Hi Carol,

Do the rugosas have to be single or will semi-double also work? My favorite single bloom type rugosa is Frau Dagmar Hartopp which blooms pretty much non-stop and then develops very large orange-red hips if you don't deadhead. It is a wonderful site seeing this Rugosa covered in hips and blooms at the same time and then having those leaves change colour to yellow's, orange and purple in the late fall/early winter.

Robusta is another very floriferous Rugosa Hybrid that certainly makes a huge garden impact. It is not as hardy as most other Rugosas and it is more prone to BS than most. However, in some climates, it does very well and will stay clean most years while blooming its fool head off.

Scabrosa is another very good, very hardy single bloomed Rugosa. It doesn't repeat as well, or as quickly as FDH or Robusta however, but is still a very good garden plant.

Here are some pics of Rugosa hedges for you. They are the ultimate low maintenance hedge plant and rose.

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Hi MordenMan,

What's the pink rose on the right in the last picture? I like it! I'm still looking for a nice rugosa.

Eric

Hi Cincy City Garden,

The pink rose is Therese Bugnet. It is an exceptionally beautiful and nearly thornless Hybrid Rugosa with bright red canes. It is also one of the hardiest roses in existence. It also does well in warmer climates, but in really hot zones, has a slight tendency towards powdery mildew.

Thanks Morden. Therese Bugnet has been recommended before. I guess it's on the Spring order now. :)

How is the repeat? Is it as good as Robusta mentioned above?

Eric

MordenMan,

Forgot to ask in previous post, can you tell me anything about Conrad Ferdinand Meyer? I like the bloom form on it as well.

Thanks

Eric

Morden Man:

I loved your rugosa pictures. They're great! I have Frau Dag and am thinking hard about Rubra also for this year. My question is about my FDH. It will be three years old this spring and is a really hot, pretty dry spot in the corner of the yard. I do water it several times a week.

My question is that mine only typically has around 10 - 15 blooms at a time. Should I be watering more? More fertilizer? Soil amendments? I want mine to look like yours!

Thanks for your time and the fun photos.

Kate

Cincy City Garden,

Here and in PEI, Therese Bugnet throws out a huge spring flush and then blooms fairly continuously through the summer. Not heavily mind you, but there are always blooms on the bush until another larger flush in the fall. It grows very tall, vase shaped and upright and since it will be tip hardy for you, will become a substantial plant for you quickly. You will not need to prune it for several years, but you certainly can if this is your wish.

I have never grown Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, so can't really tell you much about it based on real experience. David Austin did use it extensively in his breeding and both Mary Rose and Eglantyne have CFM in their genetics which is the main reason these are two of the hardier Austins. CFM is apparently somewhat prone to rust and makes a very tall and vigorous plant. It is not as hardy as some of the "truer" Rugosa Hybrids though and not even close in hardiness to Therese Bugnet. Hope that helps.

Hi Kate,

The Rugosa pictures were actually taken by my Mom with a digital camera I bought for her as a X-mas gift and are from her garden in PEI. I helped design my Mom's garden and purchased her first 70 or so roses as a retirement gift when my parents decided to, well, retire out that way. They have a 5+ acre property and I only wish I had that much space to plant roses in my garden. In my own garden, I'm constricted to a 60X150' lot in the suburbs, so I can only dream about doing things that she can accommodate easily.

About FDH, it would be next to impossible for me to give you any advice that would really be of use, despite how much I'd like to help. We garden in such drastically different climates and I have no idea of your cultivation habits, the composition of your soil, or any other factor that could contribute to a less than robust plant. I also don't know how FDH actually performs in your area, so maybe that is normal for it in your zone.
I will add that other than manure, I have never fertilized Rugosas ever. Unless they get chlorosis and need iron, which is rare here, they simply don't need the fertilizer and many don't like chemical fertilizers regardless, even if you don't get it on the leaves.

Is your FDH own-root or grafted? If grafted, you may want to check your soil PH and see if it is acidic or alkaline. As a general rule, Dr. Huey does better in alkaline soils and Multiflora does better in acidic soils. The whole point of Rugosas is that once established, they really don't need much care at all to flourish. If they are receiving enough water and the soil is half decent, they should thrive. At least in my zone and climate...

By the way, the pics I posted don't have FDH in them. I couldn't find one of FDH that my mom sent me last year. In the first pic, those are all 2 year old own-root plants from Cornhill nurseries of Rotesmeer (Purple Pavement) and either Schneekoppe (Snow Pavement) or Schneezwerg (Snowdwarf); I can't remember which now and I always get these varieties confused because of the name similarities.

The second pic of the railway tie bed is a blended mix of many different Rugosas that are the same type and colours on each end and repeat as you move in to culminate in the center with Roseraie de L'Hay.

The last pic is Roseraie de L'Hay on the left, Henry Hudson in the middle and Therese Bugnet on the right. Hope that helps.

Thanks again for info...it was helpful, I'll give Therese a wide berth.

Eric

Morden Man - those pictures are exactly what I've been looking for!!! Wow!!

Roseraie de L'Hay is JUST the ticket. I'm ordering one!!!

I have a question on Therese Bugnet (actually hybridized near Edmonton, Alberta where I live!). I had this rose in Fort McMurray (zone 2). I had it in sun for only about 4 hours. We had tremendous winds down there, and it seemed that everytime TB got a flush, this gale would come and blow all the petals away. I literally had blooms for one day. Have you noticed anything like that or was it just the shade? If it was just the shade, then I would buy this one in a heartbeat - the fragrance is divine!

I think I'll look up Frau DH on helpmefind. If you think it's the best, then that's the one I want.

Thanks a bunch,
Carol

Thank you very much MM. Quite helpful. To answer your question I am not sure if FDH is own root or grafted. We bought it mail order from Forest Farm. I've been very happy with it. Would just like to see more vigor. Perhaps it just needs time. I don't know about the PH of the soil. Like I say it is decent soil, nothing great. I do water them by hand about three times a week and it gets oodles of sun. I actually put it there as I wanted something flowering that could take all day reflective heat from the pavement which it has endured with grace. Here is a kind of fuzzy picture of it:

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I'm putting a new rose bed in out there this spring. I actually considered moving Frau Dag and putting something like Robusta in that would be larger and provide a better obstacle to little neighbor feet.

I appreciate your input.

Kate