Like divas of the plant world, roses conjure up both lust and despair. No other flower can claim to have made so many swoon. Or to have left so many with a shelf full of chemicals in the garage and sulking plants in the garden.
If you've been turned off by the labor-intensive regimen of roses in the past -- the spraying, the bugs and the black spot -- you'll be heartened to learn that new, improved varieties today make roses more of a friend than foe.
"Nobody should waste their time spraying roses," says Frank Gouin, professor emeritus of horticulture and landscape architecture at the University of Maryland. "There are too many good choices out there: 'Carpet Roses' and rugosas, especially, which require virtually no care at all."
Many new varieties adapt well to urban as well as suburban conditions. They do nicely in half-shade and are tolerant of weather extremes, inexperienced pruning and the occasional incursions of children, pets and basketballs.
"Roses today are a lot easier than the ones available 15 or 20 years ago," agrees Mike Cady, horticulturist at Jackson & Perkins, one of the country's best-known rose suppliers. "People have been intimidated by roses -- like orchids -- but there is really no mystique to them; just give them good soil and sunlight, and most of them do fine."
Here are 10 top roses recommended by our experts:
1. 'Carefree Wonder' -- One of the easiest roses to grow, with large, showy, vivid pink blooms all summer. Disease resistant, with glossy green leaves and a compact habit that frees the gardener from pruning.
2. 'Sarah van Fleet' -- A rugosa rose with large, semi-double, fragrant flowers of luscious pink. It can reach 6 by 8 feet, but pruning hard in late winter or spring encourages more flowers. Rugosas are often repeat bloomers and resist diseases and pests, even standing off the depredations of Japanese beetles.
3. 'Blanc Double de Coubert' -- Another shrub rugosa with large, white, semi-double flowers. Extremely fragrant -- one bush can perfume a garden. Flowers early and continues late. Grows to 6 feet.
4. 'Simplicity'r -- These hedge roses are available in pink, white, red, yellow and purple. Also known as landscape or 'Carefree' roses. Prolific flowers and attractive foliage are produced on dense, full bushes, hardy and carefree. They are also "self-cleaning," relieving the gardener of deadheading.
5. 'Royal Bonica' -- This and its steadfast parent, 'Bonica,' are lovely "carefree" hedge roses. 'Royal' has masses of wild-rose pink, double blooms.
6. 'Scarlet Meidiland' -- Continuous clusters of deep red blossoms make this hedge rose a classic in the landscape. Produces long-lasting cut flowers. Grows to 5 feet. Does not require pruning.
7. 'Lover's Lane' -- Although a hybrid tea, this is reputed to be more disease-resistant than most and may satisfy those looking for a long-stemmed rose to provide cut flowers. Cherry red color. Glossy, dark green foliage. Light, sweet fragrance.
8. 'Constance Spry' -- A classic David Austin English Rose that can be grown as either a shrub or a climber and has large, pink, peony-shaped blooms with a strong myrrh fragrance.
9. 'Flower Carpet Coral' -- Just introduced several months ago, this groundcover rose has ruffled, coppery-pink blooms. It's said to be disease-resistant and a prolific bloomer.
10. 'Livin' Easy' -- A 1996 All-America Rose Selections award winner, this has large, classic blooms that open deep apricot and mellow to golden orange. Unusual fruity scent.
Glossary
RUGOSAS: A rugged, shrub rose that has been a favorite for hundreds of years, it has large blooms and distinctive wrinkled (rugose) foliage.
RAMBLERS and CLIMBERS: Roses with long canes or stems that can grow 12 to 20 feet in a season. Usually includes wichurana, moschata (musk), noisette, and banksiae roses.
HYBRID TEA: The classic rose seen most often in bouquets, it has long-stemmed flowers on narrow plants.
FLORIBUNDA: Hardier than hybrid teas, these roses bloom in clusters.
BLACK SPOT: A fungus disease of roses and related plants that grows into the leaf and forms black spots.
MILDEW: Appears as a white powdering over leaves and canes, causing buds and leaves to become dwarfed and gnarled. Full sun and adequate ventilation are the best preventatives.
RUST: Orange-brown powdery spore masses appear on under leaf surfaces. Infested leaves should be destroyed.
Sources
Nurseries and Catalogs
Carroll Gardens
444 East Main St.
Westminster, MD 21157-5540
800-638-6334
www.carrollgardens.com
David Austin Roses
15059 Highway 64 West
Tyler, TX 75704
903-526-1800
www.davidaustinroses.com
Heirloom Roses
24062 NE Riverside Drive
St. Paul, OR 97137
503-538-1576
www.heirloomroses.com
Jackson & Perkins
1 Rose Lane
Medford, OR 97501
800-872-7673
www.jacksonandperkins.com
Wayside Gardens
1 Garden Lane
Hodges, SC 29695
800-845-1124
www.waysidegardens.com
Books
* Taylor's Guide to Roses by Nancy J. Ondra (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002, $23)
* Botanica's Roses (Laurel Glen Publishing, 2000, $19.95)
* Growing Roses Organically by Barbara Wilde (Rodale Books, 2002, $35)