We all love our roses, but who would have thought that they can be great problem solvers? Choosing the right type of rose for a troublesome situation can make the difference between success and failure. Here are our top 5 roses for the top garden problems!

High Traffic (Thornless or almost thornless Roses)

When planting roses in a high traffic area, one of your top concerns is safety. No one wants to have young kids tumble into a thorny rosebush! Luckily, there are varieties that have almost no thorns, and are great for family play areas, or next to paths or walkways. Try the Zephirine Drouhin Climbing Rose. This rose is a climber, has long, thornless canes packed with repeat blooming bright pink flowers all summer! I have grown this rose, and found it to be easy care and sweet smelling. This is an old rose variety, but still one of the best. Great rose to grow over a porch or arbor. Oh, and it will grow in shade! Hardy zones 5-9.

 

Shady Spots

Roses in the shade? Well, yes and no. No rose will thrive in the deep shade, but if the bush can get at least 2 hours of sun, or all day filtered sun, then there are roses that will not only bloom, they thrive! We already mentioned Zephirine Drouhin Climbing Rose, above.  According to The American Rose Society, you must remember roses grown in shade, even ones that acclimate well to the shade, will not have as large, or as many blooms as a rose grown in full sun. That having been said, they can still put on a great show! Top choices include old roses, such as many of the David Austin varieties, Sophys Rose, L.D. Brathwaite and Christopher Marlowe are great picks. Our fav is a floribunda rose called Our Lady of Guadalupe… a pink rose that blooms abundantly on a smaller bush that is disease resistant. Hardy to zone 6, great for containers, fragrant and gorgeous at that!

 

Close Quarters

Small garden? No problem…Not only is our pick compact, it has other great attributes for close quarters…Beautiful details and great fragrance!  Our top pick for roses for small space is Moondance.  A white floribunda rose, the flowers are borne in clusters over an upright plant 2-3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Can be grown in containers, and is hardy down to zone 4. Raspberry scent.

 

Hot and Humid

Nothing is a bigger blight to roses then humidity… Rose diseases such as Black Spot thrive in those conditions. And even hot and dry can stop some roses from setting blooms. Try Mr. Lincoln for a rose that can stand the heat, and keep on blooming! This rose has been an award winner for many years, and is one of the most gorgeous cut roses. Slight scent, long stems, loves the heat! Zones 5-9.

 

Freezing Temps! (And below!)

While most roses go dormant during winter and can survive cold temps, some are especially suited to more northern climates, and deep freezes. If you live in zone 3 or below, it’s best to talk to you local nursery about winterizing roses, and the best varieties that work in your area. But there are a number of roses that do well down to zone 4. Our favorite easy care rose is in that category… Pink Knock Out is very cold hardy, and blooms all summer long on shrub like bushes. Good disease resistance, and they don’t even have to be deadheaded!

So now matter what your garden problem spots are, there is a rose to fill that space and solve that problem! And who wouldn’t want one of these in their garden?