FOREWORD Yet another book devoted to roses might elicit sighs from some readers, as there are already plenty of publications on the topic in print. However, this book is different from others. While it deals with roses, to be sure, this book’s emphasis is on how to use roses in a wide variety of settings, rather than simply being a collection of individual rose portraits. As one might expect, a flower of such renown has had a lot written about it. Even as a child, I turned the pages of the Dutch advertising catalogs again and again, drawn in by the beautiful pictures of the flowers within. So you can imagine my disappointment when, in the 1970s, I began working in a garden center, and realized that the stark-blue dream rose ‘Mainzer Fastnacht’ resembled a washed-out dishcloth, the deep red ‘Hanne’ wilted quickly into a faded violet, and the orange ‘Super Star’ was more salmon pink than brightly fluorescent orange. As the assortment of roses available on the market is constantly in flux, there’s no doubt that a new book on this flower was in order. While there are plenty of portraits of roses in catalogs and product brochures, this book emphasizes how to incorporate them into different garden environments. It also highlights new and healthy species, the especially hardy ones, new bare-root roses and delicate specimens for the south of Sweden. This, along with advice on how to care for the rose, to make it bloom bountifully, and turn it into a low-maintenance part of the garden instead of a plant in need of constant coddling, is the aim of this book. It is an overall guide on the care, use, and choice of roses. It’s easy to fall under the spell of roses. You find yourself entranced by beautiful pictures, only to choose a variety that might not work for you at all. This book covers the whole country and describes roses specifically suited to Sweden—what’s possible to grow in beds and/or in combinations. All pictures, with a few exceptions, are taken in Sweden. Knowledgeable and clear advice about irrigation, pruning and diseases is all here. Information is somewhat limited on historic or old-fashioned garden roses, so if you’d like to learn more about these types of flowers, there are other more comprehensive volumes that I gladly recommend you seek out. The display of roses, their suitability to different gladly recommend you seek out. The display of roses, their suitability to different settings, and examples of successful companion plants are also an important part of this book. I still have favorite, stand-by roses, and many can be found within these pages. I also cover many varieties that are largely untried in Sweden as of yet. Here is some food for thought. On the clamor for better, more tried, and hardier varieties, I cite Svend Poulsen from his book, Roses: “There was a time when all roses had to have large, petal-rich blossoms; that was the style in the late nineteenth century and it continued well into the twentieth. I’m not denying that old-fashioned roses are beautiful—far from it; but it’s also true that tastes evolve. It was the light, elegant, and pointy flowers of the tea roses that changed the fashion, and opened rose cultivators’ eyes to a whole new world of beauty. Unfortunately, those roses were unable to satisfy all the requirements asked of them—their canes were too pliable and weak, and the flower wasn’t hardy enough. It seemed, however, that hybrid tea roses, a sound and sturdy rose specimen, might be able to meet all that was demanded of a rose, but a long time would pass before this development was accomplished. It didn’t happen until after 1930, and it was first with the single-blossom polyantha roses that this type of rose experienced a breakthrough—that the simple varieties were finally accepted as a rose for one’s garden and that they could bring pleasure.” Svend Poulsen, who worked in the family enterprise Poulsen’s Roses that launched many of the world’s most famous roses, wrote the above in 1941. His opinion is critical of the old-fashioned, gaudy, full-blown roses. They were popular, and his customers—hobbyist gardeners—didn’t want simple, single- bloom roses, which at the time were the newest and healthiest of roses. By reprinting this quote, I want to show to you that there are fads even in the world of plants, and that you sometimes need to look past fashion in order to find the plants that will flourish in your own garden. Inger Palmstierna Foreword Roses—prized flowers Types of roses Rose care Planting roses Spring care Summer care Fall in the rose bed Fall care Winter care General rules for pruning roses Roses for the flowerbed Important considerations when choosing a rose World’s Favorite Roses Red roses White roses Yellow roses Apricot, copper yellow, and orange roses Pink roses Blue, purple, and violet roses Dream roses Pruning bedding roses Pruning of bedding roses in cold climates Trivia for the rose enthusiast Rose names in modern times Roses as a groundcover Climbing roses Climbers with traits of species roses—for pergolas and arches Common climbing roses for cold climates Varieties of clematis Roses as shrubs Roses the easy way Underplantings for roses Roses and their beautiful companions Early spring with bulbs Bulbs as companion plants for roses Deer-resistant bulbs Roses with flowering perennials Early flowering perennials in the rose bed Perennials that bloom together with roses Roses with annual summer flowers Blue summer flowers Pink summer flowers Yellow summer flowers Vibrantly colored leafy plants Easy-to-grow flowers with roses Summer flowers you can sow yourself Roses in the fall Fall blooming companion plants in the rose bed Long-lasting companion plants Potentilla (cinquefoil) Low bushes form the frame of the rose bed Ideas for using roses Beautiful rose combinations Potted roses Roses in garden centers and in cultivation Quality Breeding in large numbers Rose breeders Well-known rose breeders Problem roses Acknowledgements Index of roses Plant Index Index of Latin plant names A rose dream. ROSES–PRIZED FLOWERS ROSES–PRIZED FLOWERS Many gardeners love to grow roses; for many of them, roses stand for so much more than a mere flower. They symbolize love, and they’re also historically significant. The rose has many advantages, one of which is the fact that no other perennial blooms as abundantly and over such a long time in the flowerbed (modern roses typically are in flower from early summer until the snow falls). There are roses for all occasions—if the planting site is sunny—and they bloom in all imaginable colors except true blue. Roses are naturally wonderful and multi-faceted plants. Those that we cultivate in our gardens have their origins in species of wild roses. They can be small and hug the ground, or they can be large or more liana-like, climbing high up into the treetops. Roses are found all over the world—there are species originating in Asia, Europe, and North America. Their appearance varies widely, and they each possess their own set of characteristics. To derive the most enjoyment out of the flower, it’s best to choose the right rose for the intended place and purpose.