Gardening with SpeciesRoses

jonathan Shaw

Each year as winter settles over New En-

gland the latest rose catalogues appear in mymailbox, featuring the newest and gaudiesthybrid teas and floribundas. Several of thesegrow in my own garden, but over the years Ihave replaced them with species roses andshrub roses. Species roses are the wild rosesthat grow naturally throughout most of thenorthern hemisphere, and shrub roses are forthe most part primary hybrids or selectionsof species roses. Neither group is commonlygrown in gardens but both should be, for inaddition to bringing diversity and a refresh-mg natural grace to a garden, they needmuch less spraying and maintenance thanmost cultivated roses. Spraying roses is achore that I have gradually come to dislike, adislike mixed of equal parts of laziness and afear of casually used chemicals. Summerpruning is also not part of my work ethic,and with wild roses I can forget summerpruning.What have I lost in abandoning hybrid teas

and floribundas? The roses I grow tend to be

tall, five feet and up; most bloom only once;the color range, particularly in the reds, islimited; and most have single flowers. Whathave I gained? My species and shrub roses

Rosa helenae var. flora plenaAl Bussewitz photo

associate well with the other shrubs in mygarden; they are easy to care for; and forsheer flower power they have few equals.The rose family (Rosaceae), of which the

rose genus is only a part, contains manygarden-worthy plants. These include bushand tree fruits - apples, pears, and raspber-ries - as well as other woody plants, such asshadbush (Amelanchier) and floweringquinces /Chaenomeles and herbaceous pe-rennials, such as lady’s mantle (Alchemilla) /and meadowsweet (Filipendula). ( .Depending on which authority is recog-

nized, the number of rose species is between150 and 300. Like certain other genera, the

genus Rosa poses a challenge to botanists.Many of the species are not distinct, becausethey hybridize easily both in the wild and incultivation. Others have been so long asso-ciated with humans that their origins are nolonger certain. This may explain whytaxonomic problems abound and why themost recent monograph on roses (RosarumMonographia or A Botanical History ofRoses by John Lindley) is 163 years old.The latest edition of Bean’s Trees and

Shrubs (1973-1980), prepared with the assis-tance of Graham Thomas, a horticulturalauthority on shrub roses, estimates thenumber of valid species at no more than 150but lists only 82 primary entries. Alfred

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Rehder in his Manual of Cultivated Treesand Shrubs 1940) lists 38 species.Wild roses are found only in the temperate

zone of the northern hemisphere. None arefound south of the equator. With few excep-tions they bear single, five-petaled flowers,and the colors tend to be mauve, white,pink, or yellow, with just a few displayingflowers of brilliant red. There are no blues.Some are enormous, so-called climbing rosesthat can grow 20 feet in a year. Others arelow shrubs, prostrate or up to a foot and ahalf high.

Landscape Uses

Species roses have far more potential land-scape uses than hybrid tea roses or floribun-das. Some are adapted to extremely harshsites where few similar plants will grow.They are for the most part medium to tallshrubs and therefore can be placed in shrubborders or wherever a shrub will thrive. The

suckering species will fill gaps betweenother shrubs, and the taller species will per-mit bulbs and smaller plants to thrive be-neath their branches. The so-called climbingspecies can be trained into trees and drapedover nearby shrubs or tip pruned to formshrubs. Species roses-are graceful, easilyplaced near other shrubs, and do not requirea formal setting. In traditional rose gardensspecies roses can provide diversity, stature,and grace.A few species roses prefer wet sites; others

require dry, almost arid positions; and sometolerate semishade. This adaptability hasnot been utilized extensively in gardens. Thefollowing are some of the landscape uses ofspecies roses.Groundcovers: Rosa wichuraiana is often

used in this fashion, the trailing canes lyingflat upon the ground.

Colonizers: Rosa pimpinellifolia, 3 to 5feet high, will quickly spread to stabilizelarge areas or fill in spaces between othershrubs. Rosa rugosa will do the same butwith larger canes and more "rugged" leaves.Rosa nitida is the lowest of the colonizers, acompact 18 inches.

