Sources and recommendations for Rosa rugosa?

6 years ago

I've been a frequent visitor to the maritime Canadian provinces over the last twenty years, and I've always been impressed by the wild rugosa roses that grow so prolifically there. I'm going to be landscaping a fairly modest-sized area next to a garage on my neighbor's property. He'd prefer something fairly formal, but has basically given me carte blanche to do whatever I like. He likes roses, and has mentioned dwarf Alberta spruce. I myself am not a fan of hyper-bred cultivars of "fancy" roses and their special requirements, and would rather like to use rugosas along with the Alberta spruces to create a garden that's a compromise between formal and rambling. There would be at least three spruces, with a taller one in the center and shorter ones to the sides of it, all interplanted with the roses.

Can any rugosa growers recommend any of the less vigorous varieties that might work best for this concept? I'm looking for one white variety and perhaps a pale pink one as well. Also, can anyone recommend catalog sources for rugosas in general. Thanks!

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Moses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Cranefire,

Do you know my third attempt failed, too! If I make it successfully through this fourth try it will be a relief.

Some years ago I dedicated my rose garden entirely to hy. rugosas and a few OGRs. I must have tried over 30 different varieties of hy. rugosas. They are great roses. All the typical reports on them I can ditto.

However, there are only four gripes I have about them that to me are significant:

1. Some varieties are poor/slow repeat bloomers. Some do not repeat at all.

2. Most varieties have flowers that look like they are having a, 'bad hair day,' every day! Twisted, disheveled petals abound.

3. The blooms drop their petals incredibly fast. They open day one. They stay open day two, then drop their petals by noon day three. Forget using them for the vase.

4. The viscous, abundant thorns can be dangerous. They are a given with hy. rugosas.

All this being noted, their assets are still considerable, especially the ones I recommend. These excellent hy. rugosas I found to excell, having the least or none of my gripes about the class in them:

Roseraie de L' Hay - big, abundant, 4.25", well organized blooms (a lot of the time), 5' x 3', good repeat.

Henry Hudson - smallish 3" blooms, well placed petals with a lovely yellow boss, lots if blooms all summer long, 2.5' x 2.5'.

Schneekoppe (aka. Snow Pavement) - exquisite cupped, chalice shaped, light lavender 3.5", blooms in abundance all season long, 3' x 3'.

Charles Albanel - lovely 3.5", petal arrangement blooms with a nice yellow boss, lots of blooms, again and again until fall, 3' x 3'.

Martin Frobisher - 3" blooms, packed with petals, abundant carnation like flowers, 3.5' x 2', columnar growth habit.

If I could only grow one hybrid rugosa it would be Schneekoppe (Snow Pavement).

Be careful of any chemicals other than water on hy. rugosas, even liquid fertilizer feeding. Their foliage is super sensitive, and will burn and fall off of if chemicaled, which fungicides and insecticides are really not ever needed.

This point is not a gripe, just a heads up. Some hybrid rugosas send runners out. These varieties are essentially colonial in growth habit, not really bushy. They can be managed as bushes though, by removing the runners. The runner are bonus plants to some of us, a nuisance to others. They were not a major issue to me. Those I wanted for new plants were saved, the others, yanked up and pitched. Get them out when young if not needed, let them mature a bit before removal if new plants are wanted.

Schneekoppe runs, Roseraie de L' Hay and Henry Hudson never did for me.

Did you know Dwarf Alberta Spruce are dwarf only in comparison to 75' tall non-dwarf spruce trees? There is a DAS not far from me that is 15' x 12'! Yes, they do grow slowly, but like the proverbial tortoise, get there in the end.

May I commend you look into a juniper, chamaecyparis, or another small, trimmable evergreen instead of DAS, which really cannot easily be trimmed to stay at a smaller size. They do not take well to trimming unlike so many other shrubby, needled evergreens which can be kept trimmed very easily.

I would shoot for an evergreen that max's out at the size available in the bed, not one that needs trimming, or a Dwarf Alberta Spruce that really cannot be trimmed.

Moses, whew!

P.S. Henry Hudson has a far more beautiful flower, with a far neater bush form than the White Knock Out. It is fragrant also. Look at the great photos of HH at Help Me Find Roses.

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