8 Types of Roses: How to Choose Roses for Your Garden

Roses are flowering perennial plants belonging to the genus Rosa in the family Rosaceae. They are beloved by gardeners and florists for their stunning, delicate flowers that come in an array of hues and produce a pleasantly strong fragrance. Many types of roses are perfect for flower beds, cut flower arrangements, trellises, and landscaping purposes. Roses grow in a wide range of USDA hardiness zones and their low-maintenance requirements make them relatively easy to grow. Roses have extensive uses outside of the botanical world including fragrances, culinary arts, and medicine.

Though there are many systems used to classify roses, the American Rose Society recognizes three broad categories of roses: species roses (also known as wild roses), old garden roses, and modern roses. These three categories can be broken down into the following eight subcategories.

1. 1. Hybrid tea roses: Hybrid tea roses are one of the most popular types of roses. They're a cross between tea roses and hybrid perpetual roses. They're favored for their large, showy flowers that come in a wide array of different hues. Their blooms often contain large clusters of thirty to fifty petals perched atop long stems. They tend to bloom in six- or seven-week cycles.
2. 2. Floribunda roses: Floribunda roses are another popular choice among rose enthusiasts. Similar to Grandiflora roses, they bloom large clusters of three to five blooms on a continual bloom cycle.
3. 3. Grandiflora roses: Grandiflora roses share characteristics of hybrid tea and Floribunda roses. They have very tall stems and produce flower clusters rather than individual blooms.
4. 4. Polyantha roses: Polyantha roses are short varieties with compact blooms. They're great for growing along garden borders or in hedges. They have superior disease resistance and their low-maintenance requirements make them great for beginner gardeners. Polyanthas rebloom without the need for deadheading.
5. 5. Groundcover roses: Groundcover roses are bred to form a dense, low-lying flower carpet. They produce beautiful, vibrant blooms with an intoxicating, strong fragrance. They're disease-resistant and low-maintenance, making them useful in a variety of landscaping applications.
6. 6. Shrub roses: Shrub roses have a sprawling growth habit. They produce large clusters of flowers on stems that will reach five to fifteen feet in every direction. They're known for being exceptionally cold-hardy. This category contains several subcategories, including China roses, Damask roses, Gallica roses, and English roses (also known as David Austin roses).
7. 7. Climber roses: Also known as ramblers, climber roses are any type of rose that grows long stems capable of being trained to climb a trellis, pergola, fence, or arbor. Most climbers are cold-hardy varieties that can be grown in a wide range of hardiness zones. This category contains several subcategories, including Bourbon roses.
   
8. 8. Miniature roses: Miniature rose bushes are small versions of hybrid tea roses. There are hundreds of miniature rose varieties that range in size from one to three feet tall. Like full-size roses, miniature roses are perennials and vary in color and scent. Miniature roses also come in different shapes, including compact rose bushes, climbing roses, and cascading roses.

There is no short supply of rose cultivars to choose from. Consider planting one of these popular cultivated varieties in your garden.

