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All-Time Favorite Roses

© Keith Muraoka

I have a retaining wall in my backyard that is lined with a dozen or more roses. Roses are, indeed, the queen of flowers. And yet, they have the somewhat undeserved reputation for being high maintenance plants. In actuality, if you choose carefully, you'll find that some rose varieties aren't anymore picky than many other foundation plants.

Of course, you'll need to plant any rose in full sun; the hottest place in the garden, the better. Roses are require plenty of water and fertilizer to keep blooming all spring and summer long. However, unlike many older rose varieties, you won't have to be spraying against aphids or diseases like rust or powdery mildew if you choose a resistant variety. And, best of all, most roses will provide beautiful cut flowers to bring indoors. Our home is rarely without a vase or two of cut roses throughout spring, summer and fall.

Keep a close eye on roses. If you catch any problems early, you cna avoid having to spray chemical insecticides. For example, aphids can be washed off roses with a strong jet of plain water from your garden hose. Once aphids are knocked off, they die. And yes, it's true that if you plant garlic, onions or marigolds next to roses, you can deter aphids. (However, you won't deter diseases).

I'm often asked by friends what my favorite roses are. Here are a few of them:

Double Delight. This All-America Rose Selections winner from 1977 is one of the most vigorous roses in my garden. What really makes Double Delight stand out, though, are its colors. Blooms are a combination of red and white, and the colors are dramatically combined, with red sprawling irregularly over white petals. No two blooms are exactly alike since sun and variable weather conditions produce difefrent colored patterns.

French Lace. Most rose growers will tell you that getting a nice white rose is always the hardest. French Lace is a clear white, with a little ivory and even pale apricot mixed in at the base. Smaller flowers are offered since this is a floribunda type rather than a hybrid tea. French Lace is a 1982 winner from AARS.

Mister Lincoln. If you think of dark red (and who doesn't when it comes to roses?), you think of Mister Lincoln. This old-time favorite won an AARS award back in 1965. Today, it's still rated 8.6 (out of 10) by the American Rose Society. This hardy rose not only offers a dark red color, but is long on fragrance and is a prolific bloomer.

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