Perennial Rose Plants

Ode to the Rose

• One of the earliest recorded references to a rose was Sappho's 600 B.C. poem, "Ode to the Rose." But roses are far older than that. Sumerian records and fossilized rose remains from 3,000 B.C. were found in present-day Iraq. In the 1500s, roses made the treacherous voyage with colonists from England and Europe who brought the delicate beauty with them to North America. The rose is an omnipresent symbol of beauty and love, and the popular "Peace" rose was even smuggled out of occupied France in 1945 to be cultivated in the United States.

A Rose By Any Other Name

• There are a number of rose varieties. Miniature roses grow between 16 and 36 inches in height. Antique roses are prized for their disease resistance, hardiness and fragrance. Climbing roses are popular for their expansive ability to cover long fences or high trellises with a carpet of colorful petals. While Hybrid Teas are the most popular rose sold today, used primarily for cutting. Polyanthas produce large clusters of small flowers, and Floribundas are created by crossing the Hybrid Tea with the Polyantha. Grandifloras are a newer cross between the Hybrid Tea and the Floribunda.

Care of Roses

• To ensure healthy, vibrant flowers, plant your rose in a well-composted bed where it gets at least six hours of sun a day. If you live in a hot climate, some mid-afternoon shade is desired. Once the flowers begin to fade, the rose should be deadheaded about every 4 to 6 weeks, which is the removal of old flowers to encourage the vigorous growth of new blooms. Prune on an angle just above the outward-facing bud on a stem that is about as thick as a pencil. Fertilize your roses with appropriate rose food according to the instructions on the package. Water regularly. Roses prefer a very deep drink of water, so a soaker hose or drip-irrigation system is best for watering your plants.

Get in the Zone

• To grow the best roses for your area, choose a variety for your location as designated on the USDA zone map. The zones run in numerical order from north to south. For example, some Canadian provinces range from zones 2a to 4b, while the U.S. zones range from 5 a in Maine to 10a in Florida. If you choose a rose variety that does not thrive in your zone, it will struggle to reach its floral glory; but if you choose the right variety for the right zone (which is typically printed on the plant's label or which a horticulturalist will be able to tell you) your roses should acclimate quickly and easily, creating a brilliantly colored show.