When most people think of roses they think of shrubs, bushes or climbing roses - perhaps even miniature roses. Rarely do people think of roses as trees, but in fact rose trees exist. They are more often referred to as rose standards and aren’t truly trees but are shrubs that have been cultivated to resemble a tree. They can be dramatic additions to your garden and add a sense of grandeur and magnificence. In fact, they were popular with the nobility in the past, who would use these plants to beautify their large estates.

These elegant plants have a long, slender cane about three feet in height. They look a little like lollipops with a bush of foliage at the top of the single cane. A rich abundance of rose flowers burst forth from foliage at the top of the cane.
The tree is created by grafting two pieces of other roses to the central cane. First, a graft is made at the top of the central cane to support the hybrid tree. Then a second graft is made at the rootstock or the bottom of the plant.

These plants do require a bit of extra care and attention. It’s usual to stake the central core to help it support the weight of the grafted rose bush on top. It’s probably not a good idea to grow rose trees in windy areas. And, although roses love sun as a rule, too much sun on the cane-trunk of a rose tree can actually scald it.

In winter, the central cane needs to be protected as well. Usually a loose wire-mesh around the trunk and filled with mulch will do the trick. Alternatively, you can wrap a burlap sack around the trunk and secure it at the top and bottom. Some gardeners actually dig up their rose trees after the leaves have fallen and store it indoors wrapped in moist peat moss. If your rose tree is in a container, you should bring the container indoors during the harsh winter.

If you want to retain the magnificence of your rose tree, it needs regular pruning. However, you should never prune the center cane -- the trunk; just prune the flowering upper portion of the plant.
Exactly how you prune depends on the type of rose that has been grafted on top of the tree. You need to be careful not to create an uneven distribution of weight which may crack the stem.

There are several species of rose trees that have been developed by rosarians. One of the most spectacular recent hybrids is known as the �double-decker� rose tree. It produces two layers of flowers. The first is on the top of the plant, as you would expect with a normal rose tree. The second layer lies closer to the ground. The variety known as �Yellow Ribbons� has arched rose stems that overflow with roses and cascade elegantly towards the ground. The �Roseberry Blanket Weeping Tree Rose� produces amazingly large, fuchsia blooms.