Old Garden Roses and Older Roses
For more than a year, I've been thinking about writing an article on the most carefree roses in our southern gardens. This seems like a good month to do so. While there are many roses that grow and even thrive with relatively little care, there are only a few with such cast-iron constitutions that they are truly carefree in our climate. I've chosen 8 favorites to describe.
Louis Philippe (a.k.a. the "Cracker Rose") - If I had to pick a most-carefree-of-all rose, this would be it. A rather slow-growing bush, it eventually reaches huge sizes. I've seen them around 10 feet tall and at least that wide, but those were ancient bushes. They do live to great ages, even here in Central Florida and on their own roots. The flowers are 1 to 3 inches across, solid red in some weather, or otherwise red with a large pinkish-white center. Slightly fragrant. I see more old plants of Louis Philippe in this area than any other rose. It makes an outstanding clipped hedge (or if you have acres, an unclipped hedge!), or a large specimen plant.
Old Blush - Nearly as problem-free as Louis Philippe. Old Blush can also reach large size, but not as big as Louis. Its flowers open light- to medium-pink, and darken to deep pink or light red in the sun. This is another good hedge rose, and has been used in that way across our campus. Clip it with a hedge-trimmer, simply mowing it off to the desired height and width - it doesn't care what you do to it. Also thrives on its own roots. Against a wall, it may show a little powdery mildew in the late winter, but not enough to worry about.
R. laevigata (a.k.a. the "Cherokee Rose") - This is a great tree-climbing rose, in that it is a massive climber which will outgrow most trellises or arbors you might try to put it on. It is once-blooming, but the bloom season is quite long, often beginning in November and continuing through April. The plant is quite disease-free and thrives on its own roots. It is viciously thorny. Big (3" +), pure white single flowers, with bright yellow stamens in the middle.
Mrs. B. R. Cant - Tea roses are noted for becoming large bushes, but Mrs. B. R. Cant is a giant even among the teas. Mine are planted 6-7 feet from their neighbors; if I were doing it over, I'd put them 10 feet apart, and even then they would touch each other within a couple of years. Mrs. B. R. Cant makes big (3-5"), very double, deep pink to red flowers, with a nice "tea" scent. It is highly disease-resistant, and is acceptable on its own roots if you plant it near a building or other concrete slab. Otherwise, I'd recommend that it be grafted to Fortuniana roots. We have one of these on our campus known to be over 30 years old, which gets no water, fertilizer, sprays, or correct pruning. Yet it thrives and blooms nearly constantly.
Tausendschön - I found this rose growing in a lime-rock parking lot at a local transmission shop. The proprietor's wife said it had been given to her, at least 10 years earlier, as a cutting. She had done nothing to it at all, once she planted it in the parking lot. She gave me cuttings, and we now grow it on the campus. This rose is highly blackspot resistant but does get some powdery mildew in cool weather. It has a long bloom season in the spring, then a few flowers here and there throughout the summer, then rather good bloom again in the fall. It makes a very large bush or a moderate climber. We grow it as a climber. In addition to being carefree, it is nearly thornless, so is pleasant to work with. It makes big clusters of small, medium-pink flowers.
R. rugosa rubra - Rugosa roses aren't supposed to grow well in the hot South, but I learned from Dr. Robert Basye, in Texas, that it is their roots, not their tops, which resent the heat. Grafted or budded on Fortuniana, this rose becomes completely carefree. It gets no diseases at all, blooms nearly constantly, and is a tight, compact bush. Flowers are medium large (2-3 inches), single, bright purplish-pink. I would assume that other forms of this species might do as well, but I have not tried them.
Spray Cëcile Brunner (a.k.a. "Bloomfield Abundance", the "Sweetheart Rose") - This is another very large-growing plant, making a massive bush. It blooms nearly constantly, with huge sprays of tiny flesh-pink flowers. Grows well on its own roots, even in the Miami area. It blackspots badly in October, but is disease-free the rest of the year. So, we just consider it a deciduous rose, and don't worry about it.
Pink Pet (a.k.a. "Caldwell Pink", mainly in Texas) - A favorite for hedges, this rose can grow to be 8 or more feet tall, or can be clipped to stay short and tidy. It constantly produces big clusters of small, very double, bright pink flowers. The leaves appear to be completely immune to blackspot. It does get some powdery mildew in the winter. Control it by pruning the affected limbs off. This is another rose that we prune with a hedge trimmer, with no ill effects. Excellent on its own roots or grafted.
Others - There are undoubtedly other roses that would also thrive on neglect, but I haven't had enough experience to recommend them for such conditions. For example, I suspect that some of the Bermuda roses would be good "survivors," especially "Smith's Parish", which seems to be completely disease-free for us. I don't generally recommend roses for a completely untended garden. Any rose, including those listed above, will certainly respond to good care, particularly adequate irrigation and fertilization. But in a situation where one can't give consistent, proper care, these varieties will perform quite adequately anyway. And even if you fuss constantly with your roses to produce the perfect garden, these varieties will grow and bloom beautifully for you. I highly recommend them.
