THE RUGGED RUGOSA

Given all that, why isn't everyone, everywhere, growing rugosas all the time? Because for all their virtues, rugosas have limitations:

Smallish, often simple flowers: Rugosa blossoms are pretty, but they're not what most folks think of as classic rose blossoms. The species rugosa has single flowers, and while hybridization has introduced doubleness, individual blossoms usually won't stop you in your tracks (though the effect of a bush in full flower may).
Short stems: With most rugosas, blossoms pop out in clusters at leaf axils of branch tips, which makes cutting (except for floating in a bowl) not especially practical. Rugosa blossoms are best enjoyed on the bush.
A limited color palette: To paraphrase Henry Ford's quip about the Model T, you can have any color rugosa you want, as long as you want magenta or pink. That's an exaggeration, of course: breeding has produced some good whites, as well as a handful of yellows and reds (though no true orange—slightly-peachy Vanguard comes closest). Other colors are a minority to the pinks, though, and aren't always as pretty or usable.
Limited repeat: Rugosas are labeled remontant, but repeats may be weak or non-existent, especially in hot summer areas.
Big bushes, lots of thorns: A few exceptions (check out the Pavement series, and Frau Dagmar Hartopp ), but most rugosas get large enough to reach out and grab passersby by the sweater. And most won't respond well to heavy cut backs.
Weedy growth habit: A few rugosa bushes are compact, but even those get a rangy, twiggy look as the summer heats up. Shrubs that caught my eye in May rarely do much for the landscape by August. (They seem to last better in cool summer climates.) I've seen rugosas used attractively in landscapes, but rarely will they look as good for as long a time as current landscaping faves like Knockout and Nearly Wild.
The hybridization factor: A new gene pool introduces qualities we want (like flower doubling or a new color), but it may also dilute desirable qualities. Linda Campbell , for example, is a splendid rugosa hybrid, with tresses of unusually long-lasting red flowers. But its leaves aren't noticeably rugose, there's no fragrance, and it can get blackspot.

Cultivation and Use

Rugosas like pretty much what all roses like: well-drained soil, a good nutrient and pH balance, and plenty of sun. But they'll survive and even do quite well with less, which is why the rugosa is as good a rose for the chemical-free, organics-only garden as you're going to find. Fertilize on the lean side; rugosas especially dislike the rapid release of nutrients from water-soluble fertilizer (MiracleGro® and the like) and foliar feeding can defoliate them.

Unlike most garden roses, rugosas object to heavy pruning. When you use them in landscaping, anticipate the fully-grown bush size and let them grow. I find it hard, for that reason, to use them effectively in small suburban yards; I've liked rugosas best in large country landscapes, where they can soar or flop about as they like, and where their undisciplined habit fits a larger, less formal setting.

Cultivars

Here's a sampling of some frequently mentioned rugosa varieties:

Rosa rugosa species: The patriarch of the family, a tough, vigorous pink rose, with fragrance, hips, and the typical rugosa overgrown habit. X alba is especially pretty. Makes a quite impenetrable hedge.
Blanc Double de Courbet: A favorite bright white landscape rugosa, whose good favor is mostly deserved. Gertrude Jekyll loved it, though others dislike that it holds on to spent blossoms as unappealing brown blobs. (For just as sparkling a white but more petals, try Blanc Double's sport, Souvenir de Philemon Cochet.)
Linda Campbell: My favorite rugosa hybrid, it deserves to be grown much more than it is. Pure red clusters on an arching bush or short climber. The most attractive presentation I've seen of it is in the Cleveland (Ohio) Botanical Garden, where it fountains from the top of a tall tuteur like an enormous bouquet.
Thérèse Bugnet: A good double pink landscaping rugosa, championed most recently by that well-known know-it-all Martha Stewart. It may mildew.
Hansa: A double pink rugosa you'll often see on old farmsteads or in country cemeteries. Prettier than the species, and slower growing.
Frau Dagmar Hartopp: A commonplace single pink, whose most noteworthy feature is its compact bush.
The Grootendorsts : Big, robust blooming machines. Choose pink, red or white blossoms, all with a charming carnation-like fringe—but no fragrance.
The Explorer and Parkland roses: series bred by the Canadian government agriculture ministry for severe winters, they owe their toughness to rugosa genes.