Growing Roses Made Easy The History of Roses
From the coolest white rose to the very hottest red rose, all the roses
we grow in our gardens today are the product of more than a staggering
70 million years of change.
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We know this from fossil records dating back to
that time. Roses now come in many sizes and shapes - from the tiny
miniature roses at only 10cm (4in) high, to the lofty climbers
reaching up to the tops of trees. To the left is the old white rose 'Agnes'. |
Rose
Types
There are many types of roses available in garden centres, so it's
important to choose the correct one for your particular situation.
Luckily enough, all garden centres use the same names to describe
the different types. All the common types of rose are described below.
Wild
Roses
These are the parent roses of all other roses, found growing in the
wild. Most have small single flowers with five petals. The colours are
normally pink, rose, yellow or white rose. Wild roses are very hardy and grow
as largish bushes or climbers. They are very resistant to disease and
pests. The flowers appear only briefly in early summer, often followed
by attractive red hips in autumn
Common varieties include Rosa rugosa which has largish rose coloured
flowers and beautiful red hips in autumn, Rosa arvensis with
small yellow flowers and Rosa canina with scented pink flowers.
OLD
GARDEN ROSES
These are hybrid roses which have been bred by crossing different
species of wild roses. They make good-sized shrubs and a few produce
flowers in two or more flushes throughout the summer, although most only
produce flowers in early summer for three or four weeks. Normally they
are over 100 years old.
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'Felicia' -
an old garden rose
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The
flowers tend to be very large and easily damaged by wind and rain - as a
rule though they are highly scented. The China rose (Rosa chinensis) is
a well known old garden hybrid which produces a succession of flowers
throughout summer. Other hybrids such as Rosa alba produce a single
flush. In general, these roses are neither tough nor easy to grow - they are for
real rose lovers.
Click here to buy 'Felicia' online now.
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Other types of roses (climbing, rambler, shrub, Hybrid
Tea, ground cover and floribunda) can be viewed by clicking "next rose
page" below. Each of these types has a page dedicated to them.
NEXT
ROSE VARIETY PAGE
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