Special Use Roses

When you think of roses, the garden types with their long stems and specimen flowers come to mind. These include the popular Hybrid Tea, Floribunda and Grandiflora roses. However, a number of varieties have been found or bred specifically for differently purposes.

Miniature roses are so named because they generally grow from 12 to 18 inches high and wide. Their blooms are small, about the size of a nickel to a quarter in diameter. Although they look delicate, they are very hardy and survive Ohio winters quite easily under normal care.

They work well in porch boxes, planters, individual pots and jardinières. Miniature roses also make wonderful low border plants when planted in clusters directly in the ground.

Miniflora roses are slightly larger than miniatures in height and diameter and have slightly larger blossoms. They are used like miniatures, but can create taller borders and ground covers. Miniflora roses are also a bit more robust looking than the delicate miniatures.

All-terrain, or shrub roses, are similar to the miniature and miniflora roses in that they produce more blossoms than garden type roses and are often used as hedges and borders, and even large ground covers. The smallest all-terrain roses grow 18 to 24 inches in width and height and up to 4-6 feet wide by 3 to 4 feet tall. Blossoms vary, but are approximately the size of a quarter to a 50-cent piece.

Climbers can be used a number of ways. They can be planted near walls to create beautiful backdrops for other plants. Or, they can be planted near upright or suspended trellises to create flowering gateways and canopies within the garden.

The size and number of blossoms on climbers differ between varieties. Most grow eight to ten feet in height. They normally don't grow upright without support, but can easily be trained to fences, posts and trellises when attached loosely with soft cord, twine or non-binding plastic or Velcro strips. They generally need a three-foot wide area in which to grow.

Ramblers are similar to climbers, but are used more for their ability to grow outwards, winding their stems across fences to create beautiful partitions of color. Most varieties of ramblers grow to a maximum of 20 feet across, but, if necessary, like the climber, must be trained to grow in their designated place.

Both ramblers and climbers bloom on last year's stems, so don't prune back new growth. Remove only the oldest and biggest stems from the bottom.

The tree rose is the most unusual of the special use roses. They are generally created from the Hybrid Tea, Floribundas and Grandiflora roses. These specimen roses are grafted onto an approximately 28-36 inch foot tall rose stem of another variety. All but this one stem is pruned away to create what looks like a small ornamental tree, which can grow five to six feet in height including the stem or standard.

Tree roses are used most often in pots or as a garden feature on the edge of a patio or as an entry to a formal rose garden. They are generally used alone or in pairs, but can be appropriately spaced beside a long wall or walk. You normally won't find whole gardens of tree roses.

Tree roses, ramblers, climbers, all-terrain, shrub, miniflora and miniature roses are all special use roses which can make an eye catching addition to any landscape.