Roses

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking to plant some rose bushes in the front yard. I have no idea where to start. I'm looking for resources to learn about growing rose bushes in this particular area, how to pick a suitable variety, how to take care of them. I'm total noob willing to learn. Looking for book suggestions or online resources. Any advice if you've had success growing roses yourself.

[Anonymous]

I would go to a local nursery and ask them to get started.

[Anonymous]

roses are just weeds with flowers on them. I hate everything about them and try to kill ours every year but nothing works.

[Anonymous]

Are you willing to spray? That will inform your choices.

[Anonymous]

Roses tend to be high maintenance, with the possible exception of the landscaping roses/knockout roses, as well as some native roses (which are once bloomers). They also need full sun.

Your best bet is to go through some gardening forums, and start making a list. Be prepared for roses that do well for other people to not do so for you.

Start here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/roses

[Anonymous]

I love roses but I am not interested in an extensive routine of spraying chemicals to keep a rose looking beautiful. Some roses are more disease resistant, such as Kordes roses. The book 'Roses without Chemicals' has recommendations. I would suggest picking up a book or two instead, rather than being overwhelmed with conflicting information from the internet. Michael Marriott and Paul Zimmerman both have helpful books.

[Anonymous]

I did not grow roses in the DC area when I lived there (I tried but as a new gardener didn’t totally understand how little sun I had; ps roses need sun with maybe a little afternoon shade in really hot areas).

The Potomac Rose society has your back! I have never used this source but they literally answer your question! https://potomacrose.org/Do-you-need-help-growing-and-selecting-roses

I have a few roses in Zone 4. I’m willing to except them being small for a few years and I’m getting pay off now. (Well, not now-now as we still have a foot of snow on the ground) I don’t spray, but I will spray the japanese beetles off the plants. I do mega amend the soil when I put them in and I do feed them with fish emulsion regularly.

[Anonymous]

I love Roses, but deers love them too. Is there a deer resistant variety?

[Anonymous]

I love roses, and I'm very picky about them: they need to be extremely fragrant AND also disease resistant. Most of the time, it's either one or the other. I don't care how they look, but it turns out that the ones I have, have large, full heads of petals, mostly in the pinks (white and yellow roses are usually not as fragrant). I don't need to spray anything on them, and thankfully I live close enough to a downtown that we practically never get deer. The varieties I have are mostly developed in France and impossible to buy in the DC area, but you can order some of them online (ex: climber Zephirine Drouhin, however it's not the most fragrant - I have it on my porch because it's close enough to smell as we walk past and it does not have thorns). My current favorite is Line Renaud, but I don't know if you'll find it, or if it will be the real thing if you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love roses, and I'm very picky about them: they need to be extremely fragrant AND also disease resistant. Most of the time, it's either one or the other. I don't care how they look, but it turns out that the ones I have, have large, full heads of petals, mostly in the pinks (white and yellow roses are usually not as fragrant). I don't need to spray anything on them, and thankfully I live close enough to a downtown that we practically never get deer. The varieties I have are mostly developed in France and impossible to buy in the DC area, but you can order some of them online (ex: climber Zephirine Drouhin, however it's not the most fragrant - I have it on my porch because it's close enough to smell as we walk past and it does not have thorns). My current favorite is Line Renaud, but I don't know if you'll find it, or if it will be the real thing if you do.

Yup. Antique Rose Emporium online is a fantastic place to buy with a great amount of information.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of rose varieties that will grow happily without full sun, but it will be harder to keep them from having too much black spot.

The other big issue here in my experience is sawflies in April. They can really take all the leaves off and the plant won’t truly recover all summer.

David Austin roses have been my easiest.

[Anonymous]

Knockout roses.
(Ignore the haters.)

[Anonymous]

Be wary of rrd, Rose Rosette Disease. It is carried on the wind and every rose bush near me has it. It destroyed my beautiful Zepherine Droughin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love roses, and I'm very picky about them: they need to be extremely fragrant AND also disease resistant. Most of the time, it's either one or the other. I don't care how they look, but it turns out that the ones I have, have large, full heads of petals, mostly in the pinks (white and yellow roses are usually not as fragrant). I don't need to spray anything on them, and thankfully I live close enough to a downtown that we practically never get deer. The varieties I have are mostly developed in France and impossible to buy in the DC area, but you can order some of them online (ex: climber Zephirine Drouhin, however it's not the most fragrant - I have it on my porch because it's close enough to smell as we walk past and it does not have thorns). My current favorite is Line Renaud, but I don't know if you'll find it, or if it will be the real thing if you do.

There are so many varieties of roses, if you are picky about the cultivar you buy them online.

Your assertion that your roses are special because they were "developed" in France is bs. Zephirine Drouhin is an old Bourbon rose that has been around forever. It is one of my favorites because of the lack of thorns and the strong scent. You can find it in this area, it's just one of a million cultivars so easier to find online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be wary of rrd, Rose Rosette Disease. It is carried on the wind and every rose bush near me has it. It destroyed my beautiful Zepherine Droughin.

It just killed my 15 year old climbing New Dawn roses - they covered a pergola over my front porch and were just stunning for three weeks each May. So sad! I would recommend New Dawn to OP, though - tough, beautiful, smells wonderful. I never sprayed anything, and just ignored the occasional aphids or black spot. They need a hard core prune a couple times a year and are quite prickly, so beware if you have tender skin!