Let’s delve into the world of roses, exploring various types beyond the familiar shrub roses. Each type offers unique characteristics, making them suitable for different garden settings and purposes. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, this guide will help you choose the perfect roses for your Minnesota garden and provide essential care tips to ensure their thriving beauty.
Hybrid Tea Roses
Hybrid tea roses are renowned for their large, well-formed blooms and long, elegant stems. These roses typically feature a single bloom per stem, making them a popular choice for cut flowers and floral arrangements.
They thrive in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Plant them in well-drained, fertile soil. Regular watering and monthly fertilization during the growing season are essential. Pruning in early spring helps maintain their shape and encourages vigorous blooming.
Hybrid tea roses are ideal for creating striking garden beds and borders, as well as for use in floral arrangements.
Example Varieties:
‘Peace’: A classic with large, creamy yellow petals edged in pink.
‘Mr. Lincoln’: Known for its deep red blooms and strong fragrance.
‘Double Delight’: Features creamy white petals with red edges, emitting a sweet fragrance.
Floribunda Roses
Floribunda roses produce clusters of flowers, offering a profusion of blooms over a long period. They are more compact and bushy compared to hybrid teas. Like hybrid teas, floribundas require full sun and well-drained soil. Regular watering and fertilization promote continuous blooming. Prune in early spring to remove dead wood and shape the plant.
Floribunda are perfect for garden beds, borders, and mass plantings, providing vibrant color throughout the growing season.
Example Varieties:
‘Iceberg’: A prolific bloomer with pure white flowers.
‘Julia Child’: Known for its butter-gold blooms and strong fragrance.
‘Amber Queen’: Features clusters of apricot-yellow flowers.
Grandiflora Roses
A cross between hybrid tea and floribunda roses, grandiflora roses boast large blooms like hybrid teas but in clusters similar to floribundas. These roses need full sun and well-drained soil. Regular watering, fertilization, and pruning are necessary to support their vigorous growth and blooming.
Suitable for garden beds, borders, and as cut flowers, combining the best traits of hybrid tea and floribunda roses.
Example Varieties:
‘Queen Elizabeth’: A tall, elegant rose with pink blooms.
‘Gold Medal’: Features striking golden-yellow flowers.
‘Strike It Rich’: Known for its bright yellow-orange blooms.
Climbing Roses
Climbing roses have long canes that can be trained to grow on trellises, arbors, and fences. They produce abundant blooms along their canes, creating a stunning vertical display. Plant climbing roses in full sun and well-drained soil. Provide sturdy support for their canes to climb. Prune lightly to shape and remove dead wood, encouraging new growth.
Ideal for adding vertical interest to gardens, covering walls, fences, and creating romantic garden arches.
Example Varieties:
‘Rise Up Amberness® Rose‘: A vigorous climber with ruffled amber colored blooms that are accented by glossy, deep green foliage; great cut flower quality
‘Rise Up Lilac Days® Rose‘: Known for its ruffled lilac-purple blooms are accented by glossy, deep green foliage; great cut flower quality
‘Above And Beyond™ Rose‘: A hardy climber that produces clusters of large, light apricot, semi-double to double blooms with a mild, spice fragrance; presents a spring or summer flush, with scattered later bloom; may be grown as a shrub, or trained on garden walls and trellises
Miniature Roses
Miniature roses are small but mighty, with compact growth habits and tiny, perfectly formed blooms. They are perfect for containers and small garden spaces. These roses need full sun and well-drained soil. Water regularly and fertilize monthly during the growing season. Prune lightly to maintain their shape and encourage continuous blooming.
Excellent for container gardening, small garden spaces, and as indoor plants.
Example Varieties:
‘Cupcake’: Features delicate pink blooms.
‘Bee’s Knees’: Known for its vibrant yellow flowers.
‘Miniature Sunblaze’: Offers a variety of colors, from red to orange to yellow.
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Groundcover Roses
Groundcover roses are low-growing and spread horizontally, making them great for covering large areas with a carpet of blooms. These roses require full sun and well-drained soil. Minimal pruning is needed, mainly to remove dead wood and maintain shape. Regular watering and fertilization support healthy growth.
