Landscaping with Roses - Design Decisions

Landscaping with roses is a very large topic. Whole texts are written on the subject, each of which is specific to a given trend in landscaping or a specific region of the world. The challenge in what follows is to condense that information into a three part series suitable for a worldwide audience with a variety of growing conditions and tastes in landscape design. In this first article, we will explore the landscape design choices you, the gardener, must make - the decisions. In subsequent articles, we will help you select the right location for your roses and choose the right roses for that location.

When landscaping with roses, the fundamental question each gardener must ask is, "why am I growing roses?" Apart from being named the World's Favorite Flower, roses can sometimes be a challenge. They are a fast growing perennial and therefore attract a wide variety of pests and diseases; they can consume time, energy and resources which could be devoted to other worthwhile landscape endeavors; and they are not always best suited to the location where one needs landscape color and form.

I am frequently asked, "Which roses should I grow for [fill in the blank] ." Almost always, my response is "Why do you want to grow them in the first place?" Although answering a question with a question is never a good answer, it helps define the gardener's intent for using roses in the landscape. By understanding the gardener's intent, specific design decisions can be made.

Growing roses for pleasure means the gardener need only select the best roses for the location he or she has chosen in the landscape. This means selecting roses best suited for the local growing conditions and micro-environment, selecting roses which will coordinate landscape and home color schemes, and selecting roses which best exemplify the garden style selected for the landscape. Hybrid Musk roses, for example, do well is less-than-full sun, but are not very well suited to colder climates. Conversely, cold tolerant roses with northern European heritage struggle in the sun and heat of the southern U.S. Pink roses planted next to a red brick home might not be the best color choice while white roses might look stunning. Hybrid Tea roses might not be the best choice if one has designed an English cottage garden.