1. 1. ‘Julia Child’ (Rosa floribunda 'Julia Child'): Named after the acclaimed chef, Julia Child, this rose variety boasts bold, golden blooms with a light, licorice-like fragrance. They have a shrubby growth habit, reaching a mature height of three to four feet tall. These repeat bloomers will continue to produce lovely flowers throughout the growing season. ‘Julia Child’ roses are hardy in zones six to ten.
2. 2. ‘Cecile Brunner’ (Rosa 'Cecile Brunner'): ‘Cecile Brunner’ roses are a climbing variety, perfect for training onto a trellis or arbor. Their small size makes them perfect for adding to miniature cut flower arrangements like a boutonniere or corsage. They have light pink double blooms with a pleasantly sweet fragrance. They are hardy in zones four to eleven.
3. 3. ‘The Fairy’ (Rosa 'The Fairy'): This repeat-flowering variety is a small shrub with beautiful pompon, pale pink flowers. Their petals present an ombre of pink hues that are darker in the middle and progressively get lighter towards the edges. They reach a mature height of two-and-a-half to three feet tall. They are hardy in planting zones five to eleven.
4. 4. ‘Rainbow Knockout’ (Rosa 'Rainbow Knockout'): ‘Rainbow Knockout’ roses are a shrub variety that produces abundant coral pink blooms with bright yellow centers. They have a repeat bloom habit and will bloom continuously. Their flowers are compact and consist of seven delicate petals. They reach a mature height of three to four feet tall and are hardy in zones four to eleven.
5. 5. ‘Double Delight’ (Rosa 'Double Delight'): ‘Double Delight’ is a hybrid tea rose with show-stopping creamy white blooms with hot pink edges. They are exceptionally fragrant and continuous bloomers. They reach a mature height of four feet tall and are hardy in zones seven to ten.
6. 6. ‘Iceberg’ (Rosa 'Iceberg'): ‘Iceberg’ roses are one of the most identifiable roses. They're known for their bright white flowers that bloom all summer long. They are vigorous growers and quite easy to care for given that they are nearly thornless and disease-resistant. They need full sun in order to thrive and will bloom from late spring to early fall. ‘Iceberg’ roses reach a mature height of four feet tall and are hardy in zones five to nine.
7. 7. ‘Queen Elizabeth’ (Rosa floribunda 'Queen Elizabeth'): A popular David Austin rose variety, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ roses were bred and named in honor of the Queen of England. They are a very tall shrub, reaching a mature height of six feet tall. They produce large, clear-pink blooms that have a light fragrance. They are hardy in zones six to eleven.
8. 8. 'Tahitian Sunset' (Rosa hybrid tea 'Tahitian Sunset'): ‘Tahitian Sunset’ is an apt name for a plant that produces bi-colored apricot and pink flowers. Their buds open up to six-inch blooms with a strong licorice fragrance. They're repeat bloomers that will flower from late spring to early fall. They can reach a mature height of six feet tall and are hardy in zones six to eleven.
9. 9. ‘Crested Moss’ (Rosa centifolia ‘Cristata’): Also known as Chapeau de Napoleon, this hybrid rose variety is a combination of two shrub rose subcategories—cabbage rose and moss rose. Its petals are tightly clustered to form a blossom resembling a cabbage, and it has a mossy-like growth on the green foliage at the base of its buds that gives off a pine-like scent when touched. It has medium pink blooms that are bursting with fragrance.

With so many varieties of roses available, it can be overwhelming to know which varieties are best suited for your garden. There are a few key factors to consider when choosing between different types of roses.

1. 1. Hardiness: The majority of rose types thrive in warmer climates, or USDA hardiness zones seven to eleven. Some roses have heat limitations and will specify a range of hardiness zones in which they can thrive. However, other rose varieties will only have cold limitations and may only list a single hardiness zone. If you see only a single hardiness zone listed (or no zone at all), it's safe to assume it's hardy from that zone all the way down to zones ten and eleven.
2. 2. Bloom type: Roses come in many different forms and petal counts. Single roses will have four or fewer petals. Semi-doubles will have between nine and sixteen petals. Double roses have seventeen to twenty-five petals. Full roses will have somewhere between twenty-six to forty petals. Very full roses have more than forty petals. When it comes to form, roses can be cupped, flat, globular, high-centered, pompon, quartered, ruffled, or urn-shaped.
3. 3. Fragrance: Not all roses smell the same. Some have bold, powerful fragrances while others are subtle and delicate.
4. 4. Color: Roses come in a wide variety of colors and hues, including white, yellow, orange, purple, pink, and classic red.
5. 5. Growth habit: Different rose varieties have different growth habits. Shrub varieties can grow upright, mounding, or as ground cover. Hybrid tea varieties grow individual blooms on tall, strong canes. Miniature rose varieties are compact and only reach about three feet tall. Climbers and ramblers have tall, woody stems that must be trained onto a structure using stakes or ties. Grandiflora roses produce abundant sprays of roses in tight, compact clumps. Tree roses grow foliage and flowers atop a slender tree trunk, similar to a hydrangea tree.
6. 6. Care requirements: Beginner gardeners should look for rose types that are pest- and disease-resistant. Pruning rose bushes is a delicate art and must be done with great concern for the plant stems, but once you grasp a few basics, pruning can help promote new growth, groom the plant into your desired shape, and protect disease-prone plants from illness. When it comes to fertilizing roses, there are many different approaches. Generally, you can feed roses a 10-10-10 rose fertilizer once a month during the growing season.

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