Favorite, Intense Pink, Fragrant, Prolific, Small Shrub

14 years ago

Not to be too specific or anything! Would love to find the perfect low-maintenance, dense foliage, fragrant, abundantly reblooming, intense pink rose to accent/compliment a forest green iron mail box I bought in the UK. I have one of the pure lavender Duranta erectus (Golden Dewdrops) that will grow behind the mailbox.

Needs to remain less than 4 feet by 4 feet. Pretty shrub/petite rambler form is almost as important as the blooms!

Anyone know of anything that fits the bill???

Can't wait for a dry, warmish (anything over 50 would be great!) day to get busy in the garden!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

marlingardener
14 years ago
Bobbi,
Look at Chamblee Roses on-line catalog, or request a paper one to be sent to you (www.chambleeroses.com). Amiga Mia, Chuckles, or Hi Neighbor may fit your requirements, as will other roses in their catalog. Chamblee's prices are extremely reasonable and the roses are top-notch (can you tell my gardens have quite a few roses in them?).
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
14 years ago
"Intense Pink, Fragrant, Prolific, Small Shrub" :-) Not asking for much are you? LOL ... Anyway the first thing that came to mind is the gorgeous little mounding rose Rainbow Knockout. It's pink, but not intense pink and so low to the ground I wouldn't know if mine is fragrant or not, but I am really high on this rose.

Then I thought of a new little Abelia variety someone was talking about last year, not `Kaleidoscope` but something else. I looked at it at a nursery and really liked it. Am racking my brain to think of the name of it. Maybe someone else will remember it.

What might look darling there with its intense pink flowers, thick evergreen foliage and low mounding draping form would be Pink Skullcap.

Any of these would be low maintenance, have dense foliage and be abundant blooming. Then scatter some Alyssums around for their intense honey fragrance.

Happy gardening while looking and finding just the right plant!
Related Discussions
favorite small evergreen shrub for the South?
Q
Comments (10)
There is an abelia cultivar, 'Kaleidoscope', that is pretty much multi-colored, or 'Silver Anniversary' that is white and green - I assume the flowers are the usual white, not having seen them for either. To my knowledge, it stays small, but having only seen plants in the nurseries, I am not sure of the height, but I think about 3'. No berries, but the leaves' color might make up for that. Indian Hawthorn stays evergreen, fall/winter to late spring flowers in pink or white. Bluish fruits/berries aren't anything special, though. There are dwarf Yaupon hollies - they should stay small and have berries. 'Nana' is not known for berries, but some of the others are - you would have to have a male, but it doesn't HAVE to be in that bed, just nearby. While not evergreen, the cultivar 'Red Sprite' of I. verticillalta grows to 3-5', and is noted for its long-lasting berries - again, you would need a male around. I saw a new, very dark purple-leaved Loropetalum at a Spartanburg nursery last week with red flowers - it is supposed to stay smaller and more compact than the usual cultivar. I'm sorry, but I don't remember the name, just that it was very newly introduced. How about rosemary? You would have to chose one of the taller varieties, and might have to keep it trimmed to keep it to size, once it grew, but the trimmings are good for cooking, and the blue flowers are in winter-to-spring, so would offset the lack of berries. Sand is ideal for them, as good drainage is essential.
...See More
RE: Favorite fragrant crabapple
Q
Comments (20)
Jennifer, if you take a photo of it to post here, you could see if someone recognizes it. You could take a branch or photo to Arnold Arboretum and various large nurseries such as Weston's for comparison. You could find someone who does grafting (the way named apple and crabapple varieties are all reproduced) to graft from your current trees onto rootstock to raise new copies of your current tree.
...See More
Your best roses that are intensely fragrant, please!
Q
Comments (112)
I'm from the Pacific Northwest too, and I've found that some varieties that promise the world but don't produce in our area (or have many problems). I've tried many of the varieties mentioned, and I'll list the ones that I've seen do well for the Northwest EVERY TIME. 1. Easy Going - Yellow - I can't believe I haven't seen this mentioned before! It transformed me from a so-so yellow rose lover to adoring, singing it's praises, rose lover. The fragrance is stop in your tracks worthy. And production...unbelievable, at least for our area! I actually had my husband cut off 1/3 of the bush (the bush had become HUGH), and gave that third to my neighbor. Now, 6 months later, I can't even tell it's been divided. My bush at this time has about 80 or so fuss-free blooms. My neighbor's has about 30 roses (she doesn't dead head, and generally ignores it). I see it constantly winning at rose shows, where it's identity is unknown till I check the hidden tag. The only caveat is that with thorns easy going it's not. But being in the Northwest, that might be of benefit, as the deer might stay away. It's reason I invested in a Waterford vase, roses like that deserve the best. Double Delight - Bi-colored red and white - I'll add my vote for this rose of beauty and aroma. Sheila's Perfume - Bi-colored red and yellow - Another beautiful, yet fragrant example. It's not as prolific as Easy Going, but maybe I expect too much? Ebb Tide - Purple - The most vibrant purple, I've seen. Fragrant, but short duration of bloom. I special ordered this, only to have it languish in the post office when I was called out of town when a family member was ill. By all rights it should have been dead, but it revived and is alive and well, it's that hardy. I have, or have had most of the others mentioned, Zephadrin Dauphin (pretty sure I spelled that wrong, sorry) I'd only recommend if you have a spot with a shade, and hate thorns. Angel Face, I found to be super color lavendar, and fragrant, but not too hardy. I'll add Lady Banks, as a scentimental favorite: I don't own it but my mother-in-law, who passed, did (a remarkable lady of great taste). The world's largest rose bush in Tombstone, AZ, is a Lady Banks. If you visit the bush in Tombstone, you'll be amazed, and the rose in your garden will bring back happy memories (I believe you can buy one right there, and have it mailed to your home). I wish I'd had one sent. My best advice for the Pacific Northwest rose lovers is to visit Portland's International Rose Test Garden during it's peak during July or August, if you can. It's truly a delight, but the garden will show you both new varieties and old favorities. You can see what exactly what you'd want in your garden and what will do well. Happy gardening!
...See More
Prolific Rose Shrubs for Zone 5
Q
Comments (14)
Hi UncleHippy Welcome to GW and there'll always be plenty of opinions for you to pick from in our responses here. In many cases, you have to decide between easy roses and highly fragrant roses, particularly if you like the "classic" rose shape (those are hybrid tea roses). Since you're asking about Knockout and EE roses, you know that these are more open flower shapes and indeed good for beginners. They should both be fine in the amount of sun you describe and equally easy to grow. In terms of impressiveness, I'd go with Kashmir. It has been thickly covered in blooms in a partly sunny spot in my yard, much better than my Double Knockout. Know that neither of these is consistently a "fire engine" red color - red as a gardening color varies a lot, and both of these tend toward the crimson side of the color scheme, though much redder than roses that are called hot pink. I agree with Rick (predfern) that your best chance for easy roses that have some fragrance are the David Austin roses. There are some drop-dead gorgeous "red" Austins that tend toward the purple side of things - Munstead Wood, Darcey Bussell, and The Prince are all easy and compact good bloomers for me. The Austins that tend more like red (but none are remotely fire engine red) like Tess of the D'Ubervilles or maybe Tradescant are less frequent bloomers for me than the ones I listed in the purple range. The hardiness of Austins is good for most zone 5 regions, but it can vary depending on the part of the country you're in - the east coast gets more trouble with blackspot that can weaken a rose if severe, and that might lead you toward roses like Kashmir more often. If you let us know the general region where you live we can help more with that. One compromise that you could consider about easy vs. fragrant roses is to plant low plants of frequent bloomers (like Kashmir) and then put a few more fragrant but stingier ones behind them (or between) so you get your hit of fragrance that way. It depends on how much room you have. Bottom line though is not to be scared of planting roses and don't let people tell you they need fancy care or expensive food or spraying if you don't want it. The roses you describe should be tough for a zone 5 winter and not need much care, though every rose needs dead wood cut out of it and some trimming at least once a year (nothing including perennials and grass is "no-care" in a garden). Have fun Cynthia
...See More
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
14 years ago
Oh, I just noticed you said 'rose' ... well, I just thought of another rose that would be perfect, Gabrielle Privat! It's a little polyantha, healthy evergreen foliage, and with prolific intense pink blooms. I grow it and it is marvelous! See if Chamblees has it, as well as the other roses suggested above.

