Shrub or Shrub like Rose for Ugly Spot in my Yard!

14 years ago

Hello everyone! As we here in TN are having temperatures in the mid 50's in January, I am going stir crazy not being able to get into yard work and have spring here! I have been looking over my yard for new things to do and plant, and I have an area that could really use some help.

On my property, there is a small grouping of utilities for our street (I believe water and maybe gas?). The cement water utility is small and lies flat on the ground, and the green plastic box that sticks out of the ground is only about a foot by 2 and a half feet, so it is pretty small. It is also pretty ugly! I would like to place 2 shrub or shrub like rose bushes to pretty up the area. Here are some things I would like from the rose:

1. Fairly easy to take care of. I do have Jean's list of disease resistant roses, who is also from the Nashville area. That gave me a great place to start. The more disease resistant, the better.

2. Any color besides yellow. Apricot and pinks and reds and whites, you name it. Pink-ey yellow is fine, just not pure yellow.

3. As thorn friendly as possible. Neighbors just moved in, they have 4 little children that may try to pick some of these flowers and I will be planting next to where our yards border. Also, I don't want any light/gas/water ppl getting their clothes ripped up and cuts all over if they have to get into these utilities (which they have done at least once last year).

4. I would like to have a rose that blooms fairly continuously. Blooming in flushes is great as well.

5. A plant that is bushy in form, not a scraggly or long cane type. I don't want people to be able to see through the plant to the ugly-ness.

6. Lastly, if I can, I would like a rose that has some scent. This is the least on my priority list.

If I can only find a rose with disease resistance and thorn friendliness, I can definitely live with that.

So far, I am looking into:

Marie Daly

Perle d'Or

Gruss an Aachen

Belinda's Dream (have heard mixed things about thorniness)

Ducher

If you have any more to suggest, or comments about the one's I have listed, I would be greatly appreciative!

Thanks,

Natalie

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Comments (13)

luxrosa
14 years ago
'Perle d'Or' is my favorite rose on your short list. I've grown it for several years as a 5' tall plant, though when left unpruned for several years it can reach a height of 8 to 10 feet tall in California. It's very bushy, with many slender and short branching canes, and abundant foliage which make ut a good plant for screening. Flowers are small, and shapely and abundant, of a pretty hue of golden apricot. Re-bloom is good.
-It has few prickles, which should protect the children from being hurt.

Luxrosa
natalieb2270
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you Luxrosa! I have read wonderful things about Perle d'Or, it is nice to hear someone's personal experience with her.

I have also looked at Mrs. Dudley Cross, which is a faded yellow to pink rose, I feel like anyone I pick from my list will be wonderful!

I really want to try a souvenir de la malmaison bush, which is thorn friendly, but I am so afraid it will ball up into a huge mess. My DH would not let me buy another rose for a while if I buy a SDLM and then dig it up for the trash heap out of frustration!

