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inareverie85

Need help finding the ideal roses for my garden.

inareverie85
9 years ago

Hello, everyone. First post on Gardenweb. :)

I bought a new home last year and have finally set myself to the task of sprucing up the yard. My front is full of newly planted Gardenias, Azaleas, Japanese Magnolias, and Daylilies, but I would love to have a few centerpiece plants to enjoy in my back yard.

I would love to plant a few roses this year and give them until next year to establish before planting much else. They'll get more attention that way. :)

Problem is, I have noticed that roses often seem to get larger than many online vendors say in their listings, and I am also wanting a rose with flowers that won't quickly expire in my very warm and very humid zone.

I was hoping you all could help identify a few good choices in roses for me that fit a few criteria.

I really like the bloom form on hybrid tea roses - they aren't overcrowded with petals, but they are still full. Vendors online seem to term this form as an "exhibition" style, I believe?

All of the flowering shrubs and perennials I have are either white, purple, or pink, and I would like to stick to one of these three colors. I am less keen on salmon or hot pinks than I am on baby pinks.

Roses I have looked at are Barbra Streissand (sp), Falling in Love, and Moonstone for the hybrid teas. I'd have bought some of these today if I hadn't come across a thread here where some reported that their Moonstones had gotten over 7' tall! For aesthetic purposes (since the tree that they will be near is only about 9' tall), I'd prefer roses that do not exceed 5' but still have large blooms.

Also, I suppose more obvious, they must be OK with the full brunt of Southern Louisiana sun and humidity. :)

I would also love to have climbing roses to grow up the columns of my back patio, but they would have to be grown in pots (perhaps large pots) and not grow onto my roof!

I greatly appreciate any input you guys may have. I am totally new to the world or roses, and I look forward to learning from you all. :)

Comments (10)

  • mazorose
    9 years ago

    There are some Austin roses that might fit your needs. They have a large specific list in their catalog for hot and humid areas. Since you are in Louisiana- not sure how far from you it would be but the American Rose Society has their Gardens in Shreveport. It would be a great place to see how certain roses grow in your climate and you would be able to get in contact with local growers and get some expert advice!

  • diane_nj 6b/7a
    9 years ago

    Ask over on the Antique Roses forum. They can recommend some of the older roses that should do well for you.

  • catsrose
    9 years ago

    Since you want exhibition style HTs, posting on the Antique forum won't get you very far. I also suggest a trip to Shreveport, but, barring that, look [online] at Chamblee's Roses, Antique Rose Emporium, and Roses Unlimited. The first two are in Texas and RU is in SC. They will carry roses that do well in LA and they are also very knowledgeable, unlike most workers in garden centers and even nurseries.

    Only smaller roses do well pots. A climber needs a strong root system to support all that growth above, so it's life in a pot would be limited.

  • inareverie85
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I would love to go to Shreveport, but I doubt I'll have a day to do that for a good while. Many rose nurseries are also likely to stop shipping roses soon.

    I think I am going to research a bit more on different hybrid teas. I am learning that they are not all the same in terms of growth habit.

    The Moonstones are huge, and Barbra flowers expire quickly in the heat, but I think Blue Girl might suit my needs. Will need to read more about it though.

    And yeah, I am also noticing that the part of my patio where any roses might have been potted probably gets too much shade for them to be happy. I'm going to abort that plan and just plant some climbers along my fence.