Hedges and Windbreaks: Rosa rugosa willperform this function, as will R. hugonis.There are others, but few so tough.Canopies and Archers: These are roses

whose canopies spread widely but not dense-ly and can be underplanted. Rosa moyesii ismagnificent in this way, providing highshade for bulbs and low perennials beneathits own spectacle of brilliant geranium-redflowers and scarlet hips.Summer and Fall Foliage: Throughout the

growing season the leaves of R. glauca Pourr.(R. rubri folia ) are a pale reddish purple, aflower arranger’s delight, and R. alba andseveral others have foliage of a lovely gray-green color. In the fall the leaves of most

species roses are inconspicuous, butR. nitida exhibits shades of deep purple-red,as do several other American roses.

Flower Color and Size: For pure redsR. moyesii, for pure yellows R. primula orR. hugonis. The flowers of species roses aresingle and generally of medium size. Forthose who like their flowers small and

abundant, there is no more graceful rosethan R. elegantula ’Persetosa’ (R. farreri ),known as the threepenny bit rose, which iscovered in early June with single pale pinkflowers, each no more than a half-inch in di-ameter.

Fruit: Rose fruits, commonly known aships, are among the greater assets of thespecies: one-inch red marbles on R. rugosa,two-inch orange-scarlet vases on R. moyesii,

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Rosa elegantula ’Persetosa’Drawmgs by Emily Osman

and half-inch black, shining drops onR. pimpinellifolia.

Fragrance: Flower fragrance is not strongin most species roses, because in roses thefragrance is emitted from the petals, andspecies roses rarely have more than five pet-als. Many species are especially outstandingfor leaf fragrance, for example, R. eglanteriaand R. primula. To pick flowers and leavesfrom these roses is to perfume one’s handsand even the clippers. The scent is strongbut not cloying.The genus Rosa is divided into four sub-

genera : Hulthemia, Hesperhodos (roses ofthe west), Platyrhodon (flat roses), and Rosa

(Eurosa or true roses). The first of these con-tains a single (or perhaps two) species. Al-though the flower is said to be striking, theplant is rarely found in botanical or privategardens because it is so lacking in vigor andso difficult to grow. The second subgenus,Hesperhodos, includes several species fromthe western United States. These, too, arerarely found in cultivation, primarily be-cause their characteristics are unspectacu-lar. The third subgenus, Platyrhodon, con-tains only one species, R. roxburghii. It is amarvelous tall shrub, and for convenience ithas been included below with other roses ofsimilar stature.

All remaining species roses are found inthe subgenus Rosa, and because it contains95 percent of the species roses, this subgenushas been further divided into 11 ~or perhaps10) sections. Species and hybrid roses fromeight of these sections appear in my selectedlist beginning on page 6. Species in theother three sections (Chinenses,Banksianae, and Bracteatae) were not in-cluded because they are not hardy in theNortheast. The eight sections are:

Laevigatae, shiny-leaved roses: contains onlyone species, R. laevigata, with large, solitaryflowers, shmy leaves, and a climbing growthhabit. Plants with long, flexuous stems; flowers,large, white; branches with scattered, hookedprickles; sepals erect, entire, persistent; leavesusually with 3 leaflets, deciduous; stipules nearlyfree; styles free.

Synstylae, roses with united styles: containsmost of the roses that are called climbers. Thissection is charactenzed by long canes and whiteflowers in clusters. Plants usually climbmg ortrailing, with many-flowered inflorescences;branches with hooked prickles; outer sepals pin-nate or entire, deciduous; leaves with 5-9leaflets, evergreen or deciduous; styles unitedinto a slender column.

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Pimpinellifoliae, anise-leaved roses: a mostuseful group with many graceful species bearingyellow and white flowers on vigorous bushes.Medium to low shrubs with solitary flowers;branches with straight prickles and bristles; sep-als entire, erect, persistent; leaves with 7-9 small

leaflets, deciduous; styles free.Gymnocarpae, naked fruited roses: similar to

the sectionPimpinelhfoliae, but in this sectionthe apex of the flower axis (which contams theseeds) as well as the sepals drops when the fruit isripe.Cassiorhodon, cinnamon roses: hardy plants

beanng pink or red flowers and distributedthroughout the northern hemisphere. Uprightshrubs; mflorescences usually many-flowered;branches with straight, mfrastipular or scatteredprickles; sepals entire, erect after flowering, per-sistent ; leaves with 5-11 leaflets, deciduous;styles free.Carolmae, Carolina roses: exclusively Amer-

