OUR FAVORITE ROSE VARIETIES – THIS MONTH!

Westerland is a rose variety that produces clustered flowers of a soft, apricot-orange blend.   This has been a tough rose in our garden and is one of the most cold hardy roses (zones 5-9).  Mature height is 7 to 12 feet and it has been able to stand erect at that height with little support.  In fact, it is pretty much ignoring the arbor and making the choice to spread out.  With a fruity scent, this is a newer hybrid that blooms nearly constantly all summer and into the fall and reminds me somehow of Scotland – wild and tough but elegant.

Another of our favorites is the Climbing Iceberg Rose.  This is a variety of a popular Floribunda type rose that also does well in zones 5-9.  A bud of pure white opens quickly to show golden stamens and the roses are very resistant to rain spotting – important in our Pacific Northwest climate. The blooms have a true rose fragrance and will bloom all season.  It is virtually without thorns and likes to have free reign to climb and spread out – the canes are quite resilient – which makes this is a good climbing rose to shape onto and over arbors.  The foliage is quite resistant to common diseases such as black spot.  It also tolerates partial shade and is thriving in such a spot in our garden – and taking advantage of the “free reign” by climbing up over our deck to provide its fragrance for our meals when we eat outdoors.

Our third favorite Is the Playboy Rose – another variety of a Floribunda type rose that does well in our Pacific Northwest climate.  One of the most shade tolerant roses, it has semi-double flowers with ruffled gold petals that are edged in red tones.  Also one of the hardier roses, it has a light fragrance – a little spicy? – and reaches up to 7 feet tall – usually taller than wider with a width of only 2-3 feet.  The flowers appear in very early summer and repeat until a hard frost.  The blooms hold their color well and make for one of the best long lasting cut flowers to bring indoors.  I don’t think the name fits because this reminds me of a woman with a full and colorful skirt dancing with abandon – but I do love the flowers.