Landscaping with Roses
Roses, a favorite flower of many, can be a challenge in the landscape. There are many varieties of roses, with different growth habits, that can help fulfill different needs in the landscape.
For those who love the beauty and elegance of long-stemmed roses, it is probably better to place the bush where it will not feature prominently in the landscape at all, because such rosebushes tend to be less attractive when viewed from even a few feet away. They also are among those plants that require sufficient air circulation and opportunity to dry their leaves as well as access to sunshine that being placed amidst other plants in the landscape may not offer them.
Those who have had their imagination captured by a rambling ground cover rose are much more likely to be able to incorporate their choice into a landscape with other plants and achieve good results. These bushes are shorter, spreading, and intended for landscape use. They are usually fuller as well, providing a better result. Although the flowers themselves are less showy, they are more abundant and bloom for longer periods, again to good effect. Another benefit is the disease resistance of many new varieties.
Another choice often overlooked but that can provide very pleasing results are some of the miniature varieties. Miniature roses, although they are usually tiny when sold, do not generally remain small plants … only the size of the flowers and leaves themselves remain small while the bush may spread to several feet high and and a couple of feet wide. These varieties are often more tolerant of being included amongst other plants, and tend not to be so fussy. As a result, they are more likely to be full and beautiful rather than showing a lot of bare cane. Blooming is often profuse and extended and, in our opinion, miniatures often represent the “best of both worlds” as compared to the hybrid types and shrub types.
Another good compromise can be some of the old-fashioned types that are more disease resistant and less “fussy” than some of the newer types, though they may still tend to bareness at times.
Most gardeners who love roses accept the bare canes just place their roses in a rose garden area all together, or plant them where they will not interfere with the overall look of the landscaping, preferring to make those adjustments so that they can still enjoy their favorite flowers.