Rose Culture in Central Texas

       You might ask "Why Old Roses?"  Old rose varieties tend to be stable, long lived and sturdy, especially when grown from cuttings.  Many show a strong resistance to black spot and other diseases.  The unforgettable "true rose" fragrances live in their undiluted form is old roses. Such richness and diversity of fragrances are not as common as those found in modern hydrids.

       To care for your antiques, remember number one - the site in the landscape where you plant the rose.  Roses require a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.  Second, roses need a slightly acidic soil (pH range of 6.5 to 6.7 is best) and require at least an inch of water per week.  Lastly, remember we live in Central Texas and keep this in mind when selecting vareties.  Spend some time visiting gardens in the area and see what roses are doing well.

Portlands

        Forerunners of the Hybrid Perpetuals, the Portland roses are derived from the Damaska and have inherited the Damask fragrance and hardiness.  The class name honors the Duchess of Portland.  The Portlands listed here are distinctive, useful and easily grown.  They are Jacques Cartier, Comete De Chambord and Marquese Bocella.

Hybrid Perpetuals

        Described as undemanding, satisfying bloomers, the Hybrid Perpetuals are considered by some to be the "easiest roses to grow".  The "perpetual" part of the name is wishful thinking by the Victorian nurserymen who developed them; for they are not perpetual, but remontant.  Most of them bloom heavily in spring, rest during the summer and then have scattered flowers in fall.  The class has been bred and interbred among all garden roses, but is perhaps closest to the Bourbons and Damasks.  They are generally less disease resistant than Chinas and Teas.

        Some of the most valuable, historic, and delightful roses are included in the Hybrid Perpetuals.  Their virtues include cold hardiness, outstanding heavy rose fragrance, and large, full flowers - plus, of course their lack of fussiness.  An excellent way to grow Hybrid Perpetuals is to "peg" them.  One method of pegging is to fasten the ends of the canes and provide a beautiful fountain effect.  Another form is to secure the canes as horizontally as possible to the ground so that the plant actually becomes a ground cover.  Examples include Paul Neyron, American Beauty, Ulrich Brunner Fils and George Arends.

Polyanthas

        The Polyantha class was created by crossing the Chinas with the rambling Japanese Multiflora rose, which gave its everblooming characteristic and shrub shape to some of the roses in this class.  Since both parents were from the same area in the Far East, some Polyanthas occurred naturally.  The French breeders used them after their importation in 1865.  The most famous Polyantha is 'Cecile Brunner', the 'Sweetheart Rose', which can occur as a shrub, climber or dwarf spray.

        Polyanthas are hardy, disease resistant, and floriferous.  Other examples include White Pet, Perle d'Or, Marie Pavie, La Marne, The Fairy and Katherine Zeimet.

Wichuraianas

        This useful group of roses descended from various crosses with R. Wichuraiana, sometimes called the 'Memorial Rose' because of its extensive use as a ground cover for gravesites.  These include Silver Moon, New Dawn & Dorothy Perkins.

Hybrid Musks

        The Hybrid Musks include some of the most useful roses available for  landscape purposes.  The first varieties were created by the Reverend Joseph Hardwich Pemberton, an East Anglican cleric who helped re-establish the rose as England's national flower and organized the National Rose Society.  Examples are Penelope, Skyrocket, Ballerina, Buff Beaty & Cornelia.

Most of this information was supplied by Dr. William C. Welch, Texas Extension Service.

Suggested Reading:

"The Random House Guide to Roses" by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix.                                                       "The Rose Bible" & "Growing Good Roses" both by Raford Clayton Redell.