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 Rosa 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.
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.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
A modern shrub rose planting adjoining a walk or drive makes for a beautiful open, floral hedge that remains lovely from midspring to the first frosts of fall.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
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.
There are lots of exciting advances in shrub roses, too. Consider the introduction of sprawling, low-growing groundcover roses that can carpet your garden with continuous, prolific blooms in many colors. And don’t forget the new hedge hybrids. There are also cold-tolerant roses and kordesii shrubs that are shade-friendly and tolerate low-fertility soils. The Parkland and Explorer series by Canada’s Agriculture-Agrafood Department ensure that beautiful roses coexist with frigid climates, while ‘Wilhelm Kordes’ shrub roses are low-maintenance, hardy, disease-resistant and shade-tolerant. And with demand rising for these neat shrubs, more are sure to come!
Many rose lovers turn to shrub rose cultivars when they seek a more casual and country-garden look for their yard. Because they stand apart from typical hybrid tea and floribunda garden roses, they add flair and whimsy to cottage garden plantings. So if you’re looking for a catchall rose garden, try one of the fantastic modern shrub roses, and see where these amazing plants can take you!
