TYPES OF ROSES
I hope you're embracing the festive season as much as I am. I'm in full holiday mode—baking cookies, wrapping gifts, attending holiday concerts and enjoying seasonal gatherings. At the same time, I'm deep in bare root rose season! We've been busy harvesting, cleaning, tagging, sorting, and storing our roses in anticipation of the big January 2025 launch (so exciting!). While these weeks are chaotic, writing this weekly newsletter gives me a chance to pause, reflect, and find some calm amidst the bustle—just like sitting down with a good book or a warm cuppa, it's such a lovely way to reset so I hope you'll come along with me and do the same with your rose garden planning.
When it comes to roses, the sheer variety available can feel a bit overwhelming. But armed with a little education about the different types of roses, you can choose the perfect varieties to suit your gardening goals. If you missed last week's newsletter, we talked all about selecting the best spot for roses in your garden (you can catch up on that here!). This week, let's dive into identifying the types of roses that will work best for your space and needs.
I specialize in bare root rose plants specifically chosen for cut flower production, so my collection doesn't include varieties like miniature or groundcover roses. These types simply don't align with the criteria I've set for my farm's focus on high-quality cut flowers and bare root selections. Similarly, when planning your own garden, it's important to consider the unique features and goals you have in mind. Once those goals are clear, choosing the perfect rose types becomes much simpler.
To make the selection process easier, here's a quick guide to different types of roses and how they might fit into your garden. Whether you're looking for compact shrubs to line a driveway, elegant long-stemmed roses for stunning bouquets or fragrant blooms to create a sensory retreat, understanding the various rose types can help you bring your vision to life. Let's dive in and find the perfect roses for your garden!
1. Hybrid Teas Known for their classic beauty, hybrid tea roses are the quintessential garden rose. With their long stems and singular, high-centered blooms, they're a favorite for cutting gardens and formal floral arrangements. Typically blooming in cycles, hybrid tea roses produce flushes of large, elegant flowers throughout the growing season, making them perfect for both gardeners and florists. Popular varieties include the creamy-peach 'Francis Meilland' and the striking 'Sweet Mademoiselle,' with her vibrant red-edged petals. Renowned for their stunning blooms and long stems, hybrid tea roses are among the best choices for growing as cut flowers.
2. Floribundas If you're looking for abundant blooms, floribundas deliver. These roses produce clusters of flowers that create a vibrant display in borders or containers. Often more compact than hybrid teas, they bloom continuously, providing season-long color. Varieties like 'Iceberg,' known for its pristine white blossoms, and 'Julia Child,' a golden yellow stunner, are both vibrant and hardy options. Floribundas are also ideal for cut flower production, with their clustered blooms adding fullness and variety to any bouquet.
3. Grandifloras Grandifloras bring together the best of both hybrid teas and floribundas, offering large, elegant blooms arranged in clusters. They're ideal for gardeners who want the striking beauty of hybrid teas combined with the abundant blooms of floribundas. Stunning varieties like 'Mother of Pearl' and 'State of Grace' showcase the unique charm of this rose type. Perfect for cut flower production, grandifloras offer impressive individual blooms as well as clusters, making them a versatile choice for creating diverse arrangements.
4. Shrub Roses Shrub roses are a dream for low-maintenance gardeners. Hardy, disease-resistant, and often blooming repeatedly throughout the season, these roses offer all the beauty without the extra work. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from compact bushes to sprawling varieties, making them perfect for mixed borders or standalone features. Varieties like 'The Generous Gardener,' with its soft pink petals and old-world charm, and 'Lady of Shalott,' a striking apricot rose, bring beauty and fragrance to any garden. Among shrub roses, English roses are particularly well-suited for cut flower production. Their full, romantic blooms and captivating fragrance make them a favorite for bouquets and arrangements.
5. Climbing Roses Bring vertical charm to your garden with climbing roses. These vigorous growers add dramatic beauty and a touch of romance when trained on trellises, fences, or arches. Unlike true vines, climbing roses need support and guidance to reach their full potential. Some climbers, like 'New Dawn,' boast blush-pink blooms and a light fragrance, while others, like 'Eden,' feature large, multi-petaled flowers in a soft blend of pink and cream.
