By Diane Sommers, Master Rosarian
At a recent morning Pilates class, soothing music was playing and our instructor suggested we think of spring flowers popping out of the earth. We were experiencing one of the warmest winters in history, with February temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s. Almost as an afterthought, perhaps knowing I was the rose gardener in the group, she added we should also remember beautiful roses, followed with a comment that “roses are so hard to grow and probably few have them in their gardens”. OUCH – I wanted to stand up and declare how wrong she was!
In fact, roses that are coming to the market these days are some of the hardiest and most disease resistant ever! The challenge may now be to select just a few new rosebushes and where to plant all those roses you end up purchasing. New flower forms and colors are being introduced and these hardy roses continue to thrive and survive our winter climates. The end result of course is that our gardens continue to expand!
I attended a program in early February hosted by the Garden MasterClass in the UK, featuring Thomas Proll, head breeder for Kordes Roses. Kordes Roses, established in 1887 in Germany, is known today for their hardy, disease resistant roses. As Thomas reviewed the history of Kordes and their breeding program, he shared the characteristics that are used in new rose evaluations. It is interesting to note that what we might consider one of the most important qualities – flower color, shape and fragrance – is lower on their priority list. Judging by their success in the market and their rose varieties planted in my garden, the Kordes strategy seems to be working. Given the impact of climate changes we are experiencing, I also noted that not only is winter hardiness important, but heat tolerance/draught conditions are as well. Several years back in a discussion with Christian Bedard, head breeder for Weeks Roses, Christian shared that Weeks was finally having success in bringing disease resistance and hardiness back into their roses. Christian mentioned that “It takes ten years or longer to bring a rose to market “. Other American breeders we know have also had success when focusing on these important traits, including Ping Lim, Will Radler and Dr David Zlesak.
Kordes Rose Evaluation Criteria in Priority Order
- Resistance against fungal diseases (black spot, powdery mildew, rust)
- Winter Hardiness
- Heat tolerance
- Flowering Abilities
- Quantity of blooms
- Duration of flowering
- Clean Dropping of old blooms
- Durability of color intensity
- Flower characteristics (color, shape, fragrance)
- Growth characteristics (habit, height, branching)
- Ability for propagation on own root
As part of my February program for PBS Wisconsin Garden & Landscape Show on “Simple Steps to Grow Roses”, I reached out to ARS Consulting Rosarians in the North Central District asking them for their rose recommendations for new rose growers. I received a lot of great suggestions. As I reviewed the list, it became obvious that shrub roses are the most popular. If you are looking for a few new plants for your garden, these roses may be a good place to start! When at the garden center, read the labels and look for roses described as ‘hardy” and “disease resistant”. Another suggestion is to look for roses from certain breeders (Ping Lim, Will Radler, Thomas Proll, Dr David Zlesak, Griffith Buck) or nurseries (Bailey’s, Kordes, David Austin, Altman). A full list of Will Radler’s roses can be found at his website roseinnovations.org.
As for my Pilates instructor, I see a new rosebush in her future!
Footnote: Thomas Proll’s program is available on Youtube at GardenMasterclass. It aired on February 1st, 2024.
North Central District Consulting Rosarian Rose Recommendations for New Rose Gardeners:
| Class | Variety | Class | Variety |
| Climber | Cherry Frost | Polyantha | Pretty Poly Pink |
| Climber | Above and Beyond | Polyantha | The Fairy |
| Climber | Cape Diamond | Shrub | John Davis |
| Climber | Florentina | Shrub | Campfire |
| Climber | High Wire Flyer | Shrub | Morden Blush |
| Floribunda | Poisiden | Shrub | Winnipeg Parks |
| Floribunda | Julia Child | Shrub | Mary Rose |
| Floribunda | Plum Perfect | Shrub | Olivia Rose Austin |
| Floribunda | Sparkle & Shine | Shrub | Como Park |
| Grandiflora | South Africa | Shrub | Ringo |
| Grandiflora | Pop Art | Shrub | All the Rage |
| Grandiflora | Sweet Spirit | Shrub | Music Box |
| Groundcover | Sweet Drift | Shrub | Screaming Neon |
| Groundcover | Peach Drift | Shrub | Collette |
| Hybrid Tea | Beverly | Shrub | Moonlight in Paris |
| Hybrid Tea | Gemini | Shrub | James L Austin |
| Hybrid Tea | Veteran’s Honor | Shrub | Gertrude Jekyll |
| Hybrid Tea | Neil Diamond | Shrub | Vanessa bell |
| Hybrid Tea | Elina | Shrub | Quietness |
| Hybrid Tea | Cherry Parfait | Shrub | Gabriel Oaks |
| Hybrid Tea | Francis Meilland | Shrub | Dmitri |
| Hybrid Tea | Grande Dame | Shrub | The Lady Gardener |
(Recommendations provided by Margaret Andersen, Chris Poppe, Mary Tennis, Bruce and Maggie Barr, Jim Beardsly, Carole Smuda and Diane Sommers)
Greater Milwaukee Rose Society 