HYBRID TEA ROSES
This
is the most popular group of roses today.
They are 3-5’ tall and 3-4’ wide upright plants that produce one large
flower at the end of each stem at regular intervals of 35 to 45 days. Deadhead by cutting the flower back to the
nearest five-leaflet leaf making sure the stem is at least the size of a
pencil, this induces the next flowering cycle. After removing dead, damaged and
crossing canes in the spring, prune the remaining canes to 12 to 18 inches
tall. Since they are upright plants they
can occasionally have a leggy appearance, they are well-suited for companion
plants so that your garden will have eye-catching appeal from spring to a hard
frost.
Recommended
companion plants for northern
Spring Summer Fall
Dianthus:
zones 3-8 Catmint: zones
3-8 Chrysanthemum: zones 4-9
Daffodils: zones 3-8 Clematis: zones 4-9 Verbena:
annual
Grape Hyacinth: zones 4-8 Columbine: zones 3-9 Hybrid Anemone: zones 4-8
Iris:
zones 4-8
Euphorbia: zones 4-9 New England Aseters: zones
4-8
Pansy:
annual English Lavender: zones 5-8 Stonecrop
(Sedum spectablie):
Peony:
zones 3-8 Lady’s Mantle: zones 4-7 zones 4-8
Snowdrops: zones 4-8 Lamb’s-Ear: zones 4-8
Tulip:
zones 4-8 Larkspur: annual
Salvia (Salvia sylvestris):
zones 5-9
Alliums: zones 4-10 (also
deter pests)
Wormwood (Artemisia): zones 4-9
GRANDIFLORAS
These
are tall, strong plants, exhibiting the best traits of their parents --the
classic flower form of the hybrid tea and the continuously flowering clusters
of the floribunda. These roses are 4 to
6 feet tall and have one long stem that erupts into an entire bouquet of large
roses. They are disease resistant, cold
hardy and widely used as hedges and screens.
They can also become leggy because of their size so they can benefit
from companion planting, too.
FLORIBUNDAS
These
profusely blooming roses require little care, being hardier and more disease
resistant than hybrid teas. They have a
compact grow habit, about 2 to 4 feet tall, with smaller flowers than the hybrid
tea. The flowers occur in clusters and
are single, semi-double, or double and are ideal for a mass display of color in
hedging or edging. They are the perfect
rose for planting in pots for long lasting color. Floribundas are also a great companion plant
for hybrid teas because of their compact size and continuously blooming
habit.
CLIMBING ROSES
These
can have large or clustering flowers with canes that can reach 6 to 20
feet. They bloom in the summer with a
repeat in the fall or all season long.
Their canes must be trained to climb when young by using supports. Prune dead, damaged and misshapen canes in
the spring but wait until after the plants first blooms fade to do any major
pruning because climbers bloom on last year’s growth. Climbers make outstanding accents meandering
over arbors and trellises; they also can hide unsightly fences and
utilities. They are good candidates for
companion planting. A clematis wandering
through a climbing rose is a beautiful sight to behold and is the newest rage
in companion plants for climbers.
SHRUB ROSES
Shrub
roses are the ideal landscape rose. They
come in different sizes and flower forms but they all have these
characteristics: vigor, repeat blooming cycle, disease resistance, and low
maintenance. This group also includes the David Austin English roses that have
the petal-packed flowers with lush fragrance and the Bailey’s Easy Elegance
Roses.
POLYANTHAS
These
are compact, rounded plants with small flowers, typically used as ground covers,
as edging along a border and are good in containers. They are repeat bloomers and they can
withstand heat better than most roses.
Prune them in the early spring to about half their size.
MINIATURES
These
are dwarf plants with foliage and flowers in proportion to their size. They also come in a wide variety of growth
habits and flower forms; they are available in an assortment of colors and bicolors. These petite roses are ideal for containers,
hanging baskets, windowsills and as an edging plant. They are very hardy and are profuse bloomers
that are relatively carefree.