OGRs: Hybrid Perpetuals

Apr 232012

Reine des Violettes - Photo:Northland Rosarium

The Hybrid Perpetuals dominated rose gardens during the Victorian era from the time they were first introduced until their eventual ouster by the Hybrid Teas. The main reasons for their popularity were their repeat bloom and hardiness. Though hybrid perpetuals do not re-flower as their descendants the Hybrid Teas do, they all have some re-flowering characteristics: an initial burst in the spring followed by a scattered few blooms throughout the summer or another burst of bloom in the fall.

If you would like to read more about the history of these beautiful, fragrant old roses read the pdf History of Roses: The Hybrid Perpetuals by Jerry Haynes of the Red River Rose Society in Texas. This is one in a series of articles he wrote on the history of roses; his series won an Award of Merit from the ARS.

Here is an excerpt from Jerry’s article:

. . . the changes experienced from 1820 to 1840 were on a broad front. in addition to an expansion of the color range, the new plants were completely different in appearance and nature from those which dominated the old rose gardens, requiring differing care; the look of the flowers both in bud and fully open was different, bringing new concepts and ideals; and, most exciting, some recurrence of bloom became expected of all mainstream roses.

Many of the roses referred to in Jerry’s article are hardy down to Zone 4b, so they would make good choices for the Spokane area. Some of these include:

Marchesa Boccella: light pink rosette form blooms; very fragrant
Paul Neyron: medium pink; possibly the largest flowers of any rose; blooms average 6″, and can be 7″ across
Baronne Prévost: pink with lilac shading; prolific bloomer
Reine des Violettes: violet-red with lighter center; strong fragrance

Leave a comment and let us know what your experience has been growing Hybrid Perpetuals.

OGRs: Bourbon Roses

Apr 232012

Madame Isaac Pereire - Photo: Northland Rosarium

The Bourbon roses originated on what was once called the Île Bourbon, an island off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The Bourbons are very fragrant roses with the added benefit that they flower more than once per year. Many, such as Zephirine Drouhin, may be grown as climbers and trained on a trellis or other structure.

If you would like to read more about the history of these beautiful, fragrant old roses read the pdf History of Roses: Bourbon Roses by Jerry Haynes of the Red River Rose Society in Texas. This is one in a series of articles he wrote on the history of roses; his series won an Award of Merit from the ARS.

Here is an excerpt from Jerry’s article:

Like their European parents, the Bourbon roses are cold hardy; and like their Asian ancestors, they re-bloom. These roses do not produce flowers as continuously as hybrid teas; instead, they bear the bulk of their flowers in a heavy surge in late spring and early summer, though they do continue to flower sporadically through the summer and into fall. This makes them an excellent choice for the gardener who wants to combine a longer blooming season with old-fashioned richness and perfume.

Most of the Bourbons mentioned in Jerry’s article are hardy down to Zone 5b, which should allow them to be grown in many gardens in the Spokane area. I have both Mme. Isaac Pereire and Zephirine Drouhin in my garden, but I know that some Spokane areas are really Zone 4, and there are certainly years when my garden feels like Zone 4. You may want to plant Bourbons in an area of your yard that is protected from the worst of the winter weather.

Leave a comment and let us know about your experience with Bourbon roses.

OGRs: Alba Roses

History of Roses, Old Garden Roses No Responses »

Apr 232012

Konigen von Danemark - Photo: Northland Rosarium

The Albas are some of the oldest of old garden roses; they have been around quite possibly since before the Roman Empire. The great Roman, Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus – 23 AD – August 25, 79 AD,) mentions white roses presumed by most rosarians to be r. alba in his encyclopedic work, Naturalis Historia.

Albas are very fragrant, hardy, disease resistant roses that bloom once per year. Though rosa alba means literally “white rose,” many alba varieties range from white to pale and even medium pink.

If you would like to read more about the history of these beautiful, fragrant old roses read the pdf History of Roses: Alba Roses by Jerry Haynes of the Red River Rose Society in Texas. This is one in a series of articles he wrote on the history of roses; his series won an Award of Merit from the ARS.

Here is an excerpt from Jerry’s article:

Graham Thomas supports Dr. C. C. Hurst’s theory that Albas are derived from the dog rose, Rosa canina, and the Damask rose, Rosa damascena. Genetic studies may reveal a bit more about the heritage of Alba roses, but many roses carry part of the Rosa Gallica genome and who is to say it is derived from what rose?

