It seems ironic that after writing about the effects of troublesome heat, I am now writing about the problems brought on by difficult winter weather.
Winterkill on roses is always a problem, because many Utah gardeners try to grow roses that aren't cold hardy. Each spring, there is always some winterkill on roses, but this year was much worse.
The solution to this problem might come from a rather unlikely place located in Jensen, Uintah County. Most people would not associate the Uinta Basin with roses, but because of a rather interesting series of events, it has an outstanding rose supplier at High Country Roses.
The story begins in Colorado with Bill Campbell, a rosarian who was interested in hardy roses that would survive the conditions there. He started High Country Rosarium after spending a decade collecting and testing old garden roses.
Campbell's daughter, Heather, and Day DeLaHunt had moved to Jensen and liked the lifestyle there.
"We were river guides in a former life," Heather explains, "and liked the area so much we decided to stay." The couple owned many different businesses, including the H&R Block franchise, and Day even had a chimney-sweeping business.
"My father had decided to retire," Heather said, adding that she and Day decided to take over his business and grow mail-order roses. "We started out with Dad's recommendations that were primarily old garden roses, shrub roses and species roses," she said.
"His original list of 30 varieties turned into 100 varieties very quickly, and then it soon turned into 250," she said. "We started growing some varieties because our customers were planting a lot more repeat bloomers that are smaller — such as the floribundas." (To check out High Country's hardy-rose offerings, log on to www.highcountryroses.com).
Heather said the company ships roses all over the country — from Maine to Alaska and from Puerto Rico to Hawaii.
She also noted rose growers are now asking for roses High Country propagates. "People are becoming more familiar with own-root roses," she said. "Most commercial roses are grafted onto another rootstock rose. The grafted rose dies over the winter and people end up with Dr. Huey rootstocks (a dark single rose that blooms only once) for their flowers.
"This last winter, lots of people lost 30-40 percent of their rose plants,"she said. "All of our roses we have here are on their own roots, and we did not lose a single plant. I lost some canes on some plants, but all of the roses came back.
"The advantage of own-root roses is that you do not have to worry about protecting the graft union. The disadvantage is that there are lots of varieties that are not available propagated on their own roots," she said.
Some of these roses might not be familiar, but they are worth looking at because they will tolerate harsh winter conditions.
Heather and Day separate their roses according to the different classes. Here are just a few that should grow well anywhere in Utah:
Old garden roses are original varieties found in nature from which all roses have been bred. The vigorous bushes are exceptionally hardy. The flowers are single (with only five petals) and appear in early spring.
Another class is hybrid perpetuals and Portlands that were favorites of the Victorian era. These are mostly repeat bloomers with large, full flowers and exceptional fragrance. They are hardy plants that grow into sturdy, upright bushes.
Among the modern roses at High Country are the miniatures. These small shrubs are crosses with Chinas and multiflora roses, and with proper care, they bloom nearly continuously. The bushes are compact and branching and are excellent for borders or in containers.
Also look for polyanthas, floribundas, hardy hybrid tea and grandiflora roses to mix with the hybrid musk roses. The later are known for their immense clusters of sweetly fragrant flowers.
Shrub roses have diverse characteristics that do not fit other classes. Most have excellent landscape qualities in mass plantings or hedges. The Canadian Explorer and Parkland Roses are reliably hardy in Zones 3 or 4. They are disease resistant, they flower continuously, they require minimal pruning and they come in many colors and sizes.
High Country also offers English shrub roses — or David Austin roses — climbers, ramblers and a host of other types. You do not have to keep replacing tender roses when there are so many cold-hardy choices available.
Larry A. Sagers is the horticulture specialist, Utah State University Extension at Thanksgiving Point.