As we prepare to prune back our roses in January, it's fun to imagine them fully blooming once again in the coming spring. We might even be tempted by all those catalogs arriving in our mailboxes, to invest in a new bush or perhaps a climber or a rose tree. I must admit, I'm very tempted.
It got me thinking that I'd like to know just a bit more about the types of roses one can choose from. So, I've decided to dig into that subject in order to help me make a more educated choice.
I've always been intrigued by English Roses and their great abundance on the bush. Little did I know that there are four groups of English roses—each very distinctive in breeding and character. And there is also a group of English Climbing Roses and English Rambler Roses. The one thing that these groups all have in common is they were all originally the result of crossing Old Roses with Modern Hybrid Tea Roses going far back in their history.
English Old Rose Hybrids These were the original English Roses. They are similar in character to the true Old Roses. Like the Old Roses, their colors are soft shades of pink, crimson and purple. They usually form small bushy shrubs and have frequently repeating flowers. These are the roses with strong fragrance and work well with other plants
The Leander Group is a bit more like the Modern Roses ‘tho their large flowers are formed like the Old Rose. They usually form large, hearty shrubs with beautiful arching growth. The colors are wide ranging including rich yellows and some flame shades. Their fragrance is strong mixed with fruity scents of raspberry, lemon or apple.
English Musk Roses were bred by crossing our original Old Rose Hybrids with Noisette Roses. Like Noisettes, they are lighter both in flower and growth then the previous two roses. Their daintiness is repeated in soft colors with fresh pinks, blushes, soft yellow and shades of apricot and peach. They rarely have a scent.
Alba Rose Hybrids are the most recent roses of the English Rose family and a bit different then the others—with an almost wild rose growth making them perfect not only for more formal planting but also for the wilder areas of the garden. They have a light and airy growth. Their colors are mostly confined to shades of pink at this time.
These are all beautiful choices and makes one hope for an early spring! In our next blog we'll look forward to learning about exquisite Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.