Our members have years of experience growing Roses in the Tulsa area.
The following list of roses have been compiled as a reference to help you select roses that might do well in your garden. Some of these varieties will do well for some gardens and not others depending on the multiple variables in individual gardens but assuming at least “adequate care” with regard to location, adequate water, and fertilization and disease control methods. Also included is a list of roses we would identify as “disease resistant/sustainable” –meaning they have the ability to survive in our area with minimal care. That does not mean they will not get disease or look good all season long but will tolerate our area and provide beauty in our gardens.
SHRUB ROSES
Carefree Beauty - (aka Katy road pink) this is one of the earth kind designated varieties by the famous Hybridizer Griffith Buck. This is a semi double pink that will reach 6 feet tall x 6 feet wide and is really carefree and a fantastic landscape rose - everyone loves this rose.
Belinda’s Dream - looks like a HT with big lush light pink blooms. It was one of the first roses to be designated "Earthkind". It will blackspot in favorable conditions.
Sally Holmes – can be grown as a tall shrub or a climber depending on how it is pruned-needs support large white semi double blooms with good repeat bloom
Dortmund -this rose grows as a short climber but is classed as a shrub for exhibition purpose. Blooms are a stunning red with striking stamens Foliage is a deep waxy green suggesting this trait is disease resistant but it is definitely not resistant and requires fungicide in our area. Many of us have had the erroneous notion that healthy appearing; waxy, shiny deep green foliage indicates disease resistance-unfortunately not true. You cannot judge disease resistance from the foliage but only from its performance! Some sellers will unwittingly tell you differently.
Linda Campbell -this unusual hybrid rugosa is a very large shrub easily growing 8 x 8 feet. It produces enormous clusters of deep red flowerlets and blooms all season long Fits in the subgroup below of classic shrubs
Lady Elsie May - large shrub orange pink blooms with great repeat bloom all season
CLASSIC SHRUBS
Ballerina -this is the most popular of the group and produces huge clusters of tiny white pinked rimmed blooms on long arching canes. It can easily reach 8 to 10 feet by 8 to 10 feet or more.
Penelope -also very popular but lower growing with 5-8 feet canes with large clusters of almond color blooms
Nur Mahal - similar in growth to ballerina but with clusters of medium size deep pink semi double blooms-requires large trellis or wall for support. Can be stunning against a wall.
SPECIES ROSES
These are so called “wild” or native roses. If seeds from these roses are planted they will reproduce a plant identical to its parent unlike the non-species roses that will never ever reproduce themselves. Most American species are small to medium sized .Other species elsewhere grow from 2 to 20 feet. Most all are once blooming and have 4 to 11 petals. Rosa gallica and Rosa rugosa are examples. Over 200 varieties are known worldwide.
POLYANTHAS
The Fairy -Very popular. Has clusters of pink blooms on a short plant. Very disease resistant Earthkind variety
Marie Daly - an outstanding variety. Small pink fragrant blooms on an upright healthy plant up to 4x4 feet. Also an earth kind variety.
Wing Ding -a recently introduced variety with clusters of tiny bright red blooms with glowing yellow stamens. Very showy
Marie Pavie -Similar to Mary Daly above but white and much more disease prone. It Is an earth kind.
ENGLISH ROSES
Tradescant -crimson tall shrub or low climber –very fragrant
Graham Thomas -very tall vigorous climber with vivid yellow blooms fragrant
Heritage -tall shrub 6x4 light pink very prolific and profoundly fragrant
Abraham Darby -5x5 foot shrub with huge multicolored fragrant blooms-peach, pink and orange
Pat Austin - 4x4 foot shrub with almost continuous bloom. Stunning copper color fragrant
The Prince -purple 4x3 feet fragrant
Evelyn -large fragrant blooms of a color similar to orange sherbet or orange pink 4-5x 4 feet or can grow as a short climber
DISEASE RESISTANT/SUSTAINABLE ROSES
Darlow’s Enigma - a hybrid musk climber with clusters of small white blooms with a very pleasing unique fragrance
Traviata - hybrid tea but bloom form of that of an OGR-2 varieties red blend and dark red blend
Francis Meilland -hybrid tea –pink fragrant
Chuckles -med pink floribunda semi double
Nearly Wild - light pink floribunda semi doubles almost identical to Chuckles but light pink.