So many choices... can't wait till spring!
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You are definitely going for the right look for a foundation planting, namely a layered series of different textures with evergreen at the back. But I agree that a total of 5 feet from foundation out is not enough width to get that job done. You have enough sun to work with and you have a vision, so why not do it up right: expand the bed 3-4 feet, move the roses out a few feet, and then put in some spreading yew or a globe arborvitae-type thing about 2-3 feet out from the house. You'll have to trim the yew or whatever you put there, but it will give you the look you want. Yews are incredibly overplanted on the foundation, but for the back row of a layered planting, I think they work just fine. Put a low layer in front of the roses, maybe some Blue Star Juniper, then you can keep the layered thing going on during the winter. The Blue Star is fairly slow growing, (especially living on the east side), so don't expect it to fill in quickly. Instead, cough up the cash and plant several. If you think widening the bed is daunting, just lay down wet cardboard on the turf and cover with lots of mulch. Then cut out wide holes for your plantings. The grass will be long gone in a year. Boxwood could work against the foundation too, but it grows like molasses. Just my thoughts, based on having been in a similar situation. Get what you want the first time around, so you don't have to do it again later.
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hey liz.. royal oak eh?? [from your members page] .. grew up in livonia... and bought my first house there ... first.. refer to the link .... for a suggestion as how to proceed ... linds ... did it right.. by catching us.. when we were bored out of our minds.. prior to the weather breaking ... note the pix we requested.. as well as having her define what her goals were ... and they did not end up being what she started with ... and its your use of common terms.. that is confusing you .. and us.. as to where to go with this ... e.g... evergreens... well.. that covers a wide range of things ... i THINK you are talking about conifers ... if you are.. that is where linds started .... and that is usually the backbones of the front of ones house ... but there are many other plants that are .. in essence.. evergreen ... so you need to define what you are talking about ... and technically.. conifers are NOT shrubs.. though i also called them such for decades .... but it is not helpful in defining where we want to go .... BTW .. your link doesnt work.. and that pic is not going to be helpful to anyone defining a plan ... and take a walk some evening.. and snap a pic or two.. of what other peeps have done with the front of their houses.. to help you define what you like.. and give us some guidance as to where you want to go ... you are spot on with the foundation ... when i had my first house in livonia.. i learned that 3 feet AT THE FOUNDATION .. should be left blank ... so i could get a ladder in there.. to do gutters.. paint.. xmas lights.. window washing.. etc ... and if you agree with that.. then you should 'see' that your bed is horribly out of configuration .... lol .. i just glanced up.. and i see the neighbor still has the ugly old improperly planted conifer .... and the root of your problem might be this forum.. but you never know ...... the conifer forum is much more active.. than the shrub forum.. and not every one of the peeps there.. come thru here ... so if this post dwindles.. try over there ... my best suggestion ... is to define and build some great beds.. for planting in fall .. the next proper season for planting conifers .. and trees.. as i doubt you can properly build those beds in time ... you simply should not plant such.. in the heat of summer ... but .... once you define the beds.. and add some of your annuals.. and perennials.. then we can get the backbones in place in fall ... of my 600 conifers.. about half came in the mail ... and that is how you get truly unique things.. rather than JUST what the bigboxstore offers ... well.. that and a budget.. lol .. of course .. as compared to me in adrian mi ... you have some great large upscale nurseries in the area including bordines .. english gardens.. etc ... so.. get us some better pix.. that perhaps we can photoshop ... and lets try to find some words that explain where you want to go .. oh.. i would expand that bed to about 10 feet from the house.. which would make it only 7 feet deep to work with .. it would NOT be straight across.. and we would have to figure out how to deal with what i will guess is an arcing walkway .... [any chance you want to replace that with brick as a part of the process] ... and i would insure.. that some part of the plants introduce a vertical element.. as compared to your 1950's metro detroit ranch ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link
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I was going to say the same thing about the rose and the burning bush. Highly likely it's multiflora rose if the canes are that long and it's that "tangled." GET RID OF IT. A great tool to get the roots out (because if you don't, you'll be fighting this monster forever -- it spreads like wildfire) is something called a Weed Wrench. I think you have to order it from the company -- I've never seen it for sale in stores. It's recommended by the CT Invasive Plant Council as a good tool for getting roots of invasives without undue "collateral" damage to surrounding plants. It really works! Ditto for the burning bush. It's beautiful in the fall, and of course was planted all over highway embankments before people knew any better, but it is classifed as a non-native invasive in almost all New England states now, because it is so rapidly driving out our native understory shrubs. I just pulled about 30 of them from a relatively small area of woods behind my house. Get rid of it, too -- there are lots of native alternatives, including mountain laurel, which can be beautiful on a slope. It depends a bit on the height you are trying to achieve in terms of screening, but any good nursery will be able to suggest alternatives to the invasives. Agree that the lilacs and forsythia will come back with time. If you want a naturalized look to that slope, you might consider supplementing (especially in the holes you'll have when you get rid of the multiflora) with some of the lower, mounding forsythia varieties. There are some beautiful new ones. They will eventually fill in and you'll have a spectacular blaze of color each spring. I am jealous of your humongous beautyberry! The deer took the top half off of my new little one this past winter but I'm hoping for a rapid recovery. Good luck!
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hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
14 years ago
Those are all great choices, though Gruss an Aachen never gets very tall for me, a couple of feet max. So it might not cover up much. BD isn't very thorny, at least mine are not.
jerijen
14 years ago
Consider Bishop Darlington.

