Three homeowners share how they did landscaping with roses.
Mrs. Lee H. Hacker and Uncovered Treasures
When we bought our place in the beautiful Ramapo Mountains 40 years ago, it seemed to hint at undiscovered treasures.
On exploring this possibility, we weren’t disappointed!
One of our “finds” was a drywall, 2′ feet high, extending 150′ feet along the edge of our property line facing the road.
The wall had been neglected for years and was completely covered with leaves, weeds, and wild vines (among them poison ivy) flourishing profusely.
But we were delighted with our discovery, hopefully visualizing a lovely accent to a set of trees, shrubs, and flowers and an expanse of beautiful rolling lawn.
On clearing the wall, we found field stones and rocks well fitted together for the most part. They needed only to be reset and the wall line straightened, which we did.
The result was very gratifying. We had a lovely trim wail waiting for further landscaping, and we didn’t waste time.
That fall, we put in groupings of young evergreens, varied in texture and color, punctuated by flowering trees and shrubs, the latter carefully selected for progressive spring-to-fall bloom.
All these bordered the inner side of the wall. So space was allowed for additional plants, and we had the wall’s outer side to think of. For this, we wanted something colorful.
After much eager poring over catalogs, we decided climbing, and rambler roses( lots of them) would do the job.
We had sun and a good location for them. The following spring, we put in 24 Paul’s Scarlet and Dorothy Perkins, placing them on both sides of the wall. This was to give us a good start.
The following summer, we had a fair amount of lovely red and delicate pink blooms, a promise of what was in store.
Later, we added ever-blooming varieties—brilliant Blaze, creamy-white Mermaid, and blush-pink New Dawn to carry on until frost.
Now, after ten years, the first plantings of roses have become well established.
The climbers and ramblers put on an abundant show every year. Then, as you turn the bend in the road leading to our house on a glorious day in June, you suddenly see this ribbon of dazzling color, a sparkling accent for the tall evergreens and carpet of rolling lawn.
Our rose wall, which was so utterly uninteresting at one time, is now “the something very colorful” we visualized.
A bit of patience is needed until all the ever-blooming varieties are established to extend the annual display, which always seems much too short—as does our wall.
Explored the Multitude of Rose Landscaping Possibilities
Most gardeners, notably rose lovers like L Dawson, are aware of the multitude of landscaping possibilities with rose plants.
We commonly work with hybrid teas in formal beds, floribundas for background and mass definition, borders of low-growing polyantha varieties, climbers for accent and screening, jewel-set tree roses where they are practical, and mixtures of the foregoing strategically placed throughout perennial plantings.
However, during the past few years, we have begun to learn a great deal about the growing and use of types termed pillar, shrub, and “old roses.”
We have been re-doing our yard without professional help or advice. While we have made mistakes and had more than a few disappointments, the broadening of our rose horizons and our knowledge is worth far more than any monetary loss.
One of our most difficult problems was to find a type of rose suitable for planting on a low level that would bloom close to the ground and yet grow tall enough to be visible over the top of the level (some 3′ feet) where it would spray over in graceful curves and not require rigid support.
Everything we tried was a disappointment until we planted some of the new Brownell pillar roses, and from the growth and bloom we have seen so far, these will fill the hill precisely and form our most attractive planting in another year or two.
We are now looking for places to add more pillars and will use them where we want a particularly graceful plant with both high and low bloom.
Incidentally, a small white pillar planted between two lilacs was so effective last year that a neighbor likened it to a white waterfall.
Shrub and “old roses” seem to fit into our planting interchangeably.
Even though it is generally considered inadvisable to plant roses in competition with vigorous shrubs and trees, these types have been most satisfied with us when used in precisely that manner.
An old and tired-looking border of lilacs, snowball, and other spring bloomers has been rejuvenated with the addition of remontant hybrid perpetuals and Chinas.
A particularly uninteresting corner indiscriminately planted has been changed into a much-frequented spot by adding a selection of fragrant-foliaged sweetbriars.
A sprinkling of moss roses among white flowering shrubs is exquisite. Rugosas now replace an evergreen hedge to bring much-needed color and a bird sanctuary to the garden.
Recently planted creepers are becoming so effective cascading over large rocks and low walls that we are digging for and uncovering other rock formations to increase this type of planting.
We also find the spring blooming varieties of roses precious in our shrubbery if for no other reason than to extend the blooming season.
Some of those which we admire the most are selected centifolia, species Hugonis and Moyesi, and some of the newer spinosissima hybrids.
Now that we are acquainted with it, Rosa Roxburghi is a must in our garden, planted where its sycamore-like bark can be enjoyed through the winter.
Related: How to Protect Your Roses In Winter
Possibilities of the rose are limitless if one does not limit oneself to the few most commonly grown forms but ever studies and expands one’s knowledge and plantings.
Roses In The City Garden Marion Walden
There are several reasons Marion Walden grew roses in her city garden. The most important is that they were specially adapted to our soil and climate, and we just love them.
Related: The Ideal Soil For Roses
Roses, many landscape experts declare, should be used formally, but our lot is irregular in shape, a parallelogram with two wide angles and two sharp ones.
It lies on a steep hillside and has been graded into several terraces to provide a few level lawns.
The banks between the terraces are held by rocks and were planted with suitable flowering material, but I still longed for roses.
I wore out 4 bushes, trying them in different spots in these rockeries, but nowhere did they look right.
I realized that four were not enough, so a strip of useless lawn between our front walk, running parallel to the house and a rock bulkhead for a way, was plowed under and planted to lots of hybrid teas.
The top of the bulkhead was already planted with evergreen azaleas, which are through blooming by the time the roses come on and provide a flattering green background for them.
The walk reached the front steps. There was a low corner where we wanted more roses, but this was a bad spot because a hedge bordered the street sides of the triangle, making a sort of pocket there.
This problem was solved by planting standard roses which lift their tops over the hedge.
I did my own grafting at the heights I wanted them, and they are not trained to formal heads but mass their flowers to fill the awkward corner.
Blue scillas bloom underneath them in the spring, and their drying foliage makes a mulch for holding moisture in summer.
All these front yard roses are arranged so that their colors blend from white through yellow, pink to red.
I was still not satisfied. There were such enticing floribundas offered in my catalogs.
These seemed to demand less formal treatment than the hybrid teas. So I studied my space and decided that one of the backyard banks could be given over to these treasures.
I purchased 3 of each kind and placed them in groups wherever I could find a reasonably level spot between rocks.
I left some winter-blooming heather between the groups of roses, and again I had the beautiful dark green background, enhancing their vivid colors.
Among my favorites here are Pinocchio, Cheer, and Rosenelfe. I also included Dainty Bess in this grouping, as it seemed more compatible with floribundas than with the hybrid teas.
Our rose plantings are lovely. We have proved to ourselves that they can be informal. So mass them together and make them the star performers.
Roses are too haughty to share honors.