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I've got a couple of roses out front that I am giving up on. Put them in four years ago and they have pretty much declined each year. Wondering if anyone in the South has had success with growing roses that don't need a lot of care. I'm looking for something that gets three to four feet tall at the most and spreads maybe three feet. Bloom color/size is not as important as being a tough rose. Where they will be gets good sun and I am in zone 7a
Well, which ones are you giving up on? Do you know what types you have: floribunda, hybrid tea, grandiflora, etc.? Most roses require at least some deadheading and almost all require pruning before new growth starts in the spring (some people like to do it in November-December in Zone 7A but I consider that too early as the soil is still warm and there's still stem growth). What is your soil pH and type? (clay, loamy, sandy, etc.)
I know some people will grow nothing but Knockout roses because they're practically bomb-proof and you can prune them even during flowering if necessary. I have 3 that came with the house and they bloom from March until November with no work at all (I'm in 7A as well), but there's no fragrance! I like hybrid tea roses like Disney, Wildfire (but that's tall), Voodoo, Soaring to Glory (not as tall as it sounds). and Perfume Delight. All are nicely fragranced; grow in full sun and will withstand drought; can tolerate some clay soil; and need little deadheading although it will improve bloom rate. For some reason the roses in my back gardens got overly tall this year - much taller than their description. I don't usually fertilize but I do use Miracle Gro topsoil as additional planting material. I buy pretty much from Heirloom Roses and Jackson and Perkins.
There's an old rose bush in my yard that my grandmother planted back in the early 1970s. It never gets any care, and it still blooms every year. I have no idea what kind it is, but it has cream colored roses.
You don’t say what you are doing for your roses now, OP. Are you fertilizing them regularly, but they are still not thriving? Do you have any visible insect damage or disease?
In my experience, Knock Outs are great for a few years, but then fail to thrive after awhile. What I have done for the past few years is buy inexpensive roses at Sam’s Club for about $10. My only criteria is that they smell fragrant. Some do very well, and some Peter out, but I’m not out much money.
Here in zone 8b, we hard prune around Valentine’s Day, and start fertilizing with a 3 in 1 systemic on the holidays...St Patrick’s, Memorial Day, July 4th, etc. Roses are heavy feeders. I deadhead them so they don’t waste energy making seeds.
I meant to say, I only use the systemic if there is a need, like a disease or thrips, etc. Otherwise just an all purpose fertilizer.
I've got a couple of roses out front that I am giving up on. Put them in four years ago and they have pretty much declined each year. Wondering if anyone in the South has had success with growing roses that don't need a lot of care. I'm looking for something that gets three to four feet tall at the most and spreads maybe three feet. Bloom color/size is not as important as being a tough rose. Where they will be gets good sun and I am in zone 7a
I'll suggest a couple of dwarf rosa rugosas. If you get dwarfs they will grow in rounded mounds to a maximum of 3 feet high by 3 feet wide. (non-dwarf rugosas can grow to 8 - 10 feet tall and 12 feet wide at maturity). Rugosa roses do not have typical hooked rose thorns, they have straight thin needle-like prickles that are so close together they look like a bristly brush on the stems. Gloves are a necessity for handling during winter pruning.
Rugosa roses are pretty much maintenance free except for when they get their winter pruning, very tough, rugged plants in all weather and soil conditions (including sand) and they're resistant to insects, salt and pollutants in the environment. Most varieties bloom continuously from spring to late fall and the flowers have a lovely long lasting fruity-rosy scent, strong but not overpowering. They produce colourful autumn foliage of yellow to red hues plus an abundance of very large, tender, juicy edible rosehips that taste a lot like apricots and have more vitamin C in them than any other kind of rose. I like to make preserves out of the rosehips.
I'll suggest a couple of dwarf rosa rugosas. If you get dwarfs they will grow in rounded mounds to a maximum of 3 feet high by 3 feet wide. (non-dwarf rugosas can grow to 8 - 10 feet tall and 12 feet wide at maturity). Rugosa roses do not have typical hooked rose thorns, they have straight thin needle-like prickles that are so close together they look like a bristly brush on the stems. Gloves are a necessity for handling during winter pruning.
Rugosa roses are pretty much maintenance free except for when they get their winter pruning, very tough, rugged plants in all weather and soil conditions (including sand) and they're resistant to insects, salt and pollutants in the environment. Most varieties bloom continuously from spring to late fall and the flowers have a lovely long lasting fruity-rosy scent, strong but not overpowering. They produce colourful autumn foliage of yellow to red hues plus an abundance of very large, tender, juicy edible rosehips that taste a lot like apricots and have more vitamin C in them than any other kind of rose. I like to make preserves out of the rosehips.
Rosa Rugosa will run wild and take over if you have very sandy soil. They ended up multiplying and sprouting up all over my yard when I lived by a beach. A WONDERFUL rose though that will grow well in normal, slightly sandy soil. Beautiful aroma, blooms all summer, and produces many rose hips before it goes into hibernation for the winter (here in the north, they will stop blooming in about Sept.) I never did anything to take care of this rose, in fact they are planted wild and left alone on the dunes to hold the soil in place. My favorite rose for a simple, no care rose
I've got several dozen Knockout roses -- red, pink, peachy-coral, and yellow-white -- that are remarkably tough. For the last 12 years they've made it through winter freezes, hailstorms, drought, 100 F heat, grasshopper infestations, alkaline soil, sudden temperature changes, you name it. Few pests, bloom profusely for 8 - 9 months each year, no need to deadhead (though I do so, for esthetic reasons). No scent, though, and deer will eat them unless they're fenced off. Mine grow to 4' - 5' tall, so perhaps too tall for you? If so, the coral-colored Drift roses grow to about 2' - 3' tall and have the same durable qualities as Knockouts. The other colors of Drifts are very pretty but aren't as hardy as the coral. Good luck on your rose search; let us know what you decide!
I have them. They are labor intensive to keep them from going everywhere. Mrs. NBP insisted we keep them when we bought the house. I have decided that I will miss her funeral because I will be killing them.
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