Joe Freeman, chief horticulturist for Cypress Gardens in Florida, offers a brief overview of roses. The best place to begin learning about roses is at a nursery that specializes in them, he advises. If you order roses through the mail, check catalog descriptions to see whether the varieties you're interested in are pest- and disease-resistant. Floribundas make a good choice for beginners. The members of this class of modern roses are usually somewhat more tolerant of fungal diseases and cold temperatures than hybrid teas. They produce clusters of small flowers at the end of each stem and can have a major impact in the landscape. Most stay relatively compact, growing 3' to 4' in height. Hybrid teas (figure A) are classic roses for cutting. They have an upright form, long stems and large flowers. Most varieties are fairly susceptible to fungal diseases, but infection can be prevented with a regular spraying program. Both floribundas and hybrid teas are modern roses, meaning that their classes were created after 1867. Other modern classes include shrubs, grandifloras, polyanthas and miniatures. Antique varieties, or old-garden roses (figure B), are those in classes created before 1867: albas, gallicas, damasks, Bourbons, Chinas, hybrid perpetuals and mosses, to name a few. Sometimes you'll find them growing on abandoned homesteads or in cemeteries. Many but not all heirloom varieties are disease-resistant and thrive on little care. Most are fragrant, and the blooms come in all forms, from singles to very double flowers. Climbing roses and ramblers may be trained on fences, trellises and arbors. Although they don't truly "climb," they produce long canes up to 20' in length. Shrub roses (figure C) have become increasing popular as landscape plants, and many have above-average disease-resistance. The shrub group is large, encompassing the classes hybrid rugosa, hybrid musk, kordesii and shrub. Shrubs can be grown by themselves or in combination with other roses. Roses are more picky about soil than many other garden plants. To help them thrive, provide a well-drained, rich soil that's high in organic matter. They prefer a pH between 6.0 and 6.5, or slightly acid. Fungal diseases are common in roses. In drier climates, powdery mildew is prevalent. Rust is a problem in the Pacific Northwest and other regions that have mild winters and cool, moist weather during the growing season. Blackspot is the most prevalent disease of roses and can be found in all climates with moderate to generous rainfall. Some classes of roses are more disease-resistant than others, but a regular spraying program can minimize disease problems in even the most fungus-prone varieties.
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