Rose classes broken down
By Alex Job
Job's Nursery LLC
Roses are broken down into classes or types of roses to help define the characteristics common to a group of roses.
Hybrid Teas are your cut roses to take inside the house, for they bloom on flower per stem. They usually grow to a height of 4 to 6 feet. To encourage frequent blooming, you will need to prune out the spent flowers them at least monthly to promote blooms.
Grandifloras are a more vigorous hybrid of rose tends to be 5-6 feet tall with one to five roses per stem, with a Hybrid Tea blossom. May not be the best for cut roses but it makes up by having lots of blooms to show off.
Floribundas reach a height of 3-4 feet and provide lots of color. Generally blooms in bracts or bouquets of 3-7 blooms per stem. Petal can range from 10-50 depending of the variety. These color throwers are easy to care for and don't require much pruning to keep blooming.
Miniatures range in height of 2 to 3 feet. Miniatures get their name from having a bloom size of about 1 to 2 inches wide versus the actual plant size. They typically bloom in 1-5 rose clusters per stem. Great for borders, foundations and smaller flower beds. Most modern miniatures are self cleaning, where they do not need to have spent flowers removed to keep blooming; to remove spent flowers on miniatures you simply cut to the stem to the first leaf set.
Ground Cover range in height of about 18 inches to 3 feet. Ground Cover Roses have a mounded spreading habit that is great for borders or areas where you need low, ever blooming, summer color. Their flower size is the same as a Miniature and they are self cleaning, which is great considering how much they bloom. Generally we don’t worry about pruning this class in the growing season, unless they are growing into areas where they shouldn’t be.
Climbing Roses are roses that tend to have an upright, arching habit that can either be trained to a trellis or arbor. Otherwise if left untrained they form a large 10 to 12 foot high cascading rose bush. They great for screening or a trellis of color. Climbers only need an occasional trim to be blooming.
David Austin and Romantica Roses are cabbage head roses. David Austins are English, while Romanticas are French. The plants height can range from 3 to 6 feet tall with an arching habit. Generally they will bloom 1 to 5 flowers per stem with a petal count of over 90. A majority of these are varieties are very fragrant. These roses can be trained as a bush or as a climber. David Austin or Romanticas are great for foundations, hedges and focal points. They require as much pruning as a Climber or Floribunda.
Shrub or Landscape Roses basically includes everything else rose. The size can range from 2 feet to 12 feet, with flower shapes varying from a tea rose to a cabbage head. With this class, the uses are endless due to the variety of characteristics, so select a variety based on your needs.
Tree Roses are bush roses grafted up on a standard (stem or trunk) to create a tree look. Unfortunately they are tender zone 7 in the Tri-Cities and need to protected in the winter. This is done by keeping them in pots and placing them in a protected shed, garage, or greenhouse. If planted in the ground you want to wrap the top in burlap or an old blanket.
Written by
Alex Job