Question: What are the most dependable roses for my Texas landscape?
Answer: Dr. Steve George of the Texas Cooperative Extension, assisted by other scientists of the Texas A&M Agriculture Program: Drs. Wayne Mackay, Cynthia McKenney, Raul Cabrera, Phil Colbaugh and Mr. Landry Lockett, are conducting ongoing tests to find the most dependable, trouble-free roses for Texas gardeners.
Following are those that have already been selected for their superior performance under a variety of Texas conditions and without heroic soil preparation or spraying.
Groundcovers:
Sea Foam is a creamy white double that blooms from mid-spring until frost. It grows in spreading shrub form to 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide.
Dwarf Shrubs:
Marie Daly is a semi-double, fragrant pink variety that blooms from spring until frost. It is a Polyantha rose that grows to 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.
The Fairy is a light pink, small-flowering double Polyantha that grows to 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. It blooms all season long.
Small Shrubs:
Caldwell Pink is a very double, lilac-pink rose that blooms from spring until frost. It grows to 4 feet tall and wide.
Knock Out is a cherry red, semi-double shrub rose to 4 feet tall and wide. It blooms from spring, through the summer and all the way until frost.
Perle d’Or is a double-flowering, peach-colored rose that grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide. It flowers from spring until frost.
Medium Shrubs:
Belinda’s Dream is a double pink rose that is also fragrant. It is fragrant, blooming from spring until frost. The plants grow to 5 feet tall and wide.
Else Poulsen is a pink-flowering, semi-double floribunda rose that blooms from April until November. It grows to 5 feet tall and wide.
Katy Road Pink grows to 5 feet tall and wide. It produces semi-double, pink flowers all season long.
Mutabilis (butterfly rose) is a 6-foot shrubby China rose with single yellow, pink, then crimson flowers. It is the first rose to be named EarthKind” Rose of the Year (2005).
Vines:
Climbing Pinkie grows to 10 feet tall, or it can be kept as a 6-foot shrub. It bears semi-double, fragrant pink flowers all season long. It is a Polyantha rose.
Click here for information about sources of EarthKind” roses.