Tips for Growing Heirloom Roses

Carefree Roses

Heirloom roses are generally winter hardy and long-lived. They are easy to grow, bloom readily, and are a joy to appreciate. Many modern roses have been bred to emulate the nostalgic style of old garden roses: many-petalled blooms, lavish fragrances, healthy foliage, and tidy growth. Consider planting these hardy shrubs, both old and new—they're so carefree even first-time gardeners will reap bountiful bouquets.

Old roses are rich in history. Three ancient roses—the gallica rose (Rosa gallica), alba rose (R. alba), and damask rose (R. damascena)—are among the most ancient plants still cultivated. Grown in the Far and Near East during Biblical times, they were likely carried to Western Europe by crusaders. "They're romantic," says Judith Gries, a Connecticut gardener. "You can smell the exact same fragrance as the Empress Josephine." All photos shown were taken in Judith's garden.

Buying Roses

First, ensure the roses you like will survive winter in your area. Roses shrug off temperatures down to 20°F. If winters are colder, select the hardiest varieties or protect with mulch. Old garden roses and modern shrub roses are generally hardier than hybrid teas and floribundas.

Container roses can be planted whenever available; they're easier to plant but more expensive. Bare-root roses, planted during dormancy, offer more selection via mail-order specialty firms.

Get general rose-pruning tips.

Heirloom Rose Varieties

Judith Gries loves to interplant different roses. In this bed, pink Mary Rose and Escapade rub shoulders with red Eye Paint.

Constance Spry sports a double bloom so full it resembles a peony. This English shrub rose shows no die-back even down to 20°F below zero. It has only one flush of bloom, but it's a stunner. Its vigorous growth benefits from support.

How to Plant Heirloom Roses

Whether container-grown or bare-root, plant at a depth appropriate for your climate. Grafted roses have a bud union at the base. In mild-winter climates, leave the bud union at soil level. Northern gardeners should bury it 1-2 inches beneath soil for cold protection. If no bud union is visible, it's an "own-root" rose; plant at the same depth it grew in the nursery.

Many growers recommend a balanced fertilizer every 4-6 weeks during growing season. Slow-release fertilizer in spring reduces repeated feedings. Pruning? Forget it. Only gentle shaping after flowering is needed.

Climbing Heirloom Roses

Alchemist and Galway Bay climb a lattice. When blossoms are displayed on high, subtleties of color and form become apparent, and their scents are at nose height.

The pink Alchemist is a modern rose but a full-petalled double that looks old-fashioned. This hardy rose is a vigorous climber. The red rose is Galway Bay, a hardy floribunda climber, generous with bloom.

Especially Fragrant Roses: Madame Hardy (white); Queen of Denmark or Koenigin von Danemarck (pink); Autumn Damask or Quatre Saisons (pink); Charles Austin (apricot); Gertrude Jekyll (pink).

Roses for Cut Flowers: Charles Austin (apricot); Graham Thomas (yellow); Rosa Mundi (pink and white stripes); Reine Victoria (pink); Buff Beauty (apricot).

Roses for Small Gardens: Gloire de France (pink); Jacques Cartier (pink); Rosa Mundi (pink and white stripes); Souvenir de la malmaison (pink).

Purple Foliage: Rosa glauca or Rosa rubrifolia (pink and white flowers).

Purple Flowers: Reine des Violettes.

Hardiest Roses: Rugosa (to -35°F); Canadian Explorer (-35°F); Meidiland (-25°F); Griffith Buck (-25°F). Own-root roses aren't necessarily hardier than bud-grafted siblings, but if winter-killed to the ground they generally return fine next spring.