Roses
At last count, there were roughly 150 known species alone, and the garden hybrids of those number in the thousands. Every year, new varieties are tested, and some are eventually introduced. A great resource for viewing roses is the Washington Park rose garden. It is actually one of several rose test gardens around the nation, and is home to some of the newest roses and also some of the oldest. Keep in mind that since these roses are being evaluated, not all may actually continue on to the retail market. And not all varieties are still available. Much like cars, roses are often “discontinued” in favor of newer models.
2022 ROSE LIST
Climbing Roses
Altissimo
Climbing Iceberg
Colette
Eden
Golden Showers
Joseph’s Coat
Kiss Me Kate Arborose
Quicksilver Arborose
Red Eden
Tangerine Skies Arborose
Westerland
White Dawn
White Eden
Floribunda and Grandiflora
Floribunda-
Angel Face
Arctic Blue
Brilliant Pink Iceberg
Burst of Joy
Celestial Night
Chiihuly
Cinco De Mayo
Colorific
Desmond Tutu
Distant Drums
Doris Day
Ebb Tide
Forever Amber
Frida Kahlo
Gingersnap
Honey Dijon
Iceberg
Intrigue
Leonardo da Vinci
Life of the Party
Mango Veranda
Passionate Kisses
Play Boy
Plum Perfect Sunbelt
Poseidon
Pumpkin Patch
Scentimental
Sexy Rexy
Shelia’s Perfume
Silver Lining
South Africa Sunbelt
Sunset Horizon
Sun Sprite
White Licorice
Grandiflora-
Anna’s Promise
Ch Ching
Crazy Love Sunbelt
Dick Clark
Dream Come True
Fun in the Sun
Honey Dijon
Love
Mother of Pearl
Nicole Carol Miller
Pop Art
Queen Elizabeth
Radiant Perfume
Rock & Roll
Strike it Rich
Twilight Zone
Hybrid Teas
Abbaye de Cluny
Apricot Candy
Bewitched
Black Baccara
Bliss Parfuma
Blue Girl
Brandy
Bronze Star
California Dreaming
Centennial Star
Chantilly Cream
Chicago Peace
Chrysler Imperial
Dark Night
Dolly Parton
Earth Angel Parfuma
Eternal Flame
Falling In Love
Firefighter
Fragrant Cloud
Full Sail
Francis Meilland
Girls Night Out
Grande Amore Eleganza
Heirloom
Honor
Hotel California
John F Kennedy
Just Joey
Love and Peace
Love’s Promise
Marilyn Monroe
Memorial Day
Midas Touch
Miss All American Beauty
Mister Lincoln
Moonlight Romantica
Neil Diamond
Oh Happy Day Eleganza
Oklahoma
Opening Night
Oregold
Over the Moon
Painted Porcelain
Peace
Perfume Delight
Perfume Factory
Pinkerbelle
Pope John Paul II
Pretty Lady Rose
Princess Charlene de Monoco
Queen Mary 2
Rio Samba
Secret
Sedona
St. Patrick
State of Grace
Sugar Moon
Sunny Sky Eleganza
Sunset Celebration
Sweet Mademoiselle
Tahitian Sunset
Tiffany
Touch of Class
Tropicana
We Salute You
Valencia
Veterans Honor
WWII Memorial
Drift, Miniature, Shrub
Drift-
Apricot Drift
Blushing Drift
Coral Drift
Peach Drift
Popcorn Drift
Red Drift
White Drift
Mini-
Amber Sunblaze
Baby Paradise
Bridal Sunblaze
Cherry Sunblaze
Cutie Pie
Rainbow Sunblaze
Rainbow’s End
Salmon Sunblaze
Yellow Sunblaze
Shrub-
Belinda’s Blush
Blanc Double de Coubert
Double Knock Out
Edith’s Darling
Pink Double Knock Out
Rainbow Knock Out
Sunny Knock Out
Tequilla
Tequilla Supreme
Patio Trees
Chihuly
Easy Does It
Ebb Tide
Julia Child
Scentimenal
Fun in the Sun
Barbra Streisand
Black Baccara
Chrysler Imperial
Double Delight
Falling in Love
Just Joey
Mister Lincoln
Pope John Paul II
Queen Mary 2
Rio Samba
Rainbow Sunblaze
Red Sunblaze
Yellow Sunblaze
Double Knock Out
Sunny Knock Out
Where to Plant
The planting site is one of the most crucial elements in successful rose growing. Roses need full sun! Some of the shrub roses aren’t as picky about this, but a successful rose garden starts with a sunny spot. Shade causes long, sprawling, floppy growth and invites disease.
The next element is soil. To start with, drainage is a must. Roses despise wet feet, and aren’t terribly fond of heavy clay. Roses are most successful in raised beds, as raised beds drain exceptionally well and tend to have better temperature properties than regular flat soil. The better the soil, the better the roses. If you can bring in new soil, like a sandy loam or other soil mix, you should consider doing it. Whatever soil you use should be high in organic material, fast draining, and close to a neutral pH. Clay can be used, but you must amend it with a lot of organic material. Lime generally needs to be added to counteract the acidity of our native soils. Roses love rich soil, so be sure to add quite a bit of organic material.
One of the best things we have found is composted steer manure, We like “Malibu Compost”. Mushroom compost doesn’t last long enough, but a heavier planting compost could be used. Try not to use a lot of bark around roses, it can have somewhat adverse effects over time. When you are ready to plant, pick a good planting site and fix it up as mentioned above.
Standard planting procedures apply, but there are a few things to keep in mind. It is beneficial to add a cup of lime when planting, as this will correct pH around the plant. Also, all hybrid roses will have a graft union towards the base of the plant, right above where the roots start to form. This union is easily recognized, it is generally swollen and looks like a knot. This union must remain above the soil level! This also includes any mulch that you put down: keep the graft union clear. Burying this will give you massive headaches and heartbreaks in the near future. You may also want to consider adding some mycorrhiza when you plant for added health.