Perfect for ground cover, erosion control, and adding color to large areas of the garden.
Example Varieties:
‘Flower Carpet Yellow Rose‘: Masses of yellow blossoms with cream centers are presented on this true easy-care groundcover rose; simple to grow and easy to maintain with no spraying; cut back to one third in late winter
‘Oso Easy® Paprika Rose‘: A true standout rose, blooming all season with abundant orange flowers with bright yellow centers; a low mounding habit makes it perfect for the garden, along walks, or an informal hedge; all roses need full sun and well-drained soil
‘Oso Easy® Hot Paprika® Rose‘: A true standout rose, blooming all season with abundant, glowing orange flowers; a low mounding habit makes it perfect for the garden, along walks, or an informal hedge; all roses need full sun and well-drained soil
Polyantha Roses
Polyantha roses are small, hardy bushes that produce large clusters of small flowers. They are known for their disease resistance and prolific blooming. Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. Regular watering and fertilization promote vigorous growth. Prune in early spring to shape and remove dead wood.
Ideal for garden beds, borders, and hedges, providing continuous color throughout the growing season.
Example Varieties:
‘The Fairy’: Features small, pink flowers in large clusters.
‘Margo Koster’: Known for its bright coral-red blooms.
‘Cecile Brunner’: Offers delicate, blush-pink flowers.
Tree Roses (Standard Roses)
Tree roses, or standard roses, are created by grafting a rose bush onto a tall stem, giving the appearance of a small tree. They bring height and elegance to gardens. These roses need full sun and well-drained soil. Regular watering, fertilization, and pruning are essential. Protect the graft union during winter by mulching and using protective wraps.
Excellent for adding height and focal points in garden beds and borders, and can be used to line pathways.
Example Varieties:
Any hybrid tea, floribunda, or miniature rose can be trained as a tree rose.
English Roses (David Austin Roses)
English roses, developed by David Austin, combine the charm and fragrance of old garden roses with the repeat flowering of modern roses. They offer a wide range of colors and forms. Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. Regular watering and fertilization are necessary. Prune in early spring to shape and promote new growth.
Versatile for garden beds, borders, and as cut flowers, adding a touch of classic elegance.
Example Varieties:
‘Graham Thomas’: Known for its rich yellow blooms.
‘Gertrude Jekyll’: Features large, pink, strongly fragrant flowers.
‘The Pilgrim’: Offers soft yellow blooms with a delightful fragrance.
Wild Roses (Species Roses)
Wild roses, or species roses, are the original roses from which all modern roses are derived. They typically have simple, single blooms and are very hardy. These roses are often more tolerant of poor soil conditions and require less maintenance. Plant in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Prune minimally to maintain shape.
Great for naturalizing and wildlife gardens, providing food and habitat for pollinators.
Example Varieties:
Rosa rugosa: Known for its tough nature and fragrant, magenta flowers.
Rosa gallica: Features deep pink to red flowers.
Rosa canina: Known as the dog rose, with pale pink blooms and red hips.
Tips for Growing Roses in Minnesota
Choosing the Right Location: Roses thrive in full sun with well-drained soil. Select a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
Soil Preparation: Amend the soil with organic matter such as compost to improve fertility and drainage. Roses prefer slightly acidic to neutral soil pH (6.0-7.0).
Planting: Plant roses in spring after the last frost or in early fall. Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball and the same depth. Place the rose in the hole, backfill with soil, and water thoroughly.
Watering: Water deeply and regularly, especially during dry periods. Ensure the soil is consistently moist but not waterlogged. Mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Fertilization: Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer in early spring, then monthly during the growing season. Follow package instructions for application rates.
Pruning: Prune roses in early spring to remove dead or damaged wood, shape the plant, and encourage new growth. Remove spent blooms to promote continuous flowering.
Winter Protection: In Minnesota’s harsh winters, protect roses by mulching heavily around the base and using rose cones or burlap wraps for additional insulation.
By choosing the right types of roses and following proper care guidelines, you can enjoy a beautiful and thriving rose garden in Minnesota. Happy gardening!
For more gardening tips and a wide selection of roses, visit Applewood Nursery & Landscape Supply or contact our expert staff for personalized advice.