Shakespeare had his character Romeo famously say, "What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet". I don't wish to contradict the Bard, but these flowers with their many varieties and myriad names, do NOT all smell equally sweet. When you begin gardening with these marvelous plants you are often presented with a bewildering array of different varieties and hybrids. Here is a guideline to some of the more common types to help the aspiring rosarian in choosing the ultimate bloom for their garden. The basic division for roses is threefold: Species, Old Garden and Modern Roses.

Species
These are roses which are most closely aligned to the original botanical ancestor and are found growing in the wild. They are the basis from which all more recent varieties and hybrids have been developed. They are often very hardy. These roses include Pimpinellifolia roses, Sempervirens roses, Setigera rosesand Wichuraiana roses.

Old Garden
These roses are classified as those which were hybridized and introduced prior to 1867. Old Garden Roses are also known as Heirloom or Antique Roses and many gardeners love them for their hardy nature and the unrivalled scent of their gorgeous blooms. The most famously fragrant is the Damask.
Old Garden Roses include:
Alba, Bourbon, Centifolia, Damask, Hybrid China, Hybrid Gallica, Hybrid perpetual, Moss, Noisette, Portland and Tea Roses.

Modern
The era of the so-called Modern Rose began in 1867 when the hybrid tea rose known as "La France" was introduced. Since then a plethora of marvelous hybrids of unbelievable shades, beautiful shapes and splendid colours have kept rosarians addicted to developing more and more wonderful plants. Some typical modern varieties include: Hybrid tea, Floribunda, Grandiflora, Polyantha, Shrub roses, Miniature and a range of Climbing roses(includes climbing hybrid tea, climbing floribunda, climbing grandiflora, hybrid wichurana, large-flowered climber, climbing miniature classes.)

So with all these abundant varieties, how do you go about choosing the perfect flower for your garden? Ask yourself these questions to help decide:
1. What's the purpose of the rose bush in my garden? Is it going to be a container plant or as part of a bed or for landscaping effects?
2. Do I want to use the bush for cut flowers?
3. How much space do I have for the bush? Do I need a compact or a miniature plant or can I go for the larger varieties?
4. What color roses do I want?
5. Is it important that the flower has a strong sweet fragrance?
6. Do I have time to spend on caring for this plant? Or should I get a hardy plant which requires less maintenance?

Using these questions as a guideline, you'll be able to decide which variety is best for you to grow. Enjoy your beautiful flowers!