Clean Falling Rose Petal Variety or Type?

12 years ago

Although I've had roses in front of my house for over 6 years (gardener tended to); I'm new to gardening and am starting to take notice of their beauty. I'd like to add a couple more to the front but mainly add a few to the backyard.

Can someone tell me if there is a particular title, name or variety (not sure what term to use here?) I should search under for roses with petals that fall cleanly? Meaning as the blossoms get older, the petals aren't falling off individually and all over the ground? Or is there something I can should look for; in order to tell if that type of rose does that?

I have a pretty (white climber) rose in the front with petals that literally crumbles to the ground once the blossom fully matures. I also have a huge bougainvillea that I have to clean after constantly, so I'm trying to avoid adding to the mess.

The two I know I'm adding is a Sally Holmes and Don Juan. Already have them and love them both.

Below is a list of favorites from others on this forum I'm contemplating. Can you please look at the list and tell me if any of the roses have petals that fall easily and I should avoid?

Rose List

============

1) Fragrant Cloud

2) Buff Beauty

3) Golden Celebration

4) Jacques Cartier

5) Jude the Obscure

6) Lyda Rose

7) Mister Lincoln

My preferences:

============

1) blossomed petals fall intact or cleanly

2) fragrance

3) hardy

4) disease resistant

5) repeat bloomer

6) can be grown in container

7) shade tolerant

8) cut flower

9) thornless

Are there any roses that you could recommend for me? Thank you for all your help!

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Comments (6)

michaelg
12 years ago
Actually, the choice is between petals that fall to the ground (called "self-cleaning" in the literature) and petals that stick to the flower-head and turn icky brown :) The reason you notice the rose-petals on the ground more than petals of most other flowers is that roses bloom so much and have large petals.

I guess we rose nuts think the petals on the ground are pretty.

However, if you grow hybrid tea roses such as Mr. Lincoln, you can easily pull off the flowers as they start to fade and drop them in a bag--because there won't be that many flowers.

To get advice on varieties, it would help to say where you live--coastal California vs. inland vs. Miami, have different issues (mildew, heat, and blackspot respectively).
yodiana
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the response michaelg. So the rose petals that fall off the mature bud and onto the ground are called "self-cleaning?" Too funny! Especially since the climbing rose and the bougainvillea are the only flowers I have that I'm constantly sweeping up after. Yes, dying buds are ugly too but I find it easier to just deadhead those. Perhaps I'll think differently after acquiring a few more.

I don't have any other flower-types that I can really compare them too. Wait. I do have a gardenia, but I barely can get that to flower at all.

I guess the rose petals can be pretty. But now that I'm paying them more attention, I thought having any disregarded materials nearby would be unsanitary and breed pests? No? The other thing is our home sits pretty close to the neighbors. Although I do have the best and friendliest of neighbors, I'd like to keep them that way.

I live pretty coastal - San Diego, CA. About a 10 mins from the beach. Thank you for your help!
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carolinamary
12 years ago
Hi Diana,

If you want to increase the chances of having a rose with petals that are likely to cling to the rose for a good while past the bloom's prime, then look for roses classified as polyanthas. They tend to be smaller plants but there are some that are pretty large, including some that are good-sized climbers. One good thing about polyanthas is that they tend to show some shade tolerance too.

I don't see any polyanthas in your list, but you can go to the Vintage Gardens' website to learn more about the characteristics of many different varieties, by clicking on the left under "Polyantha" or "Polyantha Climber" depending on how large you are hoping for.

Best wishes,
Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: Look on the left to click on the Polyanthas
michaelg
12 years ago
Perhaps coastal gardeners will recommend some varieties that are fragrant, disease-resistant, and relatively easy to keep deadheaded.

On the issue of sanitation, there is a fungus, botrytis, that infects petals of some varieties. However, effective sanitation in the outdoor garden is impossible, because in botrytis weather the air is full of spores coming from many different sources, even the rotting mulch. Then there is a pest of petals, thrips, but these are also airborne and have many hosts. Most people who grow large rose shrubs and climbers have lots of petals on the ground.
seil zone 6b MI
12 years ago
Golden Celebration rains petals on me all the time. I cleaned the bed yesterday and had a carpet of yellow petals a good inch thick to pick up. But it's so darn gorgeous when it's in full bloom and smells so heavenly that who the heck cares about the petals falling off! My other Austin, Graham Thomas does the same thing too. Eventually most all roses will drop their petals. If you want to keep the beds clean you have to dead head early and often. I dead head constantly. As I walk my roses every day I pull off the spent blooms as I go by. The last ten days were my show season so I just didn't have the time and got behind a little. All caught up now and the roses and beds look clean and lovely again!
diane_nj 6b/7a
12 years ago
Many of the roses hybridized by David Austin "shatter" here, so I would avoid those. Marchesa Boccella/Jacques Cartier will also shatter. I've never thought about this (except when trying to get one to a show), I just let the petals fall on top of the mulch, or deadhead.

You could always deadhead the blooms just as they past prime.

Clean Falling Rose Petal Variety or Type?

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michaelg

yodiana
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Clean Falling Rose Petal Variety or Type?

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