ican roses that are noted for their adaptability andsuckenng habit. Upright, often stronglystolomferous shrubs; inflorescences few-flowered ; branches with straight, paired prickles;sepals entire or few-lobed, spreading after flower-ing, soon deciduous; leaves with 7-9 leaflets, de-ciduous ; styles free.Caninae, dog roses: contains most of the roses

of Europe, including many hybrids, both wild andcultivated. At one time this section was thoughtto contain hundreds of species. Plants with up-right or arching stems; inflorescences many-flowered ; branches with numerous, stout, hookedprickles; outer sepals lobed, reflexed after flower-ing, deciduous (rarely erect and persistent leavesusually with 5-7 leaflets, deciduous; styles free.

Gallicanae, French roses: contains only onespecies, R. galhca, and is recognized more as ahorticultural than a botanical group, because ofits numerous forms and cultivars and the long as-sociation of R. galhca with humanity. Uprightshrubs, with few-flowered mflorescences;branches with hooked prickles mixed with bris-tles ; sepals often lobed, reflexed after flowering;leaves with 3-5 leaflets, deciduous; styles free.

The species on the following list havebeen chosen to demonstrate the diversity

and adaptability of species roses and theirprimary hybrids. All but a few I have grownin my own garden or observed in private orpublic rose collections. Many of the speciescan be seen in the Arboretum, and others arecurrently being introduced.

Species Roses Recommended for theNortheast

R. blanda Ait. Eastern & Central North

America. Introduced into cultivation in1773. Section Cassiorhodon. Flowers 11/2-2

inches, solitary or in clusters. Blooms inearly June.This is a native American rose and for that

reason alone deserves to be cultivated moreoften. It grows about five feet high and is al-most entirely without thorns. Although ithas been said to have no unusual gardenmerit, R. blanda alba, the pure white form,is lovely in early June, and for health andvigor it is unsurpassed. Like other nativeplants, it is hardy on the East Coast and dis-ease resistant.

R. ecae Aitch. Afghanistan/Pakistan. Intro-duced in 1880. Section Pimpinellifoliae.Flowers 3/a-1 inch, solitary. Blooms in earlyJune.With the exception of R. foetida, this has

the brightest yellow flowers of any speciesrose. It is not vigorous, but one of its hybrids,’Golden Chersonese’ (1967), has preservedR. ecae’s color and dainty leaves while in-creasing its vigor. ’Golden Chersonese’ iscovered in late May with single bright yel-low flowers. These bloom just above the del-icate leaves, giving the whole bush an un-usually dainty look.

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Rosa ecae

R. eglanteria L. (R. rubiginosa /. Eglantinerose. Europe. Cultivated prior to 1551. Sec-tion Caninae. Flowers 1’/z-2 inches, solitaryor in clusters. Blooms in mid-June.This is the sweetbriar or eglantine rose.

The flowers are pale pink and abundant, andthe shrub grows to six or eight feet high. Itsgreatest asset is its fragrant leaves, which re-lease their fragrance when crushed. It growswild in Great Britain, and references to its

apple fragrance are common in English liter-ature.

Hybrids: Numerous hybrids of this roseexist. One of the best, which preserves thefragrant leaves, is ’Gold Bush’ (1954), a wide,arching shrub with amber semidouble flow-ers. Disease-free leaves make ’Gold Bush’ a

special asset in the garden.

R. foetida J. Herrm. Austrian briar rose.Asia. Introduced before 1590. Section Pim-

pinellifoliae. Flowers 2-3 inches, usuallysolitary. Blooms in early June.The flowers of this rose are a deep yellow.

Unfortunately, in the eastern United Statesthe plant is susceptible to blackspot, butfungicides, such as benomyl, may be an ef-fective treatment. In its native Iran the dryclimate no doubt protects it from fungi at-tacks.

Hybrids: Because of its brilliant flowers, ‘R. foetida has been hybridized frequently,and its genes have entered indirectly into ,most modern roses. An older hybrid is xharisonii [’Harison’s Yellow’ ( 1830/], an out-standing rose. It is vigorous, up to six feethigh, and sometimes suckers slightly so thatit renews itself by finding fresh soil. Theflowers are semidouble and a bright yellow,a softer color than that of R. foetida. Itsother parent is R. pimpinelli folia.