{{gwi:223047}}

Semi-double blooms change color through the year, deepening to true apricot in coolest weather. It has few prickles.

This gentle rose has come to be one of our favorites. It is completely disease-free in Coastal Southern California, and blooms through the year. It's still opening new blooms.

It can tolerate some pruning, and we DO prune it, because it gets bigger than the space allotted to it. So, we bought a second one, and planted it where we could give it it's head.

In my conditions, 'Bishop Darlington' is totally disease-free -- but I don't know about blackspot, because we rarely experience it.

The real Bishop Darlington was a forceful and poetic preacher, who worked for the cause of Women's Sufferage.

Jeri
dennisb1
14 years ago
Natalie,

Your list of preferences is similar to mine. You didn't mention height requirements.

Of the one's I've grown:

DA's Heritage is pretty thornless (I just pruned my this weekend and didn't need gloves). Has about 3 flushes, and is pretty disease resistant

DA's James Galway. I've never seen BS on it. Unfortunately, while it has a really good spring flush, doesn't bloom much thereafter. Mine is huge (about 10-12' high). It grows next to a fence which may give it some support, so I can't exactly vouch for it's ability to be free standing.
natalieb2270
Original Author
14 years ago
Wow Jeri, Bishop Darlington is b-e-a-utiful! I will research it some more right now.

DennisB, I do already have Heritage, it is a great shrub, I have to spray it more than I would like though. I will check out JG some more, I haven't heard much about him, thanks for the suggestion!

Hoovb, I think you're right about Gruss- I really really want one though so I think I will find a place near the mailbox, that way I will always get a really good whiff and look at those gorgeous blooms everyday.

If anyone else has more experiences or suggestions I am so grateful!

So I mentioned getting a few thornless or near thornless roses to my husband, and he is so excited! Apparently, some of my roses have given my DH a few too many injuries while he was cutting the grass. So we are now replacing my 3 non producing climbing peace's! I want spring to be here so badly so I can rip up those duds taking up space in the full sun.

Just in case anyone needs a good list of non-thorny/disease resistant roses, here is what I have found:

Marie Daly
Perle d'Or
Gruss an Aachen
Ducher
Belinda's Dream
Mrs. Dudley Cross
Bishop Darlington
James Galway
SdlM
Basye's Blueberry
Thomas Affleck
Climbing Pinkie

So far, I am leaning towards Basye's Blueberry for the utility area, Gruss an Aachen for near the mailbox, and either climbing SdlM or climbing Pinkie for replacing the 3 cl.peaces in the backyard. Whew!

Come on spring! Get here already!

Nat
gardennatlanta
14 years ago
Nat,

I don't mean to throw a monkey wrench into your list but I took out Ducher because I could not keep black spot off of it. Thrips loved it and so did the Japanese beetles. It was an underperformer for me, here in Atlanta. Others love it, so thatÂs just my experience.

Gruss An Aachen is a great rose but he needs to be sprayed here if you want him to look good--if not, you're going to see a lot more cane. BUT, he does respond well to occasional spraying and he does bloom even when I let him get spotty.

BelindaÂs Dream is also nice but does better with some spray. BTW, her blooms are much larger and more impressive in the cooler weather of the spring and fall.

