What Type of Rose Should I Plant?

Have you recently asked yourself this question: What type of rose should I plant? No matter how large or small your garden is, there’s always room for roses. You can add a vertical element to your garden with climbing roses, or accent sunny corners and borders with miniature roses. Potted roses make a great addition to patios and apartment balconies and even tabletops. A rose collection not only adds fragrance to your garden, but also an abundance of blooms for bouquets—so it’s no wonder you’re ready to get planting. What follows is our guide to deciding what type of rose will be the best fit for you.

 

Hybrid Teas have large, fragrant flowers on long stems - Ideal for use as an accent in your garden.

Hybrid teas

By far the most popular, these roses have large, fragrant flowers on long stems ideal for cutting. Tall, upright bush forms qualify them as ideal specimens or accents. They also work well in group plantings. Protect them where winters are severe.

Grandifloras

A hardy cross between Hybrid Teas and Floribundas, these plants make excellent tall screens and provide an abundance of cut flowers. Some types bear one bloom per stem, others produce clusters.

Floribundas

Carefree, colorful plants bloom spring through fall. Low and bushy, they're naturally disease resistant and are considered the mainstays of the landscape. Use them in shrub borders, mixed perennial beds or in containers.

Climbing roses

Cover a fence, trellis or arbor by anchoring the graceful, long canes of these hardy selections. They'll grow to 20 feet and longer, perfect for framing an entry, accenting a pillar or wall, or even rambling down a slope.

Shrub roses

From low-growing groundcovers to hedge-type shrubs, these hardy roses offer low-maintenance, long-lasting beauty in a variety of landscape settings.

Patio tree roses

Perfect accents for small spaces, these roses provide extravagant color in an almost endless variety of uses. Try one as an accent for an entry, patio or landscape. Use several to line a walkway, drive or bed.

Miniatures

Upright, climbing and trailing forms mimic their bigger cousins. Miniatures are fun and easy to grow - you can even use them indoors in a bright window. Outdoors, plant them in containers or in groups in the garden. Stagger them in rows for a soft, rounded effect.

Type height spacing form

Hybrid Tea 2 - 6' 3 - 5' Upright
Grandiflora 3 - 6' 2 - 4' Spreading
Floribunda 2 - 3' 2 - 3' Low spreading
Shrub 2 - 8' 4 - 8' Varied
Patio 24 - 50' 2 - 3' Tree
Miniature 4 - 20" 6 - 12" Varied