. The more rugged species roses and their hybrids are better choices. Bowers also suggests picking own-root roses whenever possible. “They will usually start out smaller,” she says, “but—in my experience—over the long run, they outperform their grafted counterparts.”

(Photo by Michael S. Thompson)

Mixing It Up

Once you have selected the right roses, deciding where to plant them can be the difference between success and failure. It’s best to avoid planting all of them together in one bed. “Monocultural rose gardens are notorious for spreading disease and encouraging insect problems,” says Bowers. “We use roses in mixed borders throughout River Farm to cut down on the spread of disease and provide habitat for beneficial insects.”

In fact, she notes, growing roses organically is actually easier on the gardener. “Predatory insects do a good job of taking care of pests if they have not been killed with insecticides,” she explains, “and using organic fertilizers promote healthier plants that are less susceptible to disease and insect damage.”

In addition to being earth-friendly, integrating roses with other plants is more in keeping with most informal contemporary garden styles. Integrating roses is easy, because roses seem to work well with just about any plant. While the flowers are always of primary interest, many roses produce attractive hips that add color to the garden in fall and winter, and the foliage of some even turns red in autumn.

With all the improved rose varieties available today, there’s no reason not be creative. It’s time to stop looking at roses as garden trophies and consider their potential in a garden’s overall design. The photos on these and the following pages offer just a few ideas to get you started.
 

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