The Different Types of Roses - Choosing the Right Ones for Your Garden
There are many different types of roses available for sale. A perennially flowering shrub, roses are thought to have over 25,000 species. And while there is no single, standard way to classify the many different types of roses, there are two methods that they are most often grouped by: their cultivation history (wild, old garden, modern or landscape) or growth pattern (bush, shrub or climbing).
Different Types of Roses - By Cultivation History
Roses have been grown for over 5000 years. Every major culture in the Northern Hemisphere has at one time grown roses as a symbol of religious reverence or as part of festivals. Starting with the Chinese, who may have been the first to cultivate these flowering shrubs to the Babylonians who were said to have grown roses in their famed hanging gardens, to the Greeks, most agrarian societies have grown them in some form or another.
The Romans were so enamored with roses, that they developed a greenhouse system to grow more of them during bad weather. And one story tells of a Roman emperor so in love with them that he caused a riot when he ordered starving farmers to plow under their grain fields in order to grow more roses for him!
So by looking at the cultivation history of a species, you are actually looking into a time machine of sorts:
Wild Roses - These roses have not been hybridized by mankind. They are often grown for their simple beauty, natural disease resistance and hardiness. Roses in this category are in Europe called (prickly wild rose, the prickly rose, and the bristly rose) and the US/Canada called (Wild Prairie, Rose Virginia Rose, Common Wild Rose or Prairie Rose)
Old Garden Roses - These roses are classified as having European or Mediterranean origins. Some of these roses are believed to have come from plants the Romans grew and spread throughout their ancient empire. Roses in this category are the Alba, Gallica, Damask and China roses from eastern Asia.
Modern Roses - Modern roses officially began in a1867, when the first hybrid tea was developed in France. Since that time many different hybrids have been cultivated. Roses in this category are the Hybrid Tea, Polyantha Floribunda Grandiflora Miniature Climbing/rambling, and English rose (aka a David Austin hybrid that he developed in the 60s.)
Landscape Roses - Developed towards the end of the last century, these shrubs are more disease resistant and less labor intensive than other modern roses.
Different Types of Roses - By Growth Pattern
Bush - These roses grow to height of 2 to 6 feet in height, except for miniatures which max out at 24 inches. Several varieties of this type of rose bush can also grow to widths of 4 to 6 feet and make good groundcover planting.
Shrub - These roses at maturity can grow from 3 to 10 feet or more. The difference between them is climbing varieties is that they do not need to be supported. These can also be trained into "Tree Roses".
Climbing/Rambling - Growing from 4 to well over 12 feet, these plants require strong supports but can be very dramatic when covering trellis or walls. These rambling roses can grow quite large. One such plant is in England called the "The Kiftsgate Rose" which was 80ft x 90ft x 50ft high when last measured. The present owners are concerned it may someday pull over a large copper beech it is draped over.
Now that you know more about the different types of roses, and how they grow, you can choose the ones that fit in best with your garden and tastes.