Antique roses romance gardens

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

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A rose that thrives on neglect? That's not the kind many of us grew up with, and it's not what one might expect from a name like "antique rose." However, that's just what antique roses are: flowers that have survived for centuries, living wild in the fields long after people stopped cultivating them.

Antique roses, or "old garden roses," derive mostly from varieties grown in England, France and China, and some date back to the 15th century or earlier. They've made a comeback among gardeners who love this most romantic of flowers.

Some old roses called "gallicas" have their roots in ancient Rome. They survived the fall of the Roman Empire by becoming naturalized wherever they had been planted. They are extremely hardy and tolerate poor soil and neglect.

Other examples of antique varieties are damask, bourbon, alba and centifolia roses. The centifolias, also called "hundred-petaled roses," were made famous by the Dutch painters of the 17th century. Damask roses, which were cultivated by the Romans, were kept alive through medieval times by European monasteries that grew roses for medicinal purposes. Both damasks and bourbons are known for their wonderful fragrance.

Most old roses bloom just once a year, but keep going strong for about a month and produce lush displays of flowers. They also develop rose hips which add bright color to a garden in the fall. Antiques are generally grown on their own roots, rather than being grafted onto rootstock as hybrids are.

As part of the current nostalgia craze, in everything from cars to push mowers, antique roses have become very popular. Sally Nelson, owner of Windswept Farm and an avid rose gardener, has carried antique roses for more than 10 years and now offers about 60 different varieties.

Nelson said there are several reasons for the popularity of these ancient varieties. One is simple nostalgia. People remember their mothers' favorite roses, and they sometimes bring a little cutting to Nelson with a blossom they want to duplicate.

Other appeals of the old roses are their fragrance and lovely shades of color.

For some, the downside of antique roses is their once-per-season bloom. Even in Victorian times, rose lovers were frustrated by this fickleness, and plant breeders of the era came to the rescue. They developed hybrid Perpetual and Portland roses, which have a heavy flush of blooms in late spring followed by smaller blooms later in the summer. These are still considered old garden roses.

A modern-day English horticulturist, David Austin, has also developed many old roses into repeat bloomers. Windswept Farm carries some of the Austin varieties, and they are also available at other local nurseries.

A good planting time for roses is May, according to Nelson. When antiques are first planted, they may have to be covered for protection at night; but once they are established, they, like their ancestors, can survive on neglect. Nelson advises not cutting back rose bushes until spring, and then doing only minimal cutting. Cutting and fertilizing in the fall stimulates new growth in the plant, she pointed out.

During the winter, antique roses do not need as much protection as hybrids. Nelson recommends some mounding of soil and evergreen boughs around the bushes.

Nelson recommends the following varieties of old garden roses for northern Colorado.

• Champagne Arches: a climbing shrub that grows 10 feet tall, with light pink or peachy blossoms. One primary bloom.
• Victorian Memory: a climber with pink, pendulous flowers, 9 to 10 feet tall. Repeat bloomer.
• Hybrid Perpetual: shrub with very fragrant pink/rose blooms, about 5 feet tall. Repeat bloomer.
• Bourbons: shrub with pink/rose blooms, very fragrant. This variety first appeared in the early 1800s on an island in the Indian Ocean, likely a cross between China roses and damasks.
• Harrison's yellow and Hugonis: both yellow roses with one huge flush of bloom.
• Alba: white to soft pink blooms with a nice fragrance. One-time bloomer.
• Damask: very fragrant flowers in a bright pink shade. One-time bloomer.
• Species roses: these are the "granddaddies" of all other rose varieties, including wild roses and moss roses.

On May 4, Windswept Farms will hold a class called "Old Garden Roses," featuring a talk and slide show by Dr. William Campbell of Evergreen. Campbell and his late wife, early enthusiasts for antique roses, propagated many varieties that are hardy for this area. Call 484-1124 for details and to preregister. The cost is $5.

For those who would like to read up on antique roses, Nelson recommends David Austin's book, "Old Roses and English Roses," and "Taylor's Guide to Roses." Useful web sites include www.weareroses.com and www.vintagegardens.com.

Thanks to Sally Nelson of Windswept Farm and Mary Small of Jefferson County Extension for information contained in this article.