Once flowering roses are having a hard time of things of late, mainly as there are some great repeating roses that do have some great scent as well. But let’s not forget these beautiful roses, some of which, have been around for many hundred if not thousands of years. Yes they may only flower once but that is also a good reason to plant them in our gardens, it’s something positive to look forward to each June, seeing the rose slowly open and that delightful fragrance hitting your nostrils, either from close up or from a distance. These roses also have a flower unlike no other, the shape and the way some of the petals are formed within the flower, some are quartered, some semidouble. The colour range may also be limited to the pinks and reds but does that matter, not too me I may add. But anyway, enough of me singing their praises, you can see for yourself below, with 10 great forms just showing you a little of what they have to offer
Charles de Mills is a famous and well grown form, just look at the flower shape and colour!
Alain Blanchard is one of my favourites too, great for bees the the mottling on the flowers is quite special
There a several stripy galliacas, Camuyeax is one of my favourites
Lycoris with it’s green button eye is quite distinctive
While complicata is one of the daftest named forms, nothing complicated about this rose
Look at the colour of Cosimo Ridolfe
Belle Isis is one of my favourites and just look at her, the Greek goddess
Tuscany also needs no introduction, been around since the 16th century at least
President de Seze is another great form
These were also the first roses to really be hybridised, many by the French but also the English, German and Italian gardeners. This breeding has been going on for hundreds of years and sadly what remains today.
These are also pretty tough roses, Rosa gallica grows naturally in sandy free draining soil so these types will take some poor soils. One word or warning though, on their own roots they do like to spread out a little, well more than a little, so always worth buying budded Plants unless you have a lovely sunny bank on free draining soil you would like covered!
They also pretty disease free, some forms suffer more than others but on the whole they can be pretty black spot and mildew free.
In all that are a cracking plant to grow so why not give them ago
I agree Thomas. They definately have a place in the garden. I have Rosa Mundi at the front of my house that I tend to forget is there until June when it flowers happily! I love the stripes and yes, it has spread all over the border. #lgrtstumble
Thank you, that’s the delight of them isn’t, That’s a delightful rose with a stunning story behind how it got it’s name, not sure if it’s true or not but lovely, maybe I should tell it soon,
Yes do! I don’t know it…….
Beautiful, Thomas. There’s nothing quite so romantic as a Gallica.
I have to agree 😀😀
Oh, you just had to show these off!
Okay, what ever happened to hybrid tea roses? Are they ‘that’ passe? Were there ever very popular there? I thought everyone grew them. I still prefer them (although I do happen to grow what I believe to be ‘Complicata’, but that is a whole different animal). The roses I posted pictures of were not this interesting, but if I ever get more hybrid teas again, I will want to show them off.
Haha indeed if their praises are sung they risk dying out or becoming harder to find once more.
Yes I think hybrid teas are going though the same type of problem here in the uk as are the older ones, new modern English roses are what people require and ask for neverless are still quite beautiful in their own right, I have grown to like them, more usage as a garden plant rather than mono planting
Some of the popular cultivar look better in modern landscapes and with modern architecture. Hybrid teas look rather silly with some modern architecture. (I am none too keen on modern architecture either.)
It is interesting that you referred to the popular roses as ‘new modern English roses’. I find it SO annoying that many new cultivars are marketed as heirloom roses, just to exploit the fad. Sometimes, they are described both as being an heirloom rose, AND a new introduction for the year.
I do too, they may have a bit of heirloom in there but to be heirloom they need some age too them don’t they, agree with looking better with modern styles, roses do seem to go through quite a few cycles of like don’t best keep coming back
i love roses but always thought they’d be very labour intensive to manage, so something to enjoy in my garden when i retire. However, last year i acquired a William Lobb rose and popped it in a large planter by the front door to ramble over our doorway. Its an abundant flower, seems to be pest free (at the moment) and the scent is incredible #lgrtstumble
William lobb is a beautiful rose one of my favourites I may add, the scent is stunning isn’t, some roses can suffer a lot with diseases while others are pretty disease free, I tend to use for foliage sprays now to keep the leaves healthy rather than fungicides