For some reason unbeknown to me, roses went out of fashion in the early noughties but thankfully they are now seeing a comeback with bigger and bolder blooms than ever before being created by commercial growers.

There are more than 13,000 different Rosa cultivars commercially available that can all trace their lineage to just 100 wild roses.

When looking to purchase roses it is important to know what you are looking for so that you can guarantee buying the right plant for the right spot.

Roses are categorised into a glut of different groups.

  • Species Roses These tend to be the wild roses and/or hybrids that share the majority of their characteristics of both of their parent species. Generally speaking they tend to be big, arching shrubs or climbers and they bear one flush of single, five-petalled flowers per year, flowering in either spring or summer. The flowers are followed by decorative hips throughout the autumn. Rosa rugosa is an excellent example of a Species Rose. They are best sited in wildlife gardens or grow ing through informal, native hedgerows.
  • Old Garden Roses This group of roses is split into two categories; European roses and Oriental/European hybrid roses.

The European Old Garden Roses bear clusters of fragrant blooms in summer on matt-foliaged shrubby plants. As the name suggests, these are very old plants, Rosa x centifolia for example, originated in the 1450s. Rosa x alba, Rosa x damask and Rosa x gallica are all grown for their scent, most often in cottage garden settings or historical European gardens.

  • The second category of Old Garden Roses, the European/Oriental hybrids typically flower from late summer to autumn. Their foliage is noticeably glossy when compared to the old European roses.Modern Garden Roses These flower repeatedly throughout the summer and autumn in wonderful blooms which are not always fragrant. They all have glossy foliage showing the influence Oriental roses have had over time. They come in a variety of growth habits from climbers to ground covering, miniature roses to shrub roses.

Despite being called Modern Garden Roses, they actually began to appear in the 1860 which is relatively modern when compared to the roses of the 1450s!

  • Next week: How to create a rose heaven.

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