Roses are found in many local landscapes, and with good reason. They produce beautiful flowers that add long-lasting summer colour.
Over the years the list of roses that grow well in our northern Zone 3 climate has become longer and this year is no exception.
There is a new series of roses that have become available and some varieties of this series are rated Zone 3 and 4 making them hardy enough to grow here.
(Many areas in Prince George get away with planting Zone 4 plants especially when the plants are given a little extra winter protection in the fall.) The oso easy rose series are brought out by proven winners and there are some beautiful varieties that you will want to plant in your
landscape.
The varieties that should do well in our Prince George climate are the following shrub roses. They grow 60 to 90 centimetres tall and wide, with some exceptions.
Oso easy paprika, are known for its flowers that open up as orange and slowly fade to coral with deep yellow centres, and then finish off to pale yellow.
The shrub itself is small, growing only 30 to 60 cm tall making it ideal for those small spaces. oso easy strawberry crush, is a Zone 4 rose that has double strawberry red flowers that slowly fade into light pink. It grows 30 to 60 cm tall and wide. Oso easy cherry pie, has large single bright red blooms with bright yellow stamens. Oso easy honey bun has lots of small double flowers, that range from soft pink to yellow to cream. Oso easy mango salsa, flowers come in shades of orange and pink flowers.
The Oso easy roses are exactly as the name indicates, they claim to be easy to grow and maintain. They are very disease resistant for powdery mildew and black spot, which can be a problem when growing roses.
Because of their disease resistance there is no need to use fungicides. They do not require a lot of pruning. Pruning is done to keep them in shape and to open up the middle of the plant for good air circulation. The oso easy roses claim to be self cleaning so there is no need to remove the old finished flowers, and they will bloom throughout the summer and into early fall adding lots of colour to the landscape. Use them in mass plantings for a good show, or plant them on their own.
Plant roses in a fertile, moist, good-draining soil. Grow in a sunny location as they require a minimum of six hours of direct sun daily. Roses need good air circulation but keep them out of harsh winds.
Fertilize regularly until mid August with a good rose fertilizer.
Many gardeners prefer to wrap or mulch their roses in the fall for some extra winter protection, especially for the first winter, and for those roses that are a Zone 4 or higher.
If you are a collector of roses, as many of us are, because one is never enough, then perhaps you will want to add an oso easy rose to your collection. Or, if you are looking for an easy to grow rose then you may want to try an oso easy rose.
