Shrub roses: Innovation is creating hardier, disease-tolerant roses

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to members of the Vancouver Rose Society. It was really refreshing to see their long and continuing support and promotion of our most iconic flowering shrub.

As the nature and size of gardens have changed over the years, so, too, have roses. The well-known and much-loved older varieties, many of which have remarkable fragrance, are still with us, and as the result of ongoing breeding, many excellent new varieties are being offered each year. Roses, especially those with beautiful flower form and perfume, are still finding their way into many gardens.

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There has, however, been a shift in breeding to develop roses which are hardier, very disease tolerant and more continuous flowering.

Shrub roses, also known as landscape roses, describe roses that provide long-term colour from spring into fall. These are being used, more and more, in parks and public gardens, for commercial plantings, and even on medians along our roads and highways.

Many new varieties, which are both heat and drought tolerant, are being developed and, once established, they require minimal maintenance. They are also great pollinator plants providing both pollen and nectar over a long period of time. Most are hardy to Zones 4 and 5, so need a little winter protection, and all of them have varying degrees of disease resistance. I’ve noticed, too, that as a rule, they are more compact, growing in the 1-1.5-metre range, which allows them to be used as borders and low screens.

Their best quality is in providing vibrant colour in a landscape that now seems to have more roads and sidewalks, brown lawns and curtailed plantings. These shrub roses bring a welcome lift in so many landscape situations and in today’s stressful world that is needed now more than ever. They also combine nicely with perennials, ground covers, and bulbs to heighten their impact.

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Today there are many great choices when it comes to shrub roses. From hardy rugosa Sidewalk series to the Easy Elegance line, to Meidiland’s (Meilland’s), and Knock Outs, you’ll find one to suit your garden.

Bred in the U.S. in 1989 by William Radler and introduced in 2000, Knock Outs have been around for a while. Early on, I was not a big fan of these roses simply because of their less than perfect, fully open flower form. But I have gained a whole new respect for them over the past couple of years with our chilly, damp springs. While other varieties struggled, Knock Outs staunchly provided abundant colour with beautifully clean foliage. The new Double Knock Outs have nailed it for floral beauty, and the new Petite series which grows to about half a meter high is perfect for those smaller locations. With this kind of flower power, it’s no wonder Knock Outs are North America’s best-selling shrub rose series.

One of my favourite groups of shrub roses are the Easy Elegance. Bred by Ping Lim and owned by Bailey’s Nurseries in the U.S., they are by far the most diverse series available today. The number of varieties and the colour range are amazing; from whites, creams, yellows, reds, corals, and bicolours, their versatility really expands the practicality of the shrub rose in our landscaping.

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A few of my favourites are the double yellow High Voltage with it’s beautiful dark yellow buds opening to a soft yellow, Champagne Wishes is a delicate cream colour, and Music Box is a stunning pink and yellow bicolour. There are some great reds like Como Park and Kashmir as well.

All of these are classed Zone 4 for hardiness, and once established, these prolific bloomers have proven to be very disease resistant.

I’ve held off writing about them until now, but a couple of years ago, Ping Lim, along with Altman Plants in California, introduced another line of hardy shrub roses that are really something. Until now, they have only been available in the U.S., but next year independent garden stores in Canada will have access to them.

They are very disease resistant, hardy to Zone 5, feature five colours, and have a long blooming period. They are unique in that they are the first shrub rose with a high petal count and formed very much like hybrid tea blossoms.

I’ve known Lim for a few years, and last year we were fortunate to receive four of his varieties to trial in B.C. I like all of them — yellow True Friendship, pink True Inspiration and vibrant orange True Passion — but my favourite is a yellow and pink bicolour called True Sincerity. The lightly perfumed blooms last a long time, and the blossom colour changes as they mature. They are now being trialled across the U.S. but have already won several international awards. Next year, the first red, True Spirit, will be available.

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There are many other great shrub roses on the market, like the smaller flowered Drift roses and Monrovia’s True Grit series. Proven Winners has also introduced the Oso Easy set, which also has a wide colour range with over eight varieties, some of which will tolerate even Zone 3. Their Ringo series, developed by U.K. breeder Chris Warner, has some beautiful semi-double and single bicolours which are quite unique.

With all the new shrub roses ticking a lot of the boxes, roses are back in our parks and gardens with an even stronger presence. They are, after all, the most beautiful of all flowering shrubs.

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