Of the ones youÂve listed, Marie Daly is the most disease resistant and has the most continual bloom. The fragrance also carries on the breezeÂwhich I really like.

SdLM is another great rose. Mine does get some BS but with a little shot of anti-fungal spray every now and then, she does well. The blooms are beautiful and smell great. Neither SdLM or MD are very large, thoughÂboth maybe 3.5 to 4 feet tall and wide.

What about Duchesse de Brabant? SheÂs on JeanÂs list that you mentioned and she made the Earthkind list in Texas. She has beautiful pink blooms that smell like raspberries to me. Mine is taller than wide but I've heard others report that their DdB are larger. I just went out and would call mine "lightly thorny". Although she does have some thorns, it seems like way less than others like her neighbor, Buff Beauty.

Hope this information helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Duchesse de Brabant
greybird
14 years ago
May I suggest Natchitoches Noisette. A nice 4'-5' upright bushy/vase form, well clothed in healthy dark green foliage, highly disease resistant. One of my best producers, gives me frequent flushes of a mutable light-medium pink tinged with cream, color contingent upon the temperature. Like most "found" roses, it requires little care to look good and can tolerate some degree of neglect. Virtually evergreen here and thornless to boot. Even does ok in a shady area, but not as productive of flower.
natalieb2270
Original Author
14 years ago
Gardennatlanta, I love the duchess, thank you for that suggestion! I had no idea that it was lightly thorny, she may be perfect for what I am looking for. I am thrilled that you threw a wrench in my list, I want to know how these roses preform so I can help them thrive.

Greybird, I will look up Natchitoches Noisette right now! I hope it would do as well here in middle TN as it does is TX. No worries about not getting enough sun, this is an area that will get sun all day long, prime real estate :)

I also found that Monsieur Tillier has "few prickles" and also Kronprinzessin Viktoria

Decisions decisions...
greybird
14 years ago
Also, if you are considering Cl. Pinkie to replace the Cl Peaces, mine does not give me appreciable bloom following its fantastic spring flush. Also, its lack of fragrance might be something to consider.

Belinda's Dream was a dog for me, but then most "moderns" can't take my climate. Thorny as well.

SdlM will likely stay small in your zone. Ducher experiences quite a bit of dieback in my z7 winters, so an open western or northern exposure would not be a good gamble for these two. But both are quite stunning and great performers here.

Heritage has some of the most beautiful/fragrant blooms ever, but are fragile and shatter easily in the wind.

Gruss an Aachen is a bitsy rose, not good for covering anything unsightly.
sherryocala
14 years ago
Natalie, my Mons Tillier is quite prickly and big. I second Natchitoches Noisette. I took mine out but it was because it was too big for its spot, and I was impatient for blooms. It had exceptionally healthy foliage and probably takes a few years (3+) to mature enough for all-over flowering. I would have been happy to keep it if I had the space because its leaves were so healthy & leathery. It almost didn't look like a rose bush. It put out big candelabras of flowers. I think you could keep it 6' wide x 5' tall - well, in Zone 9. Maybe yours wouldn't get so big and maybe it would.

Sherry
growing2010
14 years ago
WOW on that Natchitoches Noisette! Chamblee's describes is as "bulletproof", sounds like a winner to me.
natalieb2270
Original Author
14 years ago
Alright! I put in an order the day before yesterday for

-Thomas Affleck (offspring of Basye's Blueberry and Carefree Beauty, sounds like a real big winner to me!)

-Mrs. Dudley Cross (On Jean's list and gets to be pretty big which is good when trying to hide stuff, and will look beautiful next to Thomas)

-SDLM (bush not CL- will go either next to the house by the front door, or by the mailbox. I am SO excited to have one finally!)

My DH would probably make me sleep on the couch if I were to buy more than that... at least for right now!

I am so excited, thank you all for enabling :)

Shrub or Shrub like Rose for Ugly Spot in my Yard!

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