The rose is a universally known flower. It has been adorning gardens with its magical beauty and bewitching fragrance for centuries. Over the years, it has become the undisputed queen of flowers, available in many species and varieties with very particular characteristics.
Origins of roses
Whatever the species or variety, roses all belong to the Rosaceae family.
The wild rose is the best known form of the wild rose. It can be recognized by its highly branched habit and the many single flowers it has. Nowadays, these roses are called botanical roses.
In Europe, only gallic roses were cultivated for their perfume and their medicinal virtues. Then came the time of conquests and the appearance of oriental roses or "Damask Roses" which allowed the discovery of new colors and the creation of remontant hybrids: a revolution in the field!
Since then, the work of the various breeders has tended to find the ideal rose, one that is both beautiful and resistant to disease, climatic conditions and pest attacks.
The main families of roses
- The old roses represent a very particular style, it is the rose in all its splendor. These roses have a less rigid bushy habit than modern roses. The foliage is less shiny, more wavy and paler and is generally less susceptible to disease. These roses are best recognized by their large, very double flowers with many tightly packed petals arranged in quarters and enclosed in a crown. Their fragrance is often very strong. English roses can be considered by their style as old roses.
- Large flowered roses or tea hybrids are the result of hybridizations between tea roses and gallic roses or centifoglia, they are the most sold roses in the world and the most present in catalogs. They are recognizable by their stiff, upright stems bearing a single rose at their tips. They can reach a height of six feet, and are generally very remontant. Priority is given to the shape and color of the flower, sometimes to the detriment of the fragrance. It is the most popular rose for cut flowers in florists' shops.
- Climbing roses can be of the two types mentioned above. They are roses with a very strong development and whose flexible stems can reach more than 3 m high without worry. Very ornamental, they brilliantly decorate pergolas, arches and trellises and can even be trained on a stem for a "weeping rose" version, ideal as an isolated subject on a lawn.
- Polyanthas" or "floribundas" are hybrids bearing numerous flowers in bunches, generally blooming upwards and very colorful. Small in size (maximum 1m) and well stocked, they are ideal for forming beds or bright flowerbeds.
- Miniature roses form small bushes not exceeding 60 cm in height. Roses of 3 to 6 cm in diameter are often very abundant and colorful. These roses tolerate very well a culture in pot on a terrace or a balcony if they are often watered. They are ideal for borders in the garden because they bloom for many months.
