Selecting The Right Rose Choosing A Rose...

There is a rose for every use. Small Miniatures for a window box, Ramblers for ground covers, Climbers for, well, climbing, Shrub/Hedge types for screens or barriers, an Bush types simply for beauty.

Use this guide to choose the best rose for your garden.

Classification
Characteristics
Uses
Antique This is a loose term used to denote roses whose origins preclude the late 1800's or early 1900's. Their characteristics vary greatly but in general they are simpler roses with fewer petals and smaller flowers Typically used as hedge or border plants.
Climbing Another loose term which applies to roses that have long, arching, or vine like canes. This group includes all flower types from large Hybrid Tea types to Miniature types. Typically trained along a fence, up trellises, or over arbors.
David Austin's English
Modern Shrub Roses
English Roses		 Austin first created this grouping by crossing old shrub roses with modern roses including hybrid teas. They typically bare clusters of very large flowers with extreme fragrance and high petal counts on large scale shrub-like plants. Most are repeat bloomers. To fully appreciate these plants prune them as you would other shrub roses. The flowers nod or hang somewhat pendant on long arching canes. By allowing the plants to reach their full height you can fully appreciate their beauty as you look up into the flowers. Can be trained as climbers.
Country Roses
 Same characteristics as Austin's but from the hybridizer Harkness in England.
Generosa Denotes roses from the hybridizer Guillot in France. These roses vary in usage as to what other classification they fall in to. The majority are modern shrub roses but there are some Hybrid Teas and others will probably follow.
Romantica Denotes roses from the hybridizer Meilland in France.
Floribunda These are typically medium sized plants with large clusters of medium sized (2-3" diameter) flowers. Very freely blooming, many nearly nonstop. Floribundas are typically much hardier, easier to care for, and more tolerant of various conditions than the hybrid teas. This makes them well suited for border planting, mixed with perennials and other plants, and in areas where roses may be difficult to grow.
Grandiflora Often confused with Hybrid Teas as the general appearance is similar. Grandiflora is taller, often to 6' or more in height, with clusters of very large flowers. The clusters contain fewer blooms than the typical Hybrid Tea. The commanding height of these plants allows them to be used in the background of a border garden and of course in any rose garden.
Hedge A small group of relatively low growing roses with a short, dense growth habit. When planted closely, they form a nice uniform hedge. Typically free blooming. As their name implies, they are used as small hedges often lining larger, more formal border or perennial gardens or walkways.
Hybrid Tea
Large Flowered Roses
This is the first modern class of roses and is comprised of most of the roses in production. The large, high centered flowers, which are borne on long straight stems, distinguish this from other roses. Typically these are medium to large plants which can reach 4-6' in height. Most bloom in cycles.
Used in mixed borders, perennial gardens and rose gardens.
Miniatures
Polyanthas
Miniatures are just that, small. The 3/4-1" flowers bloom profusely on plants that seldom reach more than 24" in height. Tough, carefree plants.
Good in window boxes and containers. These little plants can also be used in the foreground of your perennial garden and are often planted in rock gardens, massed as a ground cover, or used to edge gardens and walks.
Shrub
Shrubs are a large class of plants that now includes the David Austin grouping of roses. Classic shrubs are tough, vigorous roses which bare small to medium sized flowers that typically have fewer than 25 petals. They have excellent disease resistance. Many form hips.
These are the roses to plant where others just will not live. They thrive in the worst conditions: cold, salt spray, wind, and heat. They take it all.
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