Help me pick a rose :D

15 years ago

Hello enablers! :)

You guys helped me tremendously when figuring out which rose to plant as a hedge against my driveway and I ended up planting Earth Song, which is doing AMAZINGLY well! I bought 13 ES from Chamblees as wee little plants and they're just perfect. (The seedlings in the pic are African marigolds)

Now I need about 6 more roses of one variety to plant along the bed in front of my yard, bordering the pavement. Here are the requirements:

1)Must be decently cold-hardy for Chicago winters. (I am convinced I am a borderline zone 6 as HTs Mr Lincoln and Peace & polyantha Climbing Clotilde Soupert have zero dieback for me.)

2) Must hold up to heat very well. This area is very exposed and gets full sun, great air circulation. In my garden, Chrysler Imperial, Oklahoma and Mr Lincoln,- all three crisp in July/August temps :-( but neither Peace nor Chicago Peace do so. Here's Chi Peace this morning:

3) No BS.

4) I am going to put up a 3.5 foot tall white picket fence (see my crude marking in the photo below) just in the area bordering the pavement so the rose will be planted behind the fence, its feet will not be visible to passersby.

5) Height-wise I am thinking 4 feet tops.

I am thinking a crimson rose like William Shakespeare 2000 would look amazing (or even a Crimson Glory but it crisps) but I am open to any other suggestion! I am also thinking of Chicago Peace as I know it holds up very well to the heat.

Pls help. I need to clear that bed and get it rototilled asap. Thank you :D

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Comments (7)

karenforroses
15 years ago
William Shakespeare is a wonderful choice, as is the beautiful Munstead Wood. The really full petalled Austin roses do hold up better in the heat. The newer Kordes Red Riding Hood is another good choice - I got mine from Palatines, who have huge and healthy roses. It is very cold hardy, extremely disease resistant and a great rebloomer. I also love Day Breaker - it isn't red, but has a blend of colors that are really stunning and fit your other requirements. Good luck with your choice, whatever it may be.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Riding Hood
michaelg
15 years ago
Wouldn't 'WS 2000' sprawl onto the sidewalk? It makes 5' canes that arch over. 'Prospero' is very compact and looks good with 'Earth Song,' but I don't know if it's cane-hardy there, and it is a slow grower. I love 'Mother of Pearl' for its disease resistance and elegant, long-lasting flowers. It is reported hardy in z. 5. It makes a fairly large, bushy plant. The soft peach color would go well, I think.

If you plant a rose with HT-type flowers next to the sidewalk, be prepared for passers-by making away with some blooms.

I'm so glad you chose 'Earth Song' and are happy with it. It's hard to beat.
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ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
15 years ago
This may not sound very imaginative, but after viewing your picture of the front yard (great idea to include that, by the way), I'd be inclined to continue with Earth Song. I think the result of a large area of this same rose would be spectacular, and would not visually break up this fairly small area. Also, the blooms of this rose are not so glamorous that people would be inclined to take them, saving you some frustration. You could perhaps plant some spectacular roses close to the house to give some emphasis to the entrance, even a climber if you have the space. William Shakespeare might be wonderful there. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Ingrid
lovemysheltie
Original Author
15 years ago
Karen, Michael, Ingrid: Thanks for your responses. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with Ingrid's suggestion of repeating Earth Song. So I purchased 6 ownroot ES and they should be here on Monday :D Thanks all! :)
Brittie - La Porte, TX 9a
15 years ago
Can I just say that I'm totally jealous of your lawn? It looks great! We haven't had any rain and mine looks terrible, lol.
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
15 years ago
lovemysheltie, it would be wonderful to see pictures of your rose borders later on when they've grown a little and are all blooming. It should be quite a sight!

Ingrid
lovemysheltie
Original Author
15 years ago
brittie: This is the first time I have EVER had a nice front lawn and it's only because the husband has been diligent about watering it! We haven't had any rain either :-( My lawn is all-organic :)

ingrid: Here's a pic from this morning, I had to crouch on the concrete to get it. The plants are chock full of buds and such troopers despite the heat. What a great rose Dr Buck created! I cannot wait for the plants to grow taller! :D

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