June is National Rose Month.

Roses are among the most classic garden plants, filling the landscape with their stunning color and unique fragrance. Available in a variety of colors, fragrances and repeat flowering or single blooms, there is a rose variety for every garden. Growing roses in Colorado can be a rewarding experience if provided with the right culture. Start with the basics. Roses need a minimum of six hours of full sun to grow and bloom properly. Roses need a bed of their own, away from trees, shrubs and perennials that compete for sunlight, space and nutrients. Roses need space. They don’t do well when crowded together.   

There is a long history of roses growing in Colorado. In 1874 Charlotte Hill discovered a fossilized rose leaf preserved in the Upper Eocene Florissant Formation some 34 million years ago. Now in the Smithsonian, the fossil rose Rosa hilliae is named for her. In addition, native rose species, including mountain rose, Rosa woodsii, prickly rose, Rosa acicularis, and prairie rose, Rosa arkansana can be viewed from the plains to elevation.   

Wild roses or “species roses” typically have a single, predominately pink flower. Old Garden Roses or heirloom roses were cultivated prior to 1867. They have a strong fragrance but only bloom once a year.  

 

Cultivated after 1867, Modern Garden Roses are those most familiar to gardeners. The year 1867 is an important one in rose history, since it marks the debut of the hybrid tea rose. Tall and elegant, hybrid tea roses are by far the most popular rose grown.

Available in a wide range of colors, hybrid teas produce individual long-stemmed blooms and flowers repeatedly during the season.   

 

You can even find hybrid tea roses named for celebrities, suchas Judy Garland, shown here.

In addition to hybrid teas, modern garden rose varieties include climbers, David Austin, shrub roses, miniature roses, grandifloras and floribundas.

When it comes to growing roses successfully in Colorado, choose a location that receives at least six hours of direct sun every day, away from trees, shrubs and perennials that compete for sunlight, space and nutrients. Provide adequate space between rose bushes. They don’t do well when crowded together. Prepare the planting site by adding locally produced organic materials. Roses need well-amended soils to establish strong root systems and achieve vigorous growth and bloom potential. 

Planted now, roses will establish through the season and provide unique color to your garden for many seasons to come.