Roses are top of mind for me after returning from the International Heritage Rose Conference in Beijing this spring.
I will not refer to the tender roses that flourish there but instead showcase the hardy roses that survive on the Prairies without much coddling.
The first step in choosing a rose should be akin to creating a profile on a dating site. What are you looking for and what size? Do you want ground cover, shrub or pillar as in hardy climber? Is thorny or attractive foliage desired? Shapely hips, disease resistance, single or continuous blooming, fragrance and colour are other considerations
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Seek out early introductions such as the Bugnet roses, Wright’s Hazeldean, Wallace’s Kakwa and old favourites such as Hansa, Altaica, Persian Yellow and Harison’s Yellow.
I would urge you to resist the romantic notion of growing one of the wild roses that are common to the Prairies – Prickly Rose (R. acicularis), which is Alberta’s floral emblem, Low Prairie Rose (R. arkansana), Woods Rose (R woodsia) and Smooth Rose (Rosa blanda) from Manitoba. They have aggressive suckering habits.
Fortunately, hardy roses are usually marketed as container plants so they can be purchased, planted and enjoyed throughout the summer season.
Roses are big drinkers and heavy feeders and appreciate a helping of compost. It is easier to choose a cultivar that is disease resistant than to try to treat problems such as blackspot, rust and powdery mildew.
We must thank prairie rosarians who utilized the hardiness of wild roses in their breeding programs to give us so many options today.
Names such as Robert M. Erskine, John Wallace, Walter Schowalter, Robert Simonet, Frank Skinner, Percy Wright and Georges C.J. Bugnet should not be forgotten.
William Saunders began the Canadian government’s rose breeding program with the introduction of Agnes. He was followed by Isabella Preston. William Godfrey, Henry Marshall, Lynn Collicutt and Campbell Davidson developing the 16 Parkland roses in Manitoba.
The 25 Explorer roses were bred in Ottawa by Felicitas Svejd and later in L’Assomption, Que., with Ian Ogilvie.
The Canadian Artist series was developed in the last decade from the developers of the Parkland and Explorer roses.
The 2016 introduction is Oscar Peterson, joining previous releases Campfire (honouring Tom Thompson), Bill Reid, Emily Carr and Felix LeClerc.
Always take time to stop and smell the roses.