Mutabilis - (butterfly rose) Is a China and mildly winter tender and may freeze back to ground but will recover-multicolored pink, red, yellow, orange Tiny single blooms on tall spindly canes
Cramoisi superieur - china 2 varieties plain and climbing-small red double blooms-hardy and don’t need to spray-truly resistant
Dublin Bay - red climber very hardy
Red Cascade -a rambling red miniature-truly disease resistant-great for fences or structures No spray necessary.
Sea Foam -white ground cover very resistant
Perle d’Or -polyantha- yellow- medium shrub
Else Poulsen - red Floribunda medium size
Marie Daly -pink- polyantha
Carefree Beauty -shrub of floribunda type growth but fewer clusters can get up to 6 feet wide and tall
Climbing Pinkie -pink rambling type
Home Run -deep red single petal shrub large plant
Easy Does It -floribunda-orange pink
The Fairy -polyantha small plant with pink small boom in clusters
“Griffith Buck roses” refers to a large collection of roses from these hybridizers that are very hardy and generally disease resistant Example is Carefree Beauty
HYBRID TEAS AND GRANDIFLORAS
Crescendo - white blend fragrant (does well on own root)
Apricot Candy - Apricot or apricot blend. Mild to strong, spice fragrance. Average diameter 3.5". Medium, double (17-25 petals) bloom form. Blooms in flushes throughout the season. Heat tolerant.
Mother of Pearl - Light pink. None to mild fragrance. 35 petals. Average diameter 3.5". Medium to large, full (26-40 petals), cluster-flowered, in small clusters bloom form. Prolific, blooms in flushes throughout the season. Medium buds. Very blackspot resistant.
Olympiad - red
Elizabeth Taylor - pink
Double Delight - exceptionally fragrant as well brilliant mix of deep red and white white
Mister Lincoln -deep red and very fragrant - exceptionally hardy
Veterans Honor - brilliant red large blooms –a truly stunning rose
Gemini - white with orange edges, a perennial favorite of many Rosarians – a bit winter tender
Brides’ Dream-soft light pink
Ingrid Bergman –red moderate fragrance
Brigadoon - white with coral edging slight fragrance
Folklore -salmon color with strong fragrance
Just Joey –buff/apricot with strong fragrance and very large bloom’s
Secret –white with pale pink edging good fragrance
Touch of Class -coral - nil fragrance
Oklahoma - dull red with very strong fragrance form is poor. Is the Oklahoma state flower.
Saint Patrick - gorgeous pale to medium yellow-no appreciable fragrance and very winter tender-need winter protection
Memorial Day -medium pink
Gold Medal - brilliant yellow
Louise Estes - white with thick pink edging one of the most beautiful of all hybrid teas-no fragrance
Dick Clark - white and deep red mix
Melody Parfumee - mauve very vigorous with profound nice fragrance
Elle - pink blendApricot CandyMother of Pearl
FLORIBUNDAS
Hanah Gordon - White with red or dark pink edging very tall vigorous very good repeat
Europeana -crimson
Sexy Rexy -light pink vigorous bloomer can’t beat for bloom production very healthy!
Lavaglut -dark red to purple
Sunsprite – brilliant yellow- very healthy and vigorous
Showbiz-medium red
Betty Boop- red blend very showy- multicolored with white, yellow and orange tones
Sheila’s Perfume -yellow and orange red very fragrant- looks more like a hybrid tea
Purple Tiger -striped mauve fragrant
Scentimental -burgundy with white stripes-fragrant
Playboy -red blend
Angel Face -mauve fragrant
Hot Cocoa -unique russet color
Julia Child - medium yellow very healthy with outstanding repeat bloom
Apricot Nectar –apricot blend
Cinco de Mayo –unique russet/orange color
Betty Prior – pink
CLIMBERS AND RAMBLERS
Altissimo -single petal vivid red very upright not suitable for training over arches
Dublin Bay –red - very hardy and disease resistant - easy to train
New Dawn -very pale pink-trainable - disease resistant. Very long canes
Climbing America - orange - Hybrid Tea type blooms
Don Juan - gorgeous deep red to crimson. Trains well on walls or arbors very hardy
Climbing Iceberg- white very vigorous with superb rebloom trains easily Floribunda
Eden Rose - (Pierre de Ronsard exhibition name) white with some pink edges does not repeat well
Zephrine Drouhin - an old garden rose once blooming with a long period of spring bloom and slight repeat in fall- very large almost a rambler. Elegant pink bloom. Thornless
Joseph’s Coat -red blend-multicolored red yellow and orange very showy
Fourth of July - Stunning huge red and white striped upright arching rose-not for arbors but good on walls or very wide trellis-also can be grown as a tall arching free standing shrub
Clair Matin - beautiful light pink growth very upright like Fourth of July above .Not good for arbors
Darlow’s Enigma - classed as a hybrid musk Very disease free- immensely fragrant with large clusters of small white blooms with near continuous bloom. Highly recommended by all who grow it.
