EASIEST ROSES TO GROW
Sturdy pioneer-woman roses
Type of plant
Own root. Once limited to only old garden and shrub roses, own-root roses are grown from cuttings and now include the fancier florist-type varieties. “Even the big rose houses like Jackson & Perkins sell own-root roses now,” says Sharon Zaun, a rose specialist at Harlequin’s Gardens in Boulder. You can also find them in local nurseries, but they may not always be labeled.
Own-root roses are generally smaller and more expensive than grafted roses. They also grow more slowly. Zaun says the rule of thumb is: “First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap.”
Planting technique
Container-grown. These can be planted between May 15 and early fall. According to the rose society, they’re often pre-fertilized, so you don’t have to mess with fertilizer the first year.
The rose society recommends not planting the rose in the container, even if it the grower says you can. Colorado’s short summers don’t allow enough time for the pot to disintegrate and for the plant to establish a strong root system before the first freeze.
Pruning
Repeat-blooming old garden and shrub roses generally need little.
NEED MORE TLC
Fickle dance hall girl roses
Type of plant
Grafted. These roses are created when a more exotic rose is grafted onto an old garden rose — often a climbing red rose called Dr. Huey, Zaun says. If the grafted rose dies, generally Dr. Huey will survive. “People buy a yellow rose and they find that the next year their yellow rose has become a red rose. They’re amazed,” she says.
Grafted roses take a lot of care. To ensure that you don’t have a rose bed full of Dr. Hueys, plant the graft, which looks like a knob near the base of the bush, 1 to 3 inches below the ground. This protects the graft, which is sensitive not only to cold but also to disease and pests.
Planting technique
Bare root. Usually sold in a bag rather than a pot, bare root roses have precise plant times and techniques. They should be planted between January or February and mid-April, according to the rose society. These types of roses also necessitate some pruning and root spreading during planting.
Pruning
Miniature roses, hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas, climbers, once- blooming old garden shrubs. Each type has its own pruning instructions, and they include complicated terms like “outward-facing bud eye.” Check a pruning guide to learn the techniques. A tip from Franson: Dab Elmer’s glue or colored fingernail polish on the stem after it’s cut to repel disease and weather damage to the plant.
Vicky Uhland
