This large hybrid shrub rose was a spontaneous volunteer at the Bellevue Botanical Garden in Washington. Big, soft green pinnate leaves are almost floppy. Beginning in May and repeatedly through summer 4″ wide rosy pink flowers with raspberry red stamens appear. They age slowly to light lavender in a few days. The huge single flowers are often followed by large orange/then red hips. Each flower is so enormous that it bends the branches considerably when the flower is open. Remove spent flowers to encourage more. Wonderful, informal, and showy shrub to 6′ x 6′ in a season. Blooms on wood from the current season. Prune heavily in early spring. Not bothered by most diseases, locate with good air circulation to stymie powdery mildew which it can be afflicted in cool, wet springs. Cool, floppy, cut rose with a slight fragrance. Thorny but not deadly. Regular water in rich soil. Add at least one handful of all purpose organic fertilizer in spring and again in summer. This rose is propagated on its own roots. Give this large, spectacular rose room to spread out.
Genus: Rosa
Rosa x banksiae ‘Purezza’
Large climbing rose that is a wonderful hybrid with the white Lady Banks Rose. This plant has larger flowers sweetly fragrant of violets in a huge display in late spring. Unlike Lady Banks Rose this hybrid bears smalle double white flowersr that continue until autumn. Very fast growing semi-evergreen climbing rose that has little to no thorns. To 15′ tall it is is ideal for a large pergola or even sent to climb a substantial tree. Large plant provide strong support. Not bothered by pests or disease this is a romantic easy to grow. Arches, fences. Hardier to cold than Lady Banks but just as adaptable to hot situations in full sun to very light shade in rich amended soil with regular summer water. Rich soil and water will produce better summer re-bloom. Blooms on wood from the previous season as well as new wood. Prune after the first large flush of flowers. This is a big rose prepare accordingly. Not bothered by blackspot. This rose is on its own roots.
Rosa ‘Betty Prior’
With all the knock out, fleurshrubselekt® and every other patented type of rose its reassuring that this old gal still rocks them all. Betty bears clusters of slightly fragrant large single pink flowers. They are light pink w/ a slightly darker sheen to the surface of the petals which almost always open skyward. These upright facing groups of flowers yield not only a lot of color- it blooms constantly from May to frost, it gives the plant a wild appeal not seen in overly bred shrubs. The disease resistant foliage is mid green and handsome as well. To 8′ x 4′ forming a tall bloomy shrub. left unpruned it makes a great climbing rose and will unobtrusively scale small trees, deck railings. It may be hard pruned in early spring if necessary. Remove spent flowers and more will quickly appear. Tough plant that gets by on a less than perfect watering regime. Regular, deep watering (once a week max) will yield great performance. Established plants can take drought at the expense of re-blooming. Very easy to grow charming rose. Ultra cold hardy.
Rosa ‘Darlow’s Enigma’
Curious climbing rose that puts on a non-stop display of sprays of intensely fragrant flowers that are diminutive, white, and semi-double. The anise/fruit scented flowers begin in mid-spring and continue unabated until autumn. A large growing rose to 12′ tall and 8′ wide in time. Excellent trained on a trellis or pergola. Blooms on wood from the current season and may be hard pruned in early spring. This rose seedling was discovered in a garden in Eugene and its popularity has spread throughout the globe. The sweet fragrance will perfume an entire garden on a warm summer day. Captivating cut flower. Disease resistant and very tough rose that gets by on a minimum amount of summer water and still blooms. Regular water in rich soil amplifies this roses performance dramatically. Winter deciduous. Extremely cold hardy. On its own roots.
Rosa sericea var. pteracantha
Blood thorn rose. Justifiably famous for the sanguine glowing red hue of the thorns on new growth. Back lit by the sun it would make a vampire very very hungry. Large growing species rose that also features 1″ fragrant single white flowers en masse on wood from the previous season. Established plants (1-2 years in the ground) may be coppiced in early spring to emphasize and create new wood clad in thorns. If allowed to mature a year or two the thorns fade to gray but then you are rewarded with fragrant flowers in May/June. Full sun and virtually any soil, including heavy clay. But avoid standing water in winter. Average, regular irrigation in summer keeps it looking fresh. Old specimens can make do with little water. If you do coppice this plant for thorns make sure you follow up with a bit of fertilizer (a handful of all organic fertilizer 9.3.4) and regular water to ensure regrowth is robust. Winter deciduous- fall color is orange red and brief. Bright red, shiny hips follow a profuse blooming season. Long lived. To 8′ x 8′ if left unpruned. Regrowth on hard pruned shrubs in a season can be almost as big. Disease resistant, virus free and produced on its own roots. Light deer resistance.
