Waves of Color: The 7 Best Backyard Roses to Check Out This Spring
Around the world, the rose is probably the most famous flower. The large, vibrant bulb which sits atop a thick and spiky stem is well-known to be a symbol of romance, purity, and friendship. However, there are so many varieties of roses and many of them can transform your landscape. Here are the 7 best backyard roses to check out this spring.
What is the Most Popular Rose Variety?
When adding color, texture, and depth to their landscapes, homeowners will most often choose the Hybrid Tea rose varieties. Grandiflora roses are in a subgroup of Hybrid Tea roses and some of these varieties are incredibly beautiful and hardy specimens.
The Orange Grandiflora: With a rich range of color in its petals, the Orange Grandiflora rose is a flower that has made an amazing impact on gardens for years. The newer petals in the center of the bulb are deep orange with a slightly yellowish tinge that displays their delicacy. The petals on the outer rim of the bulb will grow more reddish as they mature and eventually dry up. As always, the fragrance is a huge draw and this variety of roses is said to give off the smell of fresh green apples. Growing as large as 5 inches in diameter, the Orange Grandiflora stays quite true to its name. Look for this rose to grow up to 6 feet tall and thrive in full sun exposure.
Which Rose is the Best for a Garden?
When a plant proves itself to be beautiful, healthy, and fairly easy to grow and maintain, then you can bet that it’s a winner in the eyes of gardening homeowners. Trying to come up with the answer for what is the best rose is entirely dependent on your preferences, so let’s cover one of the favorites.
The Teasing Georgia: A type of shrub rose that grows in impressive bunches and clusters, the Teasing Georgia seems to pay tribute to the famous fruit of that state: the peach. The gentle yellows and oranges change as the light passes through the petals, deeper orange in the center and light yellow towards the outer rim. Each bulb is large, about 5 inches across and this plant will grow about 5 feet tall but up to 15 feet wide in warmer climates. That’s not to say that the Teasing Georgia shrivels up to cold weather, since it stands strong through the winter.
What are the Most Beautiful Roses?
Another consideration that’s entirely up to taste, deciding which rose is the most beautiful is something that could leave you with two, three, or even four top candidates. Let’s take a look at some amazing backyard rose varieties.
The Cherry Parfait: With a name like that, you’d expect this rose to be pretty delicious looking! The Cherry Parfait shows off some striking colors and complex waves of texture. The leaves under the rose bulb are dark green, providing a brilliant contrast with the bulb itself. Each of the petals grows white from the base until near the edge. From there, the color transforms into a bright magenta to deep red that dominates the look of the flower. This plant grows its bulbs in clusters and grows about 4 feet tall in full sun.
The Pink Bonica: Just as delicate as cotton candy, the Pink Bonica creates a wonderful textural element for a greenscape. The blooms have a beautiful dissymmetry to them that brings out endearing imperfections. The color is fairly uniform across the bulb, from the newer petals to the older ones. Different bulbs may be different shades of pink, however, ranging from the slightest shades near white to almost magenta. This rose typically grows about 4 feet tall and loves full sun exposure. Due to its hardiness, the Pink Bonica will last well into the chilly air of the autumn.
Which Roses Bloom the Most?
Anybody with a crop of roses in their backyard will want the beautiful flowers to bloom as long as possible throughout the year. This period between blooms is called the rebloom cycle and each rose variety has a different period. Let’s see which roses will keep your garden looking beautiful longer.
The Falstaff: This beautiful shrub rose is denser than any other rose we’ve covered thus far, making it ideal for hedgerows. The color of beautiful and deep burgundy echoes the classic English red rose look, yet the petals seem meticulously bunched together as if someone tried to cram as many petals in the bulb at once. The resulting effect is a bulb that draws eyes to take a closer look. This proud flower will stand about 5 feet tall and become a true showcase in your backyard.
The Rainbow Knockout: For such a small bloom, this flower really deserves its impressive name. While the most classic roses have large cup shaped bulbs, this plant is much smaller and it opens up into a proud bowl shape. The smaller flowers grow together in clusters and show off a range of color, from whites and yellows in the center to a bright pink on the tips of the petals. For a busy and detailed texture, this plant enjoys plenty of full sun exposure and grows up to 4 feet tall.
The Julia Child: In honoring such a well-regarded culinary figure, the Julia Child rose sure has a lot to live up to. It passes with flying colors or, should we say, color. The brilliant yellowish gold seems to twist outwards in a perfect circle as the outer petals start to bend backwards. The three-dimensional shape of this flower bulb really starts to take form and the plant itself grows up to 3 feet tall in clusters. The fragrance brings notes of anise and fennel with its typical nectar-sweet flavor and the color will remind you what Julia herself once said, that “with enough butter, anything is good.”
Keep in mind that different types of roses have different planting needs: some will grow high and climb on anything available, while others create shrubs that can make beautiful borders or foundation plantings.