Jeanne La Joie - a superb pink miniature climber –will cover a large arch or trellis. Easy to train and can be spectacular.
Austin Climbers - listed separately and classed as shrubs by ARS must be exhibited as shrubs in shows.
Sombreuill - large white vigorous climber (formerly classed as a tea rose) Can cover a house.
“Francois Juranville” and “Albertine”-these are true ramblers which are very similar and both are extremely hardy requiring negligible care and are very beautiful. Bloom only for 2-3 weeks in spring - color pink with coppery shades along with lovely foliage. Francois Juranville may be slightly better. These are widely available thru specialty nurseries. Generally bloom ahead of other roses. Can train along a fence or simply let them grow naturally in a large open space.
MINIATURES AND MINI-FLORA
Joy - white and pink –highly popular
Fairhope - very pale yellow
Hot Tamale - showy yellow and red
Glowing Amber –red with some yellow
Jeanne La Joie - fabulous pink -climbers see climbing list
Memphis King – fabulous deep red-very vigorous
Miss Flippins - a delightful bright red very vigorous and healthy
Rainbows End - lovely mix of red and bright yellow
Soroptomist International -don’t be deceived by the name –one of the larger miniature plants multicolored pink-very healthy and vigorous one of the best miniatures
Bees Knees - yellow blend very popular with rosarians
Kristin - a classic miniature –red and white
MICROMINIATURES
Although not an official classification-these are well known to Rosarians. They have very tiny blooms and yet the plants themselves can get surprisingly good sized with time-up to 2x2 feet or more. Great for containers and very small locations.
Live Wire - deep pink
Red Minimo -red
Spice Drop - orange pink
Cinderella - light pink
OLD GARDEN ROSES
Rose de Rescht -a very fragrant red repeat blooming medium sized shot variety classes as a Portland
Reine des Violettes - an upright 5-6 foot mauve hybrid perpetual –very hardy with some repeat bloom and marked fragrance
Marchessa Boccella - upright pink hybrid perpetual
Rosa Gallica - (the Apothecary rose along with numerous other synonyms) is of historical significance as most modern roses have it somewhere it their genetic background. Once blooming - red - single petal - short and sprawling
Rosa Mundi -a sport of Rosa gallica pink with white stripe very beautiful. Same growth as Rosa gallica. It has a tendency to revert back (sport) to Rosa gallica.
Baronne Prevost - Hybrid perpetual heavily petaled very fragrant. Tall and wide with excellent rebloom.An excellent choice if you grow only a few OGRs.
Souvenir de la Malmaison - growth like a hybrid tea with large quartered fragrant light pink blooms that repeats well all season. Classed as a Bourbon variety. Very good for our climate. This is undoubtedly the BEST OGR for our area.
Madam Isaac Pereire - a very large arching rose that requires abundant space. Its blooms are huge, pink and INTENSELY fragrant. Said to be the most fragrant rose in the world by many. Spring bloomer with some limited repeat. Classed as Bourbon.
Paul Neyron - Hybrid perpetual - Tall and very upright (6-7 feet) with excellent repeat, even blooming in August. It is said to have the largest blooms of any rose.
Louis Philippe -China- Like most Chinas repeats regularly-red no fragrance small blooms and small plant Very disease free
The Green Rose (Rosa viridiflora) – China moderately tender Blooms are actually modified sepals and are green. Good for arrangements. It is thought to be a bizarre mutation of an unknown China rose. 3-5 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
Archduke Charles - China 3-4 feet x 3 feet - Opens deep red and fades to a two tone light pink-very hardy unique coloration and winter hardy
La Reine - (queen of the bourbons) a huge tall 8 foot x 6 foot pink rose with large full fragrant blooms in the hundreds with excellent repeat thru the season. It Is spectacular if full bloom.
Cramoisi Superieur - climbing-china-red small blooms -requires no spray and is winter hardy-there is a short shrub version of this rose as well.