Get to Know the Popular Roses in Pennsylvania

Like knowing horse breeds during the Kentucky Derby, it takes some learning to get to know roses, but it doesn’t have to be complex!

 

Timeless, elegant, and eternally new, roses are long-standing favorites for gardeners, and for good reasons. A rose’s fragrance, romance, and class are hard to beat. The only challenging part is choosing from the wide selection of varieties. To ease your decision, we’ve put together a guide to understanding rose categories, including the most popular types in Pennsylvania!  

 

What Are the Main Types of Roses? 

Understanding the language of roses can be difficult. With so many types of roses out there, it’s easy to get lost in the vocabulary. Like knowing horse breeds during the Kentucky Derby, it takes some learning to get to know roses, but it doesn’t have to be complex. What follows is a short primer to introduce the main rose types, so you can be more empowered to choose the best rose for you: 

• Hybrid Tea Roses: a large category of roses bred from old garden “tea roses.” They are among the most popular roses used in landscaping.
• Grandiflora: a subtype of hybrid tea roses, these are often tall breeds that feature clusters of flowers rather than a single one on each stem.
• Floribunda: these are as popular as grandiflora and hybrid tea roses but feature a few noticeable differences. Whereas the roses above typically bloom in 6-7 week cycles, floribundas bloom continuously. They’re known to be low-maintenance, and like grandifloras, they also feature flower clusters. 

 

 

• Climbing Roses: this is not a specific variety of its own, but a growth habit of rose. Climbing roses can be hybrid teas, grandiflora, or other varieties. The distinguishing trait is that they grow long like vines and need support. 
• Miniature Roses: as the name indicates, these are small roses, like ground covers or mini shrubs. They grow low to the ground, are compact, and have smaller blooms.
• Shrub Roses: bigger than the other varieties, shrub roses tend to sprawl and grow into a sizable shrub, between 5 and 8 feet tall. They’re great for hedges, or anywhere you need a shrub. 

 

The best way to choose a rose is to explore your options and find a rose that you love.

 

How Many Varieties of Roses Are There? 

There are approximately 150 wild species of roses worldwide and 30,000 cultivated varieties. It’s no secret that gardeners and breeders love this flower!  

 

Popular Rose Varieties in Pennsylvania 

Knock Out Roses 

Knock Out Roses are a family of roses that are among the most popular roses on the market. What’s the attraction? While many modern roses are fussy and susceptible to disease, Knock Outs are easy to maintain and resilient to pests. Plus, they feature continuous blooms throughout the season, and you can find them in a wide range of colors and sizes. They’re perfect for planting in your perennial border, as a hedge, or as a stand-alone shrub. 

 

David Austin Roses 

David Austin Roses are known for their exceptional elegance. You’ll find them in pastel colors from apricot to mauve, with finely-layered flowers and sensational fragrance. They build on traditional rose varieties like the English and Tea rose but are more resilient and have even more splendid blooms. They are like luxury roses that everyone can grow and enjoy. 

 

Kordes Roses 

The Kordes family has a 150-year tradition of breeding roses that started in a small town in Germany. Today, they have an expansive collection of many kinds of roses, including floribundas, hybrid tea roses, and several varieties they’ve bred. In their breeding program, they cultivate roses for disease resistance, self-deadheading, fragrance, suitability for cut flowers, an abundance of flowers, and many other traits. The result is highly desirable flowers, each with unique blossom formations.  

 

How to Choose a Rose for a Pennsylvania Garden 

The best way to choose a rose is to explore your options and find a rose that you love. Once you find the color, type of flower, and growth habit you like, you can consider other features like disease resilience, fragrance, pruning requirements, and bloom cycles. 

Alternatively, you can start with the qualities you want, like hardiness, low maintenance, and a shrub habit, and choose the blossoms you like from there. You’ll find many possibilities to fit your needs and tastes, but it always helps to choose a few favorites and enjoy a wide variety of roses in your garden!

To see our full selection of rose varieties, visit our Garden Center in Glenside, PA!