Rose recommendation for 6b

5 years ago

You were all so helpful when I was trying to find roses for my mom to plant in her yard, that I was hoping to get some more advice to help my aunt select some roses in Northern KY (6B). She had a huge rose bush for many years, but it died out of the blue so she is looking to replace it.

She wants pink colored roses and can do either a large shrub or climbing rose in that spot. She'd prefer one with an old rose or tea rose scent, but would be fine with another scent or no scent at all. That part of her yard gets morning sun and her previous rose bush thrived in that location (until it didn't...).

She really likes my David Austin roses (the look of them), but I don't know if that's a good option in her climate or if they are available locally for her or not. She does not want to have to deal with the hassle of mail order.

I'm a rose novice so I would appreciate it if anyone has any suggestions on what she should plant next spring- DA or otherwise.

Thanks!

Featured Answer

Kes Z 7a E Tn

5 years ago

What about pink double knockout? i know knockout roses are often scorned on this forum but there's a reason why they are ubiquitous. Given your aunt's desire to find something locally, this one is usually available in nurseries and big box stores. You don't mention your aunt's age or her interest in gardening, but if she's older with a casual interest in gardening at most, she may appreciate a rose that's easier to care for. Sadly, it doesn't have fragrance but it is usually a dependable bloomer with minimal effort.

I don't know a lot about the availability of roses in the Louisville area. I hope someone from the general area will be by to share some shopping suggestions. I can tell you that in many localities KO roses are about the only variety readily available. Sometimes local nurseries will order something from a supplier and this could open up her selection a little. It might be more helpful for your aunt to go shopping locally and find something she might be interested in trying. Maybe you could help her use HelpMeFind to see if it might have the characteristics she would like. Or encourage her to visit here and ask!

Just a thought. How prevalent is Rose Rosette Virus in your aunt's area? Is she sure that her old rose wasn't affected? If it's a problem, maybe something other than a rose would make her happier.

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Comments (6)

Melissa Mc (6b)
5 years ago
New Dawn is beautiful and a great grower! I had one at my old place and it had hundreds of big beautiful blooms! That should be one you can get locally at a nursery.
sd2102 (8b PNW) thanked Melissa Mc (6b)
Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I do not know how large it gets here, but she might want to look at Olivia Rose Austin. Felicia is very fragrant for me here and blooms a lot. Fairly healthy. Is she looking for large flowers or would a medium sized suffice? Cinderella is a nice Albay thorny Clymer, that is not a beast. Viking Queen is also gorgeous but I have never seen it locally. The most healthy for me and limited sun is pink pet flowers are small pom pom. Where in Northern Kentucky does she live?
sd2102 (8b PNW) thanked Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
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sd2102 (8b PNW)
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks- I'll take a look at all your suggestions! I actually ordered Olivia Rose Austin for my own yard, so I will definitely pass that recommendation on to her as well.

I think she would be more interested in a repeat bloomer/prolific bloomer and less concerned with the size of the bloom itself. If I recall correctly, the previous rose bush didn't have very showy flowers, but it seemed to always be in bloom. She's in Louisville.
Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
5 years ago
One other question: will she spray for black spot? That opens up quite a few more. A new one for me that has been non-stop bloom is Hermosa. Fragrant is light on a good day. Zaide is also excellent, but needs spraying here. It can be grown as a small climber Take a look at Aloha, also. I don't know the nurseries in Louisville, but maybe you can encourage her to get something mail order.
sd2102 (8b PNW) thanked Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
sd2102 (8b PNW)
Original Author
5 years ago
She isn't so old that she can't handle planting the rose bush or potentially even dealing with a bareroot plant, but my uncle will be the one taking care of it since he likes to putter in the garden, and I don't trust him to keep an eye out for things like blackspot :)

She wasn't sure what happened to her previous rose bush, but a quick google search shows that RRV is in Louisville so I can describe the symptoms and see if that's what happened.

I can definitely convince her to do mail order. I guess I'm just spoiled since I can find a pretty good selection of different roses locally so I was hoping she could pick something up locally. I'll do some digging on the local nurseries to see if any offer anything more than the KO roses, though I'll suggest KO roses to her as well.

And thanks again for all the suggestions!