R. foetida ’Bicolor’ is an outstanding cul-tivar known as the Austrian copper briar.What a rose! The petals are a brilliant orangeon the inside and an equally brilliant yellowon the outside. (An unusual form of this cul-tivar, with sectored petals, is shown on thefront cover.) When in flower this rose is visi-ble at several hundred feet.

R. gallica L. Red rose. Europe/Asia. Culti-vated prior to 1500. Section Gallicanae.Flowers 11/2-2’/z inches, solitary or in clus-ters. Blooms in mid-June.This rose has been cultivated for so long

that it is difficult to know which is the

species and which the hybrids. The onlymember of its section, it is a suckering shrubup to four feet high and has unusually large(up to 3i/2 inches long) leaflets.Hybrids: The selections and hybrids of

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Rosa gallica ‘

R. gallica are extraordinarily numerous. Inthe mid-19th century one nurseryman listed400 varieties. In my own garden I havegrown many hybrids of R. gallica, two ofwhich I have found to be especially success-ful : ’Tuscany Superb’ (1848) and ’ScarletFire’ (1952). The former is a vigorous anddisease-free shrub about four to five feet highwith large maroon-crimson double flowers,set off by a center of bright yellow stamens.It is a stunning plant.

’Scarlet Fire’ is a modern hybrid of R. gal-lica, and although it does not resemble itsparent it is one of the most outstandingshrub roses. The petals are pure scarlet andthe center of each rose is yellow. The flowersbend in great wands along arching branchesreaching 8 or 9 feet in height and spreadingas much as 10 to 12 feet. The leaves aresomewhat susceptible to blackspot, but be-cause of the plant’s height and vigor theupper leaves are not affected. (Blackspotusually begins on the lower leaves andbranches of most roses and then ascends.) (This ability to "outgrow" fungus enemies ischaracteristic of several of the strongest

shrub roses. This is a marvelous rose. In my

garden I have three bushes two to three feetapart, forming a dense clump.

R. glauca Pourr. (R. rubrifolia/. Europe. In-troduced in 1814. Section Cassiorhodon.Flowers 1-11/2 inches, in clusters. Blooms inearly June.This rose is valued for its foliage, a faintly

dusky maroon, resembling in early summerthe color of a ripening plum. This uniquefoliage color enhances its value in the land-scape. Reaching six or seven feet in height,the plant branches gracefully and the pinkflowers with small white centers unobtru-

sively complement the foliage.Hybrids: Rosa glauca has one outstanding

hybrid (with the species R. rugosa), ’Car-minetta’ (1923), which shares R. glauca’srosy foliage. From R. rugosa it has inheritedgreat vigor and larger flowers. It is a lessdelicate plant than R. glauca but uniquenonetheless for its foliage.

R. helenae Rehd. & Wils. Helen’s rose.

China. Introduced in 1907. Section

Synstylae. Flowers 1-1’/z inches, in many-flowered corymbs. Blooms in mid-June.Named by E. H. Wilson for his wife, and

introduced by the Arnold Arboretum, thishandsome rose is difficult to obtain. Likethose of other roses in section Synstylae, theflowers are white and rather small but com-

pensate for their size by their abundance.The hips, which are an attractive red, areconspicuous in the fall. Like many shrubroses, this one is sometimes classified as aclimber. Since no rose is a true climber

(roses have no tendrils and do not twine), allthis means is that R. helenae makes longannual growths and will grow beyond six or

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eight feet high if not pruned at the tip. A par-ticularly lovely variety of this rose, floraplena, grows in the rose collection of the Ar-nold Arboretum.

R. hugonis Hemsl. Father Hugo’s rose.China. Introduced in 1899. SectionPim-

pinellifoliae. Flowers 11/z inches, solitary.Blooms in late May.

This rose ought to be in every garden. Itforms a graceful arching shrub six to eightfeet high. The growth is dense and thefoliage is delicate. The medium-yellowflowers appear in late May in the Northeastand in most years precede all other roses thatI know. It is no wonder that this rose is ob-

tainable from just about every nursery and is

Rosa wilmottiae

probably the most popular species rosegrown in the United States.

