Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
disneynut1977

Starting from scratch rec's?

Hi,

From upstate NY. I haven't been on GW in a few years and don't have much experiance with roses. My hubby and I bought my parents home just over a year ago. My stepfather was big into jap maples and grasses. i have a ton of different names varieties in my yard, but I'm not the biggest fan.

He never planted the verge so i thought i'd start there. It's 70ft long and anywhere from 5-8ft wide, full sun. I converted 10ft of it last year with 1 double red KO and a darlows Enigma I brought with me. Plus various periannials I feel would mesh well. I would prefer not to spray and just deal with some not so pretty foliage if i had too. Frangrance is the most important to me, second to some repeat blooming.

What roses would you pick?

Thank you
Melissa

Comments (10)

  • jacqueline9CA
    9 years ago

    Melissa - the most important thing is picking roses which LOVE your area climate, about which I of course know nothing. I would drive around your neighborhood, or any near by neighborhood where there are gardens, when the roses are blooming. Find ones you like which look healthy, and start from there. Visit the nearest rose society meeting and ask questions. Local, local, advice is what is important. Hopefully someone from your area will respond on here, but meanwhile you can start looking yourself. Sounds like you have a great place to plant roses.

    Jackie

  • disneynut1977 ~ Melissa
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Jackie
    I am very lucky to live only 3 miles from the local rose garden. I have never volunteered as its Wednesday during the day and I work. I have been there many times though. I havent been the most impressed with what I thought were my favorites for how they fared at the garden. The 1's I really like always end up being once blooming, lol.
    Not that many people have large rose gardens in my area. 1 about 10min walk is very large, but looks to be all ht. Not my favorite.
    A street below me, there is a hedge of rugosa that the deer avoid, but again hers only bloom once.
    Thats why I posted hoping somebody with similar climate to respond with suggestions.

  • seil zone 6b MI
    9 years ago

    I'm sure there is probably a rose society in your area somewhere. I would give them a try. They're going to know what roses will be the best for your conditions.

    I would personally recommend Julia Child. She has been very healthy and hardy for me. Lovely yellow blooms with a good fragrance and fast repeat too.

  • AquaEyes 7a NJ
    9 years ago

    Mad_Gallica would be the one to offer you the best advice -- she's also in upstate NY, and also in zone 5.

    :-)

    ~Christopher

    Here is a link that might be useful: Mad_Gallica's page at GardenWeb

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    9 years ago

    It sounds to me like you know what you should do, but aren't sure about doing it. Big once bloomers, interplanted with August blooming perennials make a potentially awesome garden. Definitely much better than disease ridden, winter challenged repeat bloomers.

    Since you have space, get one of the big, early Chinese yellows. R. hugonis, R. primula - something like that.

  • disneynut1977 ~ Melissa
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes, you r right mad-gallica. I know the direction I'm leaning torwards, but not sure about all once bloomers. Maybe I should pick 2-3 repeat blommers to intermingle, than the rest heavenly scented hardy once bloomers with my perennials.

    Thank you for the suggestions

  • true_blue
    9 years ago

    Melissa, here is a link to a blog of guy who gardens in Hudson Valley, most of them are Austins though.

    It seems some people have grown Souvenir de la Malmaison, a bourbon rose, successfully in your region.

    Good Luck.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Roses in Hudson Valley

  • rosefolly
    9 years ago

    Actually most rugosas do repeat, so I am surprised that the hedge you describe does not. My father grew several in his garden in western Pennsylvania and his did. His favorite was 'Hansa', very fragrant. Think of the scents of cloves and old roses mingled. Rugosas tend to sucker, so you may want to get them grafted.

    I do think that at least some of the wonderful once blooming European old garden roses (OB-OGRs) would be gorgeous there. The albas and damasks are the most fragrant. The gallicas are the most colorful and tend to be moderately fragrant, but I would recommend that you get them grafted. They want to sucker to form thickets when they are on their own roots. Occasionally the other OB-OGRs will do this, but gallicas are by far the worst.

    To get some repeat bloomers you might look at some of the Griffin Buck roses, and also at some of the Canadian Explorer roses. The modern rose breeder Kordes has produced a number of disease resistant, cold hardy roses, but until recently fragrance has not been one of the goals of their breeding program.

    You might look around for a copy of Hardy Roses by Robert Osborne for suggestions. I have the first edition but I have seen a second expanded edition that would probably serve you better.

    And do interplant with a variety of perennials. Not only does it look good, but your roses will be healthier for it. Monoculture is always an invitation to disease.

    Rosefolly

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    9 years ago

    Something a lot of people have trouble with is just how BIG hardy roses can get here. So the repeaters (and perennials) that are mixed in have to be able to hold their own against something much closer to a lilac than a hybrid tea. The big Explorers can do it. There are some one-offs like Jacques Cartier and Karl Forster that can do it.

    Right now I'm trying to figure out how to rescue an Austin, a Buck and a Brownell from the clutches of Darlow's Enigma.

  • rosefolly
    9 years ago

    Mad Gallica, I'm grateful that you mentioned Brownell. I was going to recommend this breeder as one who produced older roses suitable for Disneynut's climate but could not come up with the name.

    Also I like the size image you suggested. I can see how that would be very useful.

    Folly