Rose
(Rosa)
Adopted in 1955.
The rose, Rosa, wild or
cultivated, in all its variety and
colors, was made the State flower in
1955.
Roses are fragrant flowers with
thorny stems. They grow in bushes and
can be found in many gardens. Ever
popular, the rose was at the top of a
school children's poll of favorite
flowers in 1891.
Roses have always been a part of nature's landscape design. Fossil
evidence shows that roses have been
around for at least thirty million
years. The rose has been celebrated in
the art, music, literature, and
religions of numerous civilizations
since ancient times, and garden roses
were cultivated by Egyptians as early as
4000 BC. Some type of rose has been
discovered growing wild in almost every
habitable place in the northern
hemisphere of our planet.
Botanically speaking, all roses
belong to the genus Rosa, a member of
the family Rosacea. Relatives include
almonds, apples, peaches, raspberries,
and strawberries. In the genus Rosa
there are some 200 species known world
wide, with countless crosses that have
produced thousands of cultivars,
hybrids, and varieties. 35 are
indigenous to the United States making
the rose as much a native to North
America as the bald eagle. These species
rose plants grow in the wild from which
all other roses are descendants. Even in
the wild, the roses are an enormously
varied group of plants. In size they
range from prostrate shrubs to enormous
climbers. Their flowers can be large and
solitary or small and clustered, and
range in color from white through all
shades of pink to deep crimson. A few
West Asian and Middle Eastern species
are even bright yellow, once the most
scarce and sought-after color in garden
roses. Basically there are 3 different
roses: species, varieties, and
cultivars.
Species: Originals, all having
specific different characteristics.
Found growing in the wild throughout the
world. Given their diversity, the
so-called "species roses" are difficult
to characterize in general terms. They
often have relatively simple five-petalled
blossoms and bloom once during the
growing season. Though many are
unassuming plants, most possess a
special grace and charm lacking in their
more "refined" hybrid descendants.
Varieties: Two different
species can combine very easily to
produce a rose that has some of the
characteristics from both parents but an
identity of it's own. This new variety
is borne as a result of the pollen of
one rose bush fertilizing the ovary of
another. Seeds are formed inside the
rose hip (fruit of the bush) that falls
to the ground at the end of the growing
cycle. The following new season a new
variety develops. When nature is the
vehicle, such as bees, butterflies,
other insects and the wind that cross
pollinate the new bush, it is called a
variety.
Cultivar: When man cross
pollinates using all the techniques of
an intricate art, those new bushes are
called cultivars.
The American Rose Society (A.R.S.)
lists 35 combinations of the three
mentioned above. The 35 are called
Classifications of Roses and can be
found in the introductory of their
booklet "Handbook for Selecting Roses",
which is updated yearly. It's free to
all ARS members; another reason to join.
Also on the same page is a list of the
18 color variations within those 35
classifications. Within those 18 color
variations there are six flower colors:
- Single flower: 1-9 petals
e.g. "Betty Prior" - shrub 5-7
petals
- Semi double: 10-19 petals
e.g. "Champagne Cocktail": a
carefree 15-20 petals
- Double: 20-29 petals e.g.
"Timeless" H.T. about 25 petals
- Full: 30-39 petals e.g.
"St. Patrick" H.T. 30-35 petals
- Very Full: 40 petals or
more e.g. "Queen Margrethe" shrub
over 50 petals
- The Hybrid Tea has a high
centered flower making it the most
popular rose by far. Most flowers
are borne singularly on a stem
although some bloom in sprays.
Hybrid Teas come in just about all
colors and blends except blue or
black. Because of their
characteristics of long lasting
blooms while maintaining their form
they are excellent for cutting and
displaying. The majority are very
hardy and disease-resistant. Almost
all are once-blooming. Included in
this section are some hybrid
varieties which remain very close
their parent species in bloom and
character. The ancestors of our
modern roses have a long history;
some of them have graced gardens for
thousands of years.
