The beauty, resilience and fragrance of roses have made them a favourite of gardeners, flower lovers and a symbol of love for centuries. They’re known as the flower of choice for Valentine’s Day, although I’m sure many of us would be happy to receive any variety of flowers! There is a rose to suit every sunny spot in your garden, particularly if there is limited space.
You can have them growing over and along your fence or a shed, planted in a beautiful pot, or even lined up along your driveway so you can see them every day when you come home.
History Of Roses
If you’re into history, we can go back to ancient times, in fact, ancient Rome and Persia to the beginning of roses. Romans would hang roses from the ceilings of banquet halls, and it was understood that anything said under these bouquets under the influence of wine was to remain confidential!
Roses are England’s national flower. They represented two important families in the fifteenth century — the Lancasters and the Yorks. The War of the Roses occurred in England between 1455 and 1487 when the house of Lancaster, represented by a red rose, and the house of York, represented by a white rose, competed to rule England.
Growing Roses
Growing roses in Australia is relatively easy. They will grow in every state and territory, so it doesn’t matter what beautiful part of the country you live in.
To be a successful ‘rose grower’ you’ll need to put them in an area of your garden that has protection from the wind, receive at least four hours of sun per day, and have moist soil rich in organic matter. If you’re able to use compost, this will be even better.
If you like to grow flowers and plants specifically for their enticing smell, you definitely can’t go past having roses in your garden, mainly when they contain a blend of essential oils.
Types Of Rose Growth Patterns:
Standards
Shrubs
Groundcovers
Climbers
Choosing a suitable variety of roses is key to getting the desired result. This includes the scent of the rose’s perfume, the particular spot you decide to plant in your garden, the right colour, the growth pattern and maintenance requirements.
It will also benefit you to learn more about the variety you are considering buying and its growing habits and pruning requirements. For example, hybrids have long stems, so don’t go for this type if you want a standard stem length. These are bred for the flower industry as they shoot out long stems, making them difficult to maintain as a common stem.
Colour
We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to roses. Not only do they look stunning (I’m currently looking at mine as the sun rises), but they have the most divine perfume. We can even choose which type of rose for our garden depending on the colour we prefer. Let’s take a look at some of the varieties available to us:
Types Of Yellow Roses
‘Teasing Georgia’ – will grow as an excellent small climber, approximately 1.2 m tall
‘Sun Sprinkles’ – miniature rose bush growing 0.30-0.60 m in height
‘Julia Child’ – these bushes are pretty compact and rounded, growing to a height of 0.8 to 0.75 m
Types Of Red Roses (a la’ Valentine’s Day)
‘Benjamin Britten’ – medium to tall growth habit of 0.9-1.5 m tall
‘Warrior’ – low-growing rose of only 0.90m in height
‘Darcey Bussell’ – they generally grow up to 0.90m tall and spread 0.60m wide. Great for the front of beds or as a flowering hedge.
Types Of White Roses
‘Alabaster’ – reach a height of 0.9 m and a spread of 0.9 m after 2-5 years
‘Polar Star’ – will reach a height of 1 metre and a spread of 0.7 m after 2-5 years
‘Tibet’ – blooms in flushes throughout the season. and has an approximate height of 1 to 1.5 metres
Types Of Pink Roses
‘Charles Bonnet’ – has light green foliage and grows to approximately 3 to 4.5m in height and 2 to 2.5m in width
‘Royal Jubilee’ – it’s an excellent repeat bloomer that grows up to 1.5 m tall and spreads 0.90 m wide
‘Madame Isaac Pereire’ – is a medium-sized shrub that blooms up to 1.8m wide
Types Of Purple Roses
‘Princess Anne’ – grows up to 0.90m tall and spreads 0.60m wide. It’s an excellent choice for beds and borders.
‘Night Owl’ – grows to approximately 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 0.90m
‘Neptune’ – is a medium to tall shrub, growing approximately 1.2-1.5 m tall
Are Multi-Coloured (Rainbow) Roses Real?
‘Rainbow’ roses are real in the sense that you can grow them in your garden, but if you ask gardeners alike, they’re bound to say they’re not natural. This is because they’ve been artificially coloured through the flower’s water intake – splitting the stem into different cups of dyed water to achieve the rainbow effect.
This has caused controversy throughout the gardening world, but we’ll leave that decision up to you. Should they be kept au natural, or would you love to have them on your garden table?
The Meaning Behind The Colour
Now you’re probably thinking, these all sound fantastic and the names are lovely and fancy but do the colours bear any other meaning? Yes, they do, so listen up.
White roses – Innocence and purity
Pink roses – Grace, gratitude, admiration and joy
Red roses – Love and romance (hence why they’re famous for Valentine’s Day)
Yellow roses – Friendship
Where can I see roses in person?
Australia, and in particular Melbourne, has stunning rose gardens. If you’ve got a free weekend, head out to these beautiful gardens:
Victoria State rose garden located at Werribee Park, Werribee South
Mornington Rose Garden, Mornington
Alister Clark Memorial Rose garden, Bulla
Before deciding what you want to grow in your garden, it’s essential to consider how much time you have to tend to it. If you would prefer having a plant that does its own thing throughout the year, roses may not be the right plant for you.
You can find a previous blog post on pruning here , plus an article on general rose care.
If you need further suggestions or design or plantscaping indoors and outdoors, please contact us for an onsite 90 minute consultation.
Refer to our packages for further detail on how we can help you in the consults and subsequently throughout your garden implementation process.
Do check out our other articles on plants such as jasmines and hellebores.
Types Of White Roses
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