Different Kinds and Types of Roses

Shrub Roses

• Considered low-maintenance roses, shrub roses feature a dense growth and produce large blooms. Their rounded shape and fine-textured leaves lend them to a variety of growing options including privacy screens and hedges. The winter hardy plants tolerate a variety of soil conditions and resist a number of rose diseases. Most shrub roses grow 5 to 6 feet high and produce fragrant blooms throughout the summer. Common varieties include English Garden roses, Parkland roses and Canadian Explorer roses.

Climbing Roses

• Commonly planted along fences, walls, pillars and trellises, fast-growing climbing roses send out long canes that fill the vertical space with color. Rambler roses that feature 20-foot canes and up to 2-inch-wide blooms and glossy leaves and ever-blooming climbers that bloom profusely in spring fall into this group. Other varieties of climbing roses include trailing roses and large-flowered climbers. Although trailing roses do not produce showy flowers, they set fruit in the fall that attracts birds. Large-flowered climbers usually bloom two times a year, in summer and fall.

Hybrid Tea

• Hybrid tea roses are the most popular roses today, according to the University of Missouri Extension. Initially a cross between an imported tea rose and hybrid perpetual, this kind of rose produces large blooms with a pleasant fragrance. The blooms appear in a variety of shades including red, pink, yellow, reddish-white, white, mauve and orange. The long-lasting roses flower throughout the season and last for several days when cut.

Polyantha Roses

• Polyantha are disease-resistant and extremely winter hardy roses commonly grown in areas where hybrid roses fail to thrive. Although blooms are smaller than other roses, they grow in large clusters that dazzle the planting site with an abundance of color. The low-growing bushy roses are commonly used for borders or mass planting. Popular varieties of polyantha roses include The Fairy, Cecile Brunner, Marie Pavie and China Doll.

Miniature Roses

• Also called patio roses, miniature roses, or mini roses, are smaller varieties of larger roses. What they lack in size, they make up for in color and fragrance. Usually growing 6 to 12 inches tall, the blooms that measure 1 to 2 inches across appear in a variety of colors and fragrances. Their compact, bush-like form makes miniature roses a suitable variety for rock gardens and low hedges.

Floribunda Roses

• Floribunda roses are a cross between hybrid teas and polyanthas. Bred hardier than hybrid teas, floribundas produce medium-sized blooms in a variety of colors including mauve, yellow, yellowish-orange, pink, red and white. Their short and bushy form makes them suitable for mass plantings. Popular varieties include French Lace, Iceberg, Cherish, Sunfire and Chrisma.