Floribunda is true to its
name. Tons of flowers are all borne in
clusters. Although most flowers are
smaller in size than the Hybrid Teas,
many have the same shape and petal
count; single, semi-double and double.
Their low bush size makes them very
suitable for hedges and mass planting.
Many are disease resistant much more so
than the Hybrid teas, and like the teas,
they are available in just about all
colors.
Climber is self explanatory,
it climbs. Some are siblings of species
and old garden roses (O.G.R.) that had
long arching canes especially from the
species. Some others are descendants of
the shrub and ramblers. The correct
description of climber is large flowered
climber (L.C.L.) and not just plain
climber as it is commonly known. Unlike
climbing plants, such as ivy that has
tendrils (suction cups or curly end
vines) that attach themselves to the
surface to which they are growing,
climbers require some sort of trellis or
fence whereby the canes can weave
themselves in and out and around, thus
being able to "hang on" or better yet,
to be tied down by man.
As growth begins and with man's help,
if the canes are secured loosely in a
horizontal position the canes will
produce much more lateral growth (all
vertical) and every vertical producing a
flower – a spectacular sight to behold.
When the canes reach the end of the
trellis or fence merely bend them back
towards the bush and again attached
loosely. By the end of the first season
the entire trellis will be covered with
growth. I recommend that instead of
planting the climbers in the usual
straight-up position, angle the bush
toward its wall, fence, trellis, etc.
Many of today's climbers are sports
or mutations of modem roses, many of the
Tea, Grandiflora, Floribunda and
miniature wood has been grafted onto
climbing root stock. There is one
exception: Climbing "Summer Snow" is
considered a species original.
Miniatures are much smaller in
every sense of the word. Its leaves,
stems and flowers are much smaller than
its 4 modern brothers and sisters. They
range from 3"-4" to 2'0" or more with
the climbers reaching 3'-4'. They are
available in all colors and blends
except blue and black. Unlike the full
size modern roses, minis are available
all year long for starting indoors as
well as outdoors. It is by far the most
disease free of all the modern roses.
Polyanthas are the parents of
today's Floribunda. They are low growing
making an excellent plant for hedging or
edging especially in view of the fact
they are remontant (repeat bloomers).
Most have single flowers (less than 10
petals). Remember, most single flower
rose bushes are not very susceptible to
disease. The Polyantha is a very hardy
plant that flowers in clusters.
Shrub: The American Rose
Society (A.R.S.) has created this class
for all bush rose plants that didn't
seem to fit within any other class. The
Shrubs are easy care very hardy plants.
Some are very tall, creating excellent
living screen fencing. Some are so short
they lend themselves well as ground
covers. Some bloom only once a year,
typical of many species, while others
bloom throughout the growing season.
There are many that produce rose hips,
an excellent source of Vitamin C. If you
do plan to harvest rose hips for jelly,
remember no spraying with chemicals. I
would only use organic fertilizers.
Tree Roses: All tree roses
(also called standards) are not cross
pollinated. They are produced
mechanically i.e. by grafting. All tree
roses are derived from 3 separate
bushes, one for the root system, one for
the length of the stem and one for the
flowers. The stems are available in
various lengths 15" - 18" for
miniatures, 24"-30"-36" for Floribundas
and Hybrid teas. If you live in a cold
weather climate, I suggest that you
plant them in corresponding size pots
that can be stored in a protected area
(such as the garage) during winter. If
they are planted directly in the garden
at the beginning of their dormant cycle,
the tree roses must be dug-up - laid
down in trenches and covered over until
spring. They are a very tender plant
that requires T.L.C. When planted
directly in the garden using miniatures
at the base with contrasting or
companion colors it creates a ground
cover. The combination is very
spectacular.
Excerpted from Rose Growing
Simplified. Fourth Edition. 2001.
Armand J. Lapierre. Cape Cod, MA
Taxonomic Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta -- Vascular
plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta -- Seed plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta -- Flowering
plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida --
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Rosidae – |
Order |
Rosales – |
Family |
Rosaceae – Rose family |
Genus |
Rosa L. – rose |
|