Varieties of Purple Roses

Hybrid Teas

• Hybrid tea roses are the most common type of cut roses because they produce a single, large bloom on each stem. Hybrid tea roses are the product of crossing hybrid perpetual roses with tea roses. Most hybrid teas grow as a bush 3 to 5 feet tall. They bloom continuously from the summer throughout the fall. Purple and lavender cultivars include Big Purple, Fortune Teller, Blue Girl Blue River, Blue Nile, Moon Shadow, Silver Spoon, Stainless Steel and Sterling Silver. Harlequin is a mixture of lavender, pink and white, and Paradise is a combination of lavender and red.

Floribunda

• Floribunda roses are dense bush roses that produce multiple blooms on each stem, but the blooms are often smaller than the hybrid varieties. These roses grow 2 to 3 feet tall and bloom with clusters of flowers throughout the summer. Purple floribunda rose cultivars include Angel Face, Lavender Girl, Intrigue, Lavender Dream, Lilac Charm, Love Potion and Shocking Blue. Pillow Talk is a bicolored variety that is lavender and cream, and Purple Tiger is purple and white.

Grandiflora

• Grandiflora roses are the largest bush variety, growing 5 to 6 feet tall. The grandiflora varieties bloom continuously with clusters of flowers on long, strong stems. Produced from crossing hybrid tea roses with floribundas, the grandiflora varieties have larger, but fewer, blooms than the floribunda. Purple grandiflora cultivars include Melody Parfumee, Fragrant Plum, Lagerfeld and Spellcaster.

Climbing

• Climbing roses are not true climbers and must be trained to grow over fences and trellises. Climbing roses grow well as ground cover or as a climbing shrub. These roses grow long shoots that can drape over a support structure to mimic the appearance of climbing. Some produce large blooms, while others produce clusters of small flowers. Purple cultivars are John Cabor and Blue Girl.

Miniature

• Miniature roses are smaller than the other types, usually reaching less than 2 feet tall. Although small, miniature roses produce dense clusters of flowers and are ideal for use as border or accent plants. The purple miniature rose cultivars are Demitasse, Blue Peter and Sweet Chariot.

Shrub

• Shrub roses grow up to 12 feet tall on dense canes with thick foliage. These roses grow wells as hedges and backdrop plants in large garden areas. Shrub varieties are low-maintenance plants that produce large semi-double or double blooms on thick stems and canes. A few of the purple shrub cultivars are Cardinal de Richelieu, Othello, Purple Pavement, Purple Simplicity, Reines des Violettes, Rotes Meer, Lavender Dream, Magic Carpet and Watermelon Ice.