Click on 'photos' to see a bunch of pictures and I'll try to find some photos of mine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gabrielle Privat on Help Me Find ...
cweathersby
14 years ago
I've got lots and lots of roses- but none are under 4 feet, much less all the other stuff! They grow tall in Texas, even the ones sites list as short.
lou_spicewood_tx
14 years ago
Marie Daly rose? Can be pruned back to stay 4x4. Very nice wafting fragrance.

Here is a link that might be useful: Marie Daly rose
cweathersby
14 years ago
On Chamblee's website check out the polyanthas. Alot of them stay small and bloom alot. I don't personally grow many polys so can't say for sure which ones would work. But don't trust the size listed on Chamblee's site- even though they are in Texas I think their sizes are geared to more northern gardens. Ask for size on the Antique Rose Forum if you find one you like.
texaslynn
14 years ago
There is a small rose called Pink Rosette (available from the Antique Rose Emporium) which may fill your requirements. You might check out their website and get some ideas. I have not grown this one personally so can't speak from experience :)

Lynn
ltcollins1949
14 years ago
Here is a picture of the Petite Pink Scotch that Lynn mentions. It is supposed to get to only 3 to 4 feet. And the Coral Beauty gets to only 2 to 3 feet. I just found this rose, and it is so pretty. Highway 290 Pink Buttons gets to 1 to 2 feet.
bobbi_p
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the tips everyone. I know I wasn't asking for anything too specific! (Can you read my sarcasm!) You're a great group. Pink Skull cap actually intrigues me. I had forgotten I wanted some of that last summer!

I had Coral Beauty at my old house after seeing some at the ARE in Independence soon after they were planted back by the old shrub maze. Every time I go back, I go to take a look at them. And, like mine at my old house, they're still plugging along, but not as thrifty/full as I'd like.

Gabrielle Privat is the look I'm going for. Anyone have her in your garden now? How care free is she?
jolanaweb
14 years ago
Hi Cynthia, I don't have any experience with that one but what about Belinda's Dream, it is easy and I love it's fragrance and a cousin in Denton has lots of roses and she has one that I LOVE, Brothers Grimm.
Also, here is a link she sent a while back and I honestly haven't had time to look at all of it. She sent it because I told her I didn't want to plant anymore roses unless they were fragrant, lol
Good luck
jolana

Here is a link that might be useful: fragrant roses

Favorite, Intense Pink, Fragrant, Prolific, Small Shrub

Comments (10)

marlingardener

roselee z8b S.W. Texas

Related Discussions

roselee z8b S.W. Texas

cweathersby

lou_spicewood_tx

cweathersby

texaslynn

ltcollins1949

bobbi_p
Original Author

jolanaweb

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Favorite, Intense Pink, Fragrant, Prolific, Small Shrub

Comments (10)

Related Discussions

bobbi_pOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

bobbi_p
Original Author