2005 Year in Review

Reviewing Roses

Knockout Rose

Pink Knockout

Double Knockout

Hybrid Tea Rose

Grandma's Blessing

Last Tango

Macy's Pride

Yellow Submarine

Sierra Skye

Little Mischief

Pink Gnome

Tahitian Moon

Source: Greg Stack (708) 720-7520

Ever since there have been gardens, there have been roses. Some of them can be temperamental and the efforts of rose breeders to tame that disposition and improve resistance to disease can lead to a bewildering array of variety names confronting consumers, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

"It is virtually impossible to know everything there is to know about the row after row of plants with enticing names and offers of the most magnificent blooms," said Greg Stack. "It can be equally difficult to know if they will hold up to the claims."

Stack attacked the problem by reviewing some of the new introductions currently available.

The Knockout was introduced in 2000 and has been an outstanding rose, he said. It is extremely disease resistant and unbelievably hardy. It grows to about three to four feet and has deep green foliage that has a tinge of burgundy.

"In the fall, the foliage takes on a deep burgundy," said Stack. "The single red flowers are produced all summer in clusters followed by orange hips for a fall and winter display. This is perhaps the rose for the person who says roses are too much trouble because the only trouble you will have with this rose is deciding how many to buy."

Stack noted that the "Pink Knockout," with bright medium pink flowers that fade to a lighter shade, and "Double Knockout," offering double deep cherry red flowers, are also available.

Fans of hybrid tea roses know that their size and elegance of bloom comes with problems of hardiness and susceptibility to disease, such as blackspot and mildew. However, a new era of hybrid tea roses has made available plants that are garden-friendly.

"'Grandma's Blessing' is a grandiflora rose that resembles a hybrid tea, with huge, fully double, dusty pink blooms that have a sweet fragrance," said Stack. "This is also a rose that would work well with other perennials and in small space gardens as it only gets 1-1/2 feet in height. It has dark green foliage and excellent disease resistance."

"Last Tango" provides a great combination of the strength, reliability, and disease resistance of a shrub rose and the beauty of a hybrid tea bloom. The flowers are a clear red with ruffled edges that conceal the center. It is a repeat blooming rose that grows from two to four feet tall.

"If you are looking for a white rose, consider 'Macy's Pride'," he said. "This is a fully double white rose with flowers reaching four to five inches in diameter. It was named to commemorate Macy's centennial. The lemon yellow flowers open to creamy white and then age gracefully to a very light pink.

"The green foliage starts out with a 't' red edge and then ages to a semi-glossy green. 'Macy's Pride' is a tall rose growing to about five feet."

"Yellow Submarine" is a variety evocative of the famous Beatles tune. It is a tough, disease-resistant shrub rose that produces clusters of bright pink, lemon yellow, two-inch blossoms that age to pale yellow and, finally, white. It has an upright habitat to about three feet and looks good when planted in groups with other shrubs and perennials.

"If orange is your color, take a look at 'Sierra Skye'," said Stack. "This five-foot-tall plant produces striking, fiery orange, fully double three-inch blooms all summer. The foliage is a clean green color. To continue its color display, 'Sierra Skye' produces one-inch orange hips to add to the fall and winter interest in this plant. This rose can make a real color statement in the garden."

“Gardeners short on space but who still want to include roses in the garden have options, too. For them, some new, short, diminutive varieties may provide the answer.

"Little Mischief" is a rose growing to about 1-1/2 feet in height. It is much like "The Fairy" rose except the flower color is a deeper pink with a white eye. The one-inch double flowers are borne in a cluster all summer. The flower color also fades as the blossoms mature, creating an interesting range of color from pale to hot pink. The medium-green foliage is disease-resistant.

"This rose is a perfect fit for the front of a border, a low hedge, or even a container," said Stack.

Garden gnomes are in, and why not a rose to go along with them, Stack noted.

"'Pink Gnome' is a compact plant with a wonderful tight-round habit growing to only one foot in height," he said. "The pink buds open to a light pink flower with white centers that are about the size of a quarter and cover the plant from top to bottom. The foliage is medium-green and highly disease-resistant."

For a South Seas flavor, Stack recommends "Tahitian Moon." A large plant--six feet or more in height--it could be considered a large shrub or climbing rose. It produces large, fully-double blooms that are a soft, pale yellow.

“Blooms are produced in clusters with old blooms dropping cleanly from the plant,” said Stack. “Foliage is a dark, glossy green.”

by  Editor, theCity1.com
June 14, 2005