Queen of the Garden

by Lydia Holley May 1, 2023

There is a reason the rose is the most popular flowering shrub. You can find roses which will fit almost any color scheme, in warm to cool tones, from pure white, purple, red, pink, apricot, yellow, and even green.

If you love soft, perfume-like fragrances or spicy, fruity scents, there is a rose that is perfect for you. Or, if you prefer scentless roses, they can be found, too. Roses can bloom wide open or keep furled with multiple petals. Some rose blooms are large. Others are quite dainty.

Additionally, rose bushes grow to various sizes, so if you want something short and compact, get a miniature, dwarf, or low-spreading rose. If you need a large bush, those can be found, too. Some will even climb on posts or arbors, though they need a little help tying themselves to the structure.

Roses look good in a formal setting with boxwoods, or in a cottage garden surrounded by various plantings. They only ask for full sun. Some prefer to be pruned, some do not mind being hedged, while others appreciate being left to grow bushy. You can choose a rose for its name, too, and since there are so many, you can probably find one that reminds you of a loved one. Worried about thorns? There are thornless varieties, though I still would not run my hands up the stem.

No wonder so many start a flower garden by choosing a rose first. It can be hard to venture away from roses since they seem to fit in almost any spot in the garden. Many only start growing annuals and perennials as companion plantings to their roses.

Some gardeners will not grow roses because they learned in the 60s that all roses have to be sprayed with chemicals. It is true that some need it. However, due to modern rose breeders selecting introductions based upon disease resistance, many do not need spraying. If you are wanting to give roses a try but have been reluctant to do so, look for roses which are resistant to blackspot and powdery mildew. Some roses have a resistance to rust, but rust is not prevalent in East Texas, even though it is best to grow roses away from cedar trees. It is important to look for signs of rose rosette virus, though, as there is no known cure.

Most roses bloom at least twice a year, some constantly throughout the summer. If you add roses to your garden, you will delight in these bushes filled with flowers. In no time at all you should be able to understand why they are called the Queen of the Garden.

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