Shrub Roses (Roses)

Member Name: Thailui

Product:	Roses
Date:	05/08/05 (165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to grow

Disadvantages: A lot of thorns

Roses, roses all the way…

Shrub roses come in a great variety. There are types that grow tall and some that can be used as ground cover. Some are termed as ‘old fashioned’ having been around for many years, others are known as ‘modern’.

Generally speaking, shrub roses need less attention than other types. Although they do need some pruning it is usually only to keep the bush in good shape and condition, cutting away the dead wood etc.

The ground cover variety is relatively new and can be planted to spread across the garden rather than up – obvious from the name, of course! They will happily ramble over banks making a mass of fragrant blooms. They tend to have rather small flowers which grow in clusters and this makes a lovely carpet of colour. Some have names such as ‘Flower Carpet’ and ‘Magic Carpet’.

The ‘old fashioned’ type usually has many petals making them look as though they are double (as compared to the Hybrid Tea roses that are so popular). They look like the roses seen in old paintings and are usually very fragrant. They don’t always have a very long flowering season however, tending to flower only at the height of summer.

The more modern shrub roses have a longer period of flowering. They come in a variety of shapes many of them being single roses – similar to the wild rose. One favourite is ‘Ballerina’ which is cluster flowered with single flowers of pale pink and white. This is one of the shorter shrubs growing to about three feet. Another is ‘Golden Wings’ which is again a single rose in a bright yellow however, this bush can grow to about five feet if allowed to. One of my favourites is ‘Canary Bird’ which is also yellow and has large single flowers but very small leaves giving the impression of ferns. Again this one can grow very tall if allowed.

One that is quite spectacular is Rosa Rugosa. This is very fragrant, also single flowers – in various shades, one of the best known being very bright pink. The only drawback of this particular variety being the exceptionally thorny stems!

Shrub roses should be treated as any other shrub. They can be a feature in the border – or they can be trained into a hedge if so desired. They come in all colours and can make a spectacular show in the garden with very little attention.

I hope that this will be of some help in your garden. Thank you for reading.

Summary: Types of shrub roses and uses in the garden