Becca, It will vary every year with the weather pattern, but basically, it will depend upon where your story is set.
In Southern California, our roses are beginning to bloom.

Jeri

For Virginia , I would guess April showers bring May flowers.

I notice you have VA by your name, so I assume you are talking about Virginia. I live in Alabama and I count on my rose show being anywhere between April 25-May 10 (the big show). This can vary based on weather. Last year they were frozen on Easter Sunday and there was no "big show." With the worst drought since the Civil War, there was not much after that but high water bills.

I believe Pat Henry in Upstate, SC, normally has her open house around Mother's Day, so that is the second Sunday (I think) in May, and that would be closer to your time than mine.

It totally depends on where your story is set and what kinds of roses you are talking about: moderns, old garden roses or species.

And don't forget the Black Spot and Japanese Beetles. ;^)

Roses start blooming in February or March here. We have had a few cold days late this year and so many plants have been delayed despite a generally warm winter.

I get roses in early July - sigh.

:)
Carol

In NW Indiana zone 5a roses begin to bloom in Mid May but the big flush is late May/early June. They will bloom until late November depending on the weather but the majority ceases by early November.

Rule of Thumb: Roses bloom late spring/early summer. Old garden roses bloom have only that one time. Modern roses bloom on-and-off until frost, with a second good flush in fall.

If you can tell us where and when your story is set, we can be more helpful. For instance, [for most intents and most purposes] there were no yellow roses in Europe before 1900.

Old garden roses bloom have only that one time.

*** NO NO NO!

MOST Northern European once-bloomers have just one flush of bloom. (There are exceptions.)
MANY Old Garden Roses, however, are wholly Asian in origin, or partially Asian.
Those roses are fully remontant.

In fact, all of the modern remontant roses owe that ability to the continuous-blooming Asians --
Teas and Chinas, for the most part.
In Southern California, where I am located, Teas and Chinas, and their children, the Noisettes,
are rarely NOT in bloom.

I've always enjoyed the work of Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters.
She knows and grows Old Roses, and when she writes about them, she is right on target.

Jeri

Jeri,
I was trying to keep it simple. If the story has an historical setting, it's not likely the protaganists would have encountered the Asian influence much before 1825 unless they are in Asia or devoted rose gardeners. If becca has to ask when roses bloom, then she's looking at the forest; you're focused on the trees.

And in VA, the Teas Chinas and Noisettes are just now coming back into leaf.

For the sake of a novel, set in Virginia, it would be safe to say they began blooming in late May and continued through October.

Just trying to keep this simple.

This is why I love this forum. Thanks to Jeri for that information as I'm still new to roses and found that very informative. Becca_E: Let us know where we can read the short story when it's finished.

Y'all need to read Mrs. Keays "OLD ROSES."
Also "EVERBLOOMING ROSES," by Drennan.

Remember, 'Champney's Pink Cluster' was bred in Charleston, about 1811 -- so Champney, clearly, had Old Blush and R.
moschata prior to that date.
(O.B. was in the west by 1793.)

Jeri

Dissemination is the keyword here. What Champney had in his nursery in 1811 is not what every had in the back yard in 1812. Anybody know what the 10 most popular roses were in 1825? 1850? 1875?....and in which countries?

I don't know about the 10 most popular, but I know the oldest rose is, Rosa gallica officinalis, the apothecary rose. It was brought back to France from the Crusades in the 13th century. It's a pretty rose and fragrant too. I'm thinking of buying one.

Ive been doing research and have noticed that flowers bloom in Mid May. They can also start blooming as late as early July.