Prairie Princess Climbing Roses

Flowers

• Princess Prairie are fragrant, medium-sized roses. The long pointed buds begin as deep coral, and the open flower is a lighter shade of coral pink with many yellow stamens in the center. The petals of the Prairie Princess are semidouble blossoms that open to a width of approximately 2 inches. The buds develop in clusters at the ends of the stems, and one or two flowers will bloom at a time.

Leaves and Stems

• Prairie Princess roses can be cultivated as climbing plants or bushy shrubs. The branches of the climbing Prairie Princess can grow to a height of 6 to15 feet. These plants have dark green leaves that grow in groups of three to five along the prickly stem.

Climate

• Classified as a hearty plant, the Prairie Princess can survive freezing winter temperatures as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit. While working as a professor at Iowa State University, Buck cultivated the Princess Prairie rose to live through the cold Iowa winters with no protection. The Prairie Princess has done well in a wide variety of locations including the eastern U.S. states as far south as Florida to the northern states of Maryland and New Hampshire. They also do well in the Midwest and Southwest.

Plant Care

• The Prairie Princess is a vigorous plant that tolerates diseases well and requires little maintenance. It grows well in partial shade and full sun. It requires little water, and the soil can be moist or relatively dry. The Prairie Princess will thrive in an area where it can ramble or climb.

Growing Tips

• Unlike vines, climbing roses do not grow their own support structures and they do not naturally latch onto surfaces. In order to help the roses climb, gardeners need to provide a vertical structure like a trellis or an arbor and train the branches of the rose bush to grow up the form. It can take time and patience for the rose to become established and start blooming proficiently.

Concerns

• Like many rose plants, the Prairie Princess has thorns scattered on the stems, so take care when handling the plants. The fragrant flowers will attract birds; and deer and other grazing animals will not be repelled.