Understanding the Modern Shrub Rose

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Robert J. Dolezal

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Shrub roses vary in growth habit and bloom. Choose specific members of the class to fit your garden and your landscape’s purpose – as a hedge, groundcover, background planting or specialty climbing roses.

The wonderful thing about shrub roses is that you can find just about any size, shape and bloom color in this class. In fact, with subclasses as varied as hybrid Rosa rugosas, hybrid musks, English roses, hybrid R. spinosissimas, some polyanthas and groundcover roses, there’s literally something for everyone. In essence, “shrub roses” are a catchall grouping of hybridized roses that fall outside the other rose classes.

The most diverse of these shrub subclasses is the “modern shrub rose.” This includes those species hybrids and improved species varietals introduced after the mid-1800s. Most earlier shrub roses were true species (wild) roses. The truth is, many shrub roses fit their class name poorly and include climbing forms that border on shrub-like growth habits and sprawling roses that hug the ground, as well as other oddities.

But because shrub roses defy classification, they’re also a wellspring of inspiration to rose gardeners. Need a flowering groundcover that also serves as a tough, pet-resistant, thorny barrier? Try a selection in the Meidiland or Towne & Country™ series. Seeking an antique rose of stunning beauty with crepe-like petals packed into very double blooms? Consider ‘Conrad F. Meyer’. Live in a cold climate, such as Fargo, ND; Bangor, ME; or Winnipeg, Canada? Choose hardy hybrid rugosas that laugh off freezing weather and many forms of fungal disease. All these shrubs (and more) provide solutions for most rosarian paradoxes.

Facts

Shrub roses include cultivars that are extremely cold-hardy, including some that can survive winters found in USDA hardiness Zone 2, where temperatures may reach -50 degrees F.
Roses are sold in several ways at garden centers, nurseries or through the mail: bare root, containers or potted.
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Tips

Uniform and regular watering is recommended for roses. It’s best not to let the roots dry out in the heat.

Definitions

Shrub rose: a general classification for unique roses that defy classification into the other typical categories.

Faqs

Q: What are some types of shrub roses?
A: Examples of roses classified as “shrub roses” include All That Jazz, Bonica®, Carefree Delight®, Carefree Wonder™, Cherry Meidiland®, ‘Dortmund’, First Light, Fuchsia Meidiland®, Ice Meidiland®, Knock Out® and Mary Rose®.

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