6. Old Garden Roses For timeless appeal, old garden roses are unmatched. These heritage varieties, also known as antique roses, boast rich fragrances and full, romantic blooms that evoke a sense of history. They're an excellent choice for traditional and cottage-style gardens. Try varieties like 'Madame Hardy,' with its pure white, fragrant flowers, or 'Rosa Mundi,' a striped rose that dates back centuries, to add a touch of the past to your garden. While these roses have the old world charm they usually suffer from petal shatter and short vase life making them less than ideal for growing as cut flowers.
7. Miniature Roses Don't let their size fool you; miniature roses pack a punch. These compact roses are perfect for containers, small gardens, or as accents in larger landscapes. Despite their smaller stature, they often feature the same intricate blooms and vibrant colors as their larger counterparts. Varieties like 'Sunblaze® Dragonfruit' and 'Sunblaze® Bridal' are delightful options for adding charm to tight spaces or pots.
8. Groundcover Roses Groundcover roses, also known as landscape roses, are perfect for creating a vibrant carpet of color in your garden. These low-growing, spreading plants are both hardy and prolific bloomers, making them an excellent choice for edging pathways or covering large areas with minimal effort. Varieties like 'Flower Carpet® Pink' and 'Peach Drift®' are especially popular for their resilience and stunning displays of blooms. While they may not be ideal as cut flowers, they excel as low-maintenance, high-impact additions to your garden. Truly the “set it and forget it” option of roses, they offer effortless beauty with virtually no upkeep.
With countless rose varieties to choose from, there's truly a perfect rose for every gardener and every space. Ready to start planning? Explore my bare root rose collection and catalogs from your favorite local nurseries to discover stunning varieties for your garden or farm.
This week, take a moment to step away from the holiday chaos fun and focus on the next step in your 2025 garden journey: choosing the perfect rose types for your space. Reflect on the areas you identified last week for new plantings, and envision the types of roses that best bring your dream garden to life. Are you drawn to the lush, show-stopping blooms of Grandifloras? Perhaps a climbing rose to grace your archway? Or the timeless elegance of long-stemmed Hybrid Teas for your floral arrangements?
No matter your vision, take a moment to note down the options that inspire you—whether in your garden journal, a spreadsheet, a Notion page, or wherever you like to plan. Struggling to narrow down your choices? Subscribe to my weekly newsletter so you can submit your questions—I'd love to help you discover the perfect roses.
I hope you join me next week as we conclude December's focus on planning for bare root roses with even more tips to help you choose the perfect varieties for your garden.
THE LIST: THINGS I'M LOVING THIS WEEK
- It's been cold, wet and foggy at the farm and I'm LIVING in my Bogs Boots. This style is lightweight and not insulated so they are perfect for daily farm work and errands in town in our more mild climate.
- My kids are OBSESSED with this meme card game. We've played it 3 nights this week. A great last minute gift or post Christmas activity for kids cooped up in the house until the New Year.
- It's that time for the mad DASH to grab those last minute stocking stuffers. Here are some of my favorites I've given over the years for adults & kids. If you have any ideas for 51 year old husbands let me know! His stocking is still looking a little light.
- I watched Red One with my family this week, and it turned out to be a refreshing TWIST on the classic holiday movie. Imagine The Avengers meets The Santa Clause. While superhero action films usually aren't my favorite, this one was surprisingly enjoyable. It's rated PG-13, with some mild language and action violence, but I felt it was suitable for my 10-year-old.
WISHING YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES A PEACEFUL, JOYFUL, AND WARM CHRISTMAS
JOIN THE FUN!
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You can also find me on Instagram for more rose garden inspiration and exclusive behind-the-scenes moments. You can check out my favorite rose varieties and browse garden supplies at the Menagerie Shop! I also have all of things I love for my home, garden and life in easy to find collections on my Amazon Storefront and my new ShopMy Page.
Photos by: Jill Carmel Photography
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