Rosa x ‘Bengal Fire’
Nothing says I love you like a single red rose and this single red rose is perfect. Large 4″ single deep red flowers with a hint of magenta appear continuously from May to frost. Easy, disease free rose with dark foliage that cups the intensely hued flowers. To 6′ x 6′ in a season. May be pruned in early spring to resize, increase density and blooming wood. Rapid rebloom all season. Great landscape rose. Very nice as a component in a border. Simple and clean and colorful. Full sun to light shade in rich, moisture retentive soil. Consistent summer water yields the best bloom but when established this tough rose can sail through a summer with very little water. Mostly deciduous. This, as all of our roses, is produced on its own roots.
Rosa glauca (rubrifolia)
The invaluable red or purple leaved rose. Beautiful foliage has hints of blue and with the single pink flowers in May/June its sublime. These are followed by clusters of showy orange hips. To 7′ x 7′ very quickly in full sun and well drained soil of average to rich fertility. Avoid standing water in winter. Very drought tolerant and easy to grow rose with a minimum of thorns. Large arching habit makes it a natural summer scaffold for smaller Clematis. Long lived, cold hardy. Orange fall color. Extremely cold hardy to zone 2 (-40ºF). Tends to be thornier when young. Older established plants have less. Blooms on wood from the previous year, prune if needed after flowering has ended. Hips are bold and last well in wreaths, swags, bouquets. This tough plant finds a home from the back of pampered borders to freeway verge plantings in Washington State. Long lived. Remove spent wood in winter- it will appear gray. Grown from seed.
Rosa x odorata ‘Mutabilis’
Butterfly Rose! One of the most popular roses for its multicolor effect and ease of culture. Single flowers open amber/cream and move to dark pink after several days. Great in combination with the maroon new foliage. Adaptable and will grow just about anywhere there is full sun. Rich soil sends this easy to grow plant soaring to 8′ x 8′ in just a few years. Judicious pruning will keep it in check. Rich, to average well drained soil Blooms continuously from May to frost. Best in warm sunny aspects. Disease resistant.
Rosa nutkana ‘Xera Pink’
Silently living its beautiful life in a seasonally flooded ditch near our wholesale nursery we spotted this deep pink flowering variant of our locally native Nootka rose. Intensely fragrant deep pink single flowers appear from May-July. followed by brilliant red hips that ripen in fall. The first and second year canes carry a heavy mahogany tone that is as conspicuous as the deep pink showy flowers. An incredibly tough and adaptable native rose that can endure both seasonally flooded locations and desiccating summer drought. Even the foliage has a sweet fragrance. Carefree shrub that spreads to form colonies and rises to about 4′ tall on average. Laughs at the heaviest, driest clay soils. Red/orange fall color. Not a shrub for shy neighbors, this rose will win. Give it ample room and plan ahead. Oregon native plant.
Xera Plants Introduction
Rosa ‘Radway Sunrise’
Years ago I was searching through old and obscure rose catalogs with one goal in mind. Find a single rose that changes color after it opens. The idea was to mimic Rosa x mutablilis but in different color shades or on a hardier plant. Man did we score. If we could grow only one rose this would be it. ‘Radway Sunrise’ produces large single flowers in clusters that open pale yellow- change to orange and arrive at strong carmine pink. A brilliant multicolored effect on a strong growing virus free and disease resistant rose. Typically grows to 7′ tall in a single season and is amenable to life as a climber too. Rapid re-bloom all summer. Rich, moisture retentive soil with regular summer water. Prune this shrub rose hard in mid-February. The fragrant flowers will form hips that ripen in autumn. Great, great rose. On its own roots.