The relatively harsh winter climate of the Intermountain West limits the number of colorful perennial plants we're able to grow. For example, cold, combined with a hostile soil reaction, pretty well rules out the masses of azaleas and rhododendrons common in the Pacific Northwest or Eastern states.
We can do very well with the rose, designated a few years back as the nation's official flower. If you doubt that, visit the municipal rose garden in the east end of Sugarhouse Park periodically. There you'll see hundreds of rose varieties, including the newest All-America rose selections. They're labeled, properly pruned and groomed and maintained for your enjoyment.It may not be the reason you would view those magnificent plantings, but I look at things backward sometimes. Some roses seem to have problems. Weak stems, proneness to diseases such as mildew, rust or blackspot, slowness to get established or recover from the effects of the winter, poor vigor with few blossoms or that fade quickly in the summer sun are characteristics worth noting. This arms you with information when you select from the thousands of available roses. Don't buy those.
Spring is the traditional time for planting roses because reasonably priced bareroot plants are available from local nurseries or mail order catalogs. You can plant them right now provided garden centers have the varieties suited to our location and in the colors you need for your landscaping. It's an ideal time to get containerized roses, as well as shrubs and trees in the ground. The tops are going dormant, but roots will become established while the soil remains warm.
Roses are among the most versatile and adaptable of plants. Varying growth habits, shapes and sizes along with different leaf and flower colors provide many options for their use in the landscape. They will soften and brighten taller evergreens that in turn brighten the flower show. They blend well with many other shrubs to provide seasonlong color.
I've found great delight in my rose bed where about 15 roses, spaced 21/2 to 3 feet apart, provide blossoms throughout summer. You can create borders or hedges that help guide traffic patterns in the yard. Three or four plants grouped near a doorstep can accent the entry. The relatively new miniature roses can outline many of the annual flower beds or are excellent borders for taller roses.
Major rose classifications are:
- Hybrid teas are the classic one-to-a-stem rose with a fragrance. They're the most popular, are suitable for cutting and can be used about anywhere in the landscape.
- Grandifloras are a newer class of rose and combine the above traits. They feature multiple well-formed blossoms on one stem. Most grandifloras are tall and make majestic background plantings.
- Miniatures, or "minis," have achieved popularity recently. They're only 1 to 2 feet tall, yet produce perfectly formed, miniature buds and flowers. Use them in limited space gardens or keep them in pots. They are ideal for filling in at the base of large plants.
- Climbing roses have long arching canes that can be attached to trellises, arbors or fences. They can cover walls, provide a screen effect on a fence or restrict an unwanted view.
- Tree roses are not a different classification but simply a hardy rose trunk with the selected variety budded high. Most Utahns are disappointed in the low survival rate of tree roses during cold winters. That high bud union must be protected from severe freezing. One way to do it is to make an 18-inch diameter wire mesh cage that covers the entire plant and extends a foot above the bud. Fill the cage with straw, non-compacting leaves or other insulating products during the winter.
The Utah Rose Society is one of the most active gardening groups in our area. It's composed of helpful people willing to share their expertise to be sure everyone enjoys roses. You're welcome at their meetings on the third Thursday of the month at the Associated Garden Club's Center, 1602 E. 2100 South.
Two of the local rosarians who have helped educate me to the local cultural techniques of this lovely flower are Dave and Eleanor Greenhalgh. This dedicated couple freely gave me the answers when I recently asked them to name the top few roses for Northern Utah.
- Touch of Class, a coral-pink hybrid tea (HT), is the first they named.
- Olympiad. The easiest to grow red. Other choice red HTs are Chrysler Imperial and Mr. Lincoln.
- Peace. The nation's most popular rose.
- Honor. An excellent white HT but slightly tender so needs winter protection.
- Brandy. An orange HT whose color really stands out.
- Gold Medal is a yellow grandiflora. Good yellows are not common, but this one excels.
- French Lace is a lovely white with slight pink center floribunda. A true everbloomer.
- Europeana, another floribunda, is a nice red.
- America is their first choice as a climber. It's a coral color. Blaze is an outstanding red climber.
The Greenhalghs keep up with the latest All-America Rose Selections but are quick to point out that a choice rose chosen somewhere else doesn't necessarily guarantee success here. They have compiled a more extensive list of adapted, numerically rated roses for our area. You can get a copy by sending a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rose List, 1333 E. Parkway Ave., Salt Lake City, UT 84106.
All-America Rose Selections Inc. offers a very nice color brochure, "The Wonderful World of Roses," to provide more detailed information about our national flower. Besides giving hints on uses in the landscaping, proper planting and care, it lists all the AARS winners by year. Send a long SASE plus $1 to: Dept. GW, c/o AARS, 221 N. LaSalle St., Suite 3900, Chicago, IL 60601.