  • pat_bamaz7
    9 years ago

    Falling in Love is a good rose for me here in North Alabama. It holds up well in our heat and humidity and doesnâÂÂt get too tallâ¦around 5 ft tall by 4 feet wide. Blooms heavily in flushes with fairly quick repeat. Blooms are beautiful, fragrant and last a long time on the bush and in a vase. I grow over 100 roses, though, and Falling in Love is probably the thorniest of them allâ¦vicious, vicious thorns on that one! I havenâÂÂt grown the others you mentioned, so not sure on their size or performance. You might want to look at Royal Amethyst as an alternate to Barbara Streisand. It was new for me last year, but so far has been the best lavender IâÂÂve grown. Almost constant bloomer and the blooms donâÂÂt fry in our heat. Many of the lavender roses are rather wimpy and fickle, but RA seems to a really good one here. If you want a white rose, Pope John Paul II has been a great one for me. Gorgeous blooms, highly fragrant, very rain tolerant for a white and a great cut flower. Some have reported trouble growing him, but here he has been a stellar performer and doesnâÂÂt get too huge. I donâÂÂt have any modern climbers, so no suggestions for you on those.

    Falling in Love

    {{gwi:268880}}

    {{gwi:268881}}

    Royal Amethyst

    {{gwi:268882}}

    Pope John Paul II

    {{gwi:268883}}

  • inareverie85
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Your photos make me fall in love with Falling in Love all over again. :) And your others are lovely, too. Heirloom Roses still has all three of the options you mentioned available.

    Being excited and impatient, I already ordered a Blue Girl and a World War II Memorial, but I think I definitely want to order at least the Amethyst as well. And perhaps a Falling in Love?

    I have room for 4 roses, I think. :)

  • diane_nj 6b/7a
    9 years ago

    The reason why I recommended the Antique Roses forum was that they could recommend roses with the characteristics desired, but might be easier care. All of the modern HTs will, more likely than not, require a regular fungicide treatment in LA. It wasn't clear if inareverie85 was concerned with disease resistance or not.

  • inareverie85
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    If treatment is generally simple to do, I don't mind applying it. However, if it's an every-day struggle, it might be difficult. If I can get away with monthly treatments or perhaps even weekly, then I think I can handle that.

    Do antique roses have flower forms similar to hybrid teas? I am most concerned with the form of the flower and the ability to cut if I so desire.

  • pat_bamaz7
    9 years ago

    Most, if not all, hybrid teas require spraying with fungicide in our humidity. Some need to be sprayed every 2 weeks, but some can be sprayed monthly or less. There are some that, no matter how much you spray, will still suffer from fungal issues in our high humidityâ¦Angel Face and Chrysler Imperial come to mind off hand. If you use the Bayer brand fungicide spray (I believe its official name is Bayer Advanced Disease Controlâ¦just the fungicide spray, not the one with insecticide included), it is a cure, as well as, a preventative. By using it, you can wait until a rose starts to show signs of blackspot to spray (infected leaves wonâÂÂt turn back green, but the fungus will be killed). If you use a spray that is a preventative only, more frequent spraying will be necessary to combat fungal problems. Spraying a chemical fungicide is not difficult, but it is a chemical you are spraying in the environment. If you want a chemical free garden, there are organic alternatives, but they usually are not as effective in treating and preventing blackspot in high humidity climates. Many gardeners use chemical fungicides, but many are adamantly against it. You will want to do some research and make your own decision on that.
    As far as antique roses, you wonâÂÂt get the high centered exhibition form or as long a vase life from them. There are some charming antiques that would be great, disease resistant performers in your climate, though. Teas, noisettes, chinas and polyanthas would be good ones to look at, but again, the form, bloom size and vase life are different from moderns...and most of the teas and noisettes will get huge in your climate. You might want to consider some of the antique climbers for your fence and get hybrid teas as your shrubs or vice versa to see which you prefer long term. I was originally a hybrid tea fanatic, but have really come to appreciate the beauty and ease of the antiques lately.

  • jovy1097
    9 years ago

    I highly recommend Belinda's Dream. I too live in Louisiana and it performs like a champion without any spraying for us. You could also try Quietness and Earthsong. If you want an old antique that gets about 8' x 8' and loves our climate, then give Mrs. B. R. Cant a try. I've got lots of information on an old blog that I haven't updated in a couple of years at the below link.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Davy's Garden Blog

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