Louis Philippe (a.k.a. the "Cracker Rose") - If I had to pick a most-carefree-of-all rose, this would be it. A rather slow-growing bush, it eventually reaches huge sizes. I've seen them around 10 feet tall and at least that wide, but those were ancient bushes. They do live to great ages, even here in Central Florida and on their own roots. The flowers are 1 to 3 inches across, solid red in some weather, or otherwise red with a large pinkish-white center. Slightly fragrant. I see more old plants of Louis Philippe in this area than any other rose. It makes an outstanding clipped hedge (or if you have acres, an unclipped hedge!), or a large specimen plant.
Old Blush - Nearly as problem-free as Louis Philippe. Old Blush can also reach large size, but not as big as Louis. Its flowers open light- to medium-pink, and darken to deep pink or light red in the sun. This is another good hedge rose, and has been used in that way across our campus. Clip it with a hedge-trimmer, simply mowing it off to the desired height and width - it doesn't care what you do to it. Also thrives on its own roots. Against a wall, it may show a little powdery mildew in the late winter, but not enough to worry about.
R. laevigata (a.k.a. the "Cherokee Rose") - This is a great tree-climbing rose, in that it is a massive climber which will outgrow most trellises or arbors you might try to put it on. It is once-blooming, but the bloom season is quite long, often beginning in November and continuing through April. The plant is quite disease-free and thrives on its own roots. It is viciously thorny. Big (3" +), pure white single flowers, with bright yellow stamens in the middle.
Mrs. B. R. Cant - Tea roses are noted for becoming large bushes, but Mrs. B. R. Cant is a giant even among the teas. Mine are planted 6-7 feet from their neighbors; if I were doing it over, I'd put them 10 feet apart, and even then they would touch each other within a couple of years. Mrs. B. R. Cant makes big (3-5"), very double, deep pink to red flowers, with a nice "tea" scent. It is highly disease-resistant, and is acceptable on its own roots if you plant it near a building or other concrete slab. Otherwise, I'd recommend that it be grafted to Fortuniana roots. We have one of these on our campus known to be over 30 years old, which gets no water, fertilizer, sprays, or correct pruning. Yet it thrives and blooms nearly constantly.
Tausendschön - I found this rose growing in a lime-rock parking lot at a local transmission shop. The proprietor's wife said it had been given to her, at least 10 years earlier, as a cutting. She had done nothing to it at all, once she planted it in the parking lot. She gave me cuttings, and we now grow it on the campus. This rose is highly blackspot resistant but does get some powdery mildew in cool weather. It has a long bloom season in the spring, then a few flowers here and there throughout the summer, then rather good bloom again in the fall. It makes a very large bush or a moderate climber. We grow it as a climber. In addition to being carefree, it is nearly thornless, so is pleasant to work with. It makes big clusters of small, medium-pink flowers.
R. rugosa rubra - Rugosa roses aren't supposed to grow well in the hot South, but I learned from Dr. Robert Basye, in Texas, that it is their roots, not their tops, which resent the heat. Grafted or budded on Fortuniana, this rose becomes completely carefree. It gets no diseases at all, blooms nearly constantly, and is a tight, compact bush. Flowers are medium large (2-3 inches), single, bright purplish-pink. I would assume that other forms of this species might do as well, but I have not tried them.
Spray Cëcile Brunner (a.k.a. "Bloomfield Abundance", the "Sweetheart Rose") - This is another very large-growing plant, making a massive bush. It blooms nearly constantly, with huge sprays of tiny flesh-pink flowers. Grows well on its own roots, even in the Miami area. It blackspots badly in October, but is disease-free the rest of the year. So, we just consider it a deciduous rose, and don't worry about it.
Pink Pet (a.k.a. "Caldwell Pink", mainly in Texas) - A favorite for hedges, this rose can grow to be 8 or more feet tall, or can be clipped to stay short and tidy. It constantly produces big clusters of small, very double, bright pink flowers. The leaves appear to be completely immune to blackspot. It does get some powdery mildew in the winter. Control it by pruning the affected limbs off. This is another rose that we prune with a hedge trimmer, with no ill effects. Excellent on its own roots or grafted.
Others - There are undoubtedly other roses that would also thrive on neglect, but I haven't had enough experience to recommend them for such conditions. For example, I suspect that some of the Bermuda roses would be good "survivors," especially "Smith's Parish", which seems to be completely disease-free for us. I don't generally recommend roses for a completely untended garden. Any rose, including those listed above, will certainly respond to good care, particularly adequate irrigation and fertilization. But in a situation where one can't give consistent, proper care, these varieties will perform quite adequately anyway. And even if you fuss constantly with your roses to produce the perfect garden, these varieties will grow and bloom beautifully for you. I highly recommend them.
