This is a great time of year to be picking out roses to plant in your landscape.
Many of them are in bloom, so you can see first hand what the flower looks like. As you go through the nurseries at garden centres the rose section will catch your eye (and nose) as it is full of colour and fragrance.
We ordered more than 50 different hardy varieties of roses that come in different shades of red, pink, white, yellow, etc, with different fragrances. The flowers differ in size as well as type, with single flowers, semi, double or doubles, and they bloom at different times.
There are also a few climbing or rambling types and many shrub/bush types of differing sizes. There is a rose for almost any part of the landscape if it gets enough light.
Roses need to be planted in a sun to partial shade location where there is good air circulation. They also require a
well-drained soil.
A hardy rose is a rose that is able to withstand Prince George's zone 3 winter climate, and come back next spring.
There are many new rose varieties being developed especially for northern climates.
One of the hardiest rose varieties available is the Rosa Rugosa.
This rose known for its strong, cold resistant gene is often used in the breeding of other winter-hardy varieties. Rugosa roses have a long blooming period and the flowers are often very fragrant.
The dark-green leaves are wrinkly. The Explorer roses are another group of very hardy roses.
These are named after Canadian explorers and include varieties such as the very hardy William Baffin a pink single bloomer that can be used as a climber, as is John Cabot a semi double medium red bloomer, or Henry Hudson, which has double white, fragrant blooms.
A lower growing rose that is also very hardy is the Pavement Rose.
These low-growing roses are tough as well as beautiful and are a good choice for planting along walkways, driveways and edges.
The Parkland/Morden roses are another group of roses that can be hardy for our area.
As with any plant the location, and growing conditions will dictate how well the plant grows and roses are no exception.
Take the time to plant it properly. Many of the hardy roses are grown on their own roots rather then being grafted.
This allows the rose to come back from the roots if it dies back to the ground. If the rose is a grafted rose (when the bush itself is attached to a hardier rose plants roots), plant it so that the graft is under the soils surface.
Always sprinkle some bonemeal in the bottom of the hole before placing the rosebush in, as the bonemeal will help with the development of the root system.
After it has been planted give it a good thorough water and continue to water weekly or as needed until the rose has become
established.
Keep the rose healthy by treating any fungus or pest problems that may arise as you want the rose to be strong and stress free
before it goes into winter.
If there is a problem with fungus or disease, remove the diseased foliage and destroy it. In order for a hardy rose to survive the winter it has to get ready.
Stop fertilizing it by the beginning of August so that it will be able to go dormant.
Allow the rose hips to form towards the end of August signalling to the plant that winter is coming, and thirdly, make sure it is well watered before the frost sets into the ground.
A hardy rose does not need extra protection, but if you choose you can mulch it with peat moss around the base. If the stems are quite tall they can be cut back to a third but save the rest of the pruning till next spring.
There is still a good selection of roses available and it is not too late to plant. They are just beginning to bloom, so won't miss out on most of the flowers if you plant now.