Since albas are so hardy, many should grow well here in the (primarily) Zone 5 Spokane area. A few that you may wish to try include:

Konigen von Danemark or Queen of Denmark, also known as New Maiden’s Blush, medium pink blooms, bred by James Booth in Germany in 1816, hardy Zones 4b to 9b
alba maxima, known as the Jacobitte rose, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rose, and a host of other names, large, very double white blooms, origin before 1500, hardy from Zone 3b to 9b
alba incarnata, also known as Great Maiden’s Blush, white or white blend with pink, shade tolerant and very disease resistant, origin before 1400, hardy Zones 3b to 9b

Leave a comment and let us know about your experience with Alba roses.

Old Garden Roses Defined

Old Garden Roses No Responses »

Jun 282011

For you OGREs out there, Paul Zimmerman, master rose grower, has written a fine article describing exactly what an Old Garden Rose (OGR) is.

What is an Old Garden Rose? To history it is a rose being of a class in existence before the year 1867. Why 1867? Simple. This is the year a rose named “La France” was introduced. La France is considered to the be the first Hybrid Tea. It is the offspring of the Hybrid Perpetual “Madame Victor Verdier” with the Tea rose “Madame Bravy”. The hybridizer was Guillot and what marked La France as being different from other roses was the high centered blossom we associate with Hybrid Teas of today. The name Hybrid Tea in fact comes from a wedding of the classes of the parents of La France. A Hybrid Perpetual and a Tea rose.

Centifolia – Gros Choux de Hollande

Notice I use the words “class of roses” in existence before 1867. This means that even though say a particular Bourbon (a class of Old Garden Rose) was introduced after 1867 it’s still an Old Garden Rose. In fact it’s possible that an Old Garden Rose could be hybridized and introduced to the growing public today.

Here’s the rest: What Is An Old Garden Rose? <– Unfortunately, this link appears to be dead (as are all links to Paul Zimmerman’s old site) and a diligent search of the web failed to uncover a new location for this article. The article was quite good, so we will keep looking, and we will update the link if it reappears.

March 2011 Meeting: Jeff Wyckoff on Fabulous Floribundas

2011 Events, Meetings, Modern Roses, SRS Events No Responses »

Apr 112011

Jeff Wyckoff and Lynn Schafer at the
Spokane Rose Society March 2011 meeting

Jeff Wyckoff, ARS President, joined us March 23rd gave a presentation on “Fabulous Floribundas.” Those of us who grow a number of Floribundas (including Yours Truly) will agree with Jeff – they ARE fabulous! I’m sure those who attended the presentation found a few more that would make good additions to their gardens.

Jeff authored the new Better Homes & Gardens Rose Gardening Book, and he brought copies to the meeting that we were able to purchase for a special price, and $5 of each sale went to the ARS 100 Grand Campaign.

We were fortunate that Jeff was able to take time out of his busy schedule and travel all the way across the state to join us for this enjoyable and lively evening.

Refreshments for the evening were provided by Rose Jacobus.

World’s Largest Rose Bush

Unusual Roses No Responses »

Dec 032008

This was the answer to one of the trivia questions at our November dinner meeting. The world’s largest rose bush is a white rosa banksiae banksiae, commonly known as Lady Banks’ rose, located in Tombstone, Arizona. Rosa banksiae banksiae was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1807.

The original root of this spectacularly successful rose bush was sent from Scotland in 1885, and was planted by newly-wed Mary Gee behind her boarding house. The single trunk is approximately 12 feet in circumference. From this single trunk it spreads over an arbor that covers over 8,000 square feet. In spring it is covered with millions of small, fragrant, double white blooms.

Click this link to view a picture of this amazing rosebush –> World’s Largest Rose bush

Multi-colored Roses from the Netherlands

Color, Unusual Roses 18 Responses »

Dec 032008

I found this on flickr: Multi-colored roses http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewdarnjenny/1389033263/

On display at the LA County Fair…yep, they are REAL and alive! They were created in the Netherlands and are dyed using hypodermic needles inserted in the stems as they grow. Crazy!!

Update: Here’s how to make your own colored roses.