R. laevigata Michx. China. Cherokee rose.Introduced before 1780. Section Laevigatae.Flowers 21/2-3 inches, solitary. Blooms inlate May.Although native to southern China, R.

laevigata has become naturalized in thesouthern United States and has an American

name, the Cherokee rose. The flowers are

large, white, and fragrant. This very beauti-ful rose is not fully hardy north of theCarolinas. ,

Hybrids: For those who would like to cap-ture the beauty of this rose in a hardier form,’Silver Moon’ (1910), a probable hybrid,would be the choice. The flowers are similarbut larger, and the fragrance is very strong.The leaves are a dark, glossy green. Thecanes are long and thick, and ’Silver Moon’is best grown as a climber. Because of its ori-

gin, it is hardy in New England only alongthe coast.

R. moyesii Hemsl. & Wils. China. Intro-

duced in 1894. Section Cassiorhodon. Flow-

ers 11/z-2 inches, solitary or in pairs. Bloomsin early June.This is my personal favorite among wild

roses, a huge shrub reaching 15 feet highafter many years of growth. Its flowers arebrilliant red, verging on geranium-scarlet inthe selection ’Geranium’ (1938). In the fallthe arching branches are covered with un-usual bottle- or vase-shaped hips that arebright red. Because this shrub forms a highcanopy, bulbs and other shrubs can be

planted underneath, making this rose idealfor the shrub border.

Hybrids: There are relatively few hybrids

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of R. moyesii. Most of these have beencreated in England, but one of the best is’Eddie’s Crimson’ / 1956/, hybridized by aWest Coast nurseryman. It shares all of its

parent’s fine characteristics and, if anything,is slightly more vigorous. It has numerouships that are somewhat less vase-shapedthan those of R. moyesii itself.

R. multiflora Thunb. Japan. Introduced be-fore 1868. Section Synstylae. Flowers 1 inchor less, in many-flowered panicles. Bloomsin mid-June.This is a beautiful Japanese shrub with

tiny white flowers in large clusters. By fallthe flowers have been replaced by equallysmall red hips, which are excellent in ar-rangements. This plant has been touted as aturnpike barrier. It spreads very easily, asbirds carry its small seeds a considerable dis-tance. It has been much used in hybridizing,particularly in the polyanthas and thefloribundas. Because of its phenomenal vigor

and adaptability, this species is an under-stock for most roses in this country. Mul-tifloras may reach a height and width of 10feet, and many have in my garden. Approxi-mately one-quarter of all the multiflorasthat have seeded themselves in my gardenare thornless, a nice Mendelian ratio. Thethorny remainder are larger and may havetrunks one foot thick at the base. When re-

moving one of these roses, I found it neces-sary to use a chain saw! The thornless formsare best. They are adaptable to all soils andsituations and have attractive hips. The hipsare the most beautiful feature of this plant.Many hybrids of this rose have been created,but few duplicate its extraordinary vigor.

R. nitida Willd. Eastern North America. In-troduced in 1807. Section Carolinae. Flow-ers 1’/2 inches, usually solitary. Blooms inearly June.This is a dwarf rose with attractive au-

tumn foliage color. Growing to approxi-

Hips of (left to right) Rosa moyesii, R. roxburghii, and R. pimpinellifolia (R spmosissima) ’

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mately two feet high in the best forms, thisshrub extends rapidly underground, forminga low thicket that is covered with deep pinkflowers early in the rose season. It is an out-standing native rose suitable for both dryand damp sites along driveways and highwayislands and near houses. It is my belief thatthis rose will eventually become very com-mon in the cultivated landscape. At presentit is rarely seen but deserves to be sought outfor its special qualities.

R. palustris Marsh. Eastern North America.Introduced in 1726. Section Carolinae.Flowers 1’/2 inches, in corymbs or solitary.Blooms in mid-July.This rose is unique in that it grows in wet

places, even in sunlit swamps. It also willgrow in ordinary garden soil. The flowers arelight pink and the leaves are light green andshiny. It grows up to six feet high in thicketsand increases by suckers. Like many othernative plants, palustris is shamefully ne-glected by gardeners. Related species some-times grown are R. carolina and R. vir-

giniana. Like most roses, R. palustris needsfull sun.

R. pimpinellifolia L. (R. spinosissima).Scotch rose. Europe/Asia. Cultivated prior to1600. SectionPimpinellifoliae. Flowers 11/2inches, solitary. Blooms in late May or earlyJune.A vigorously suckering type of which

there were at one time many dozens of selec-

tions, the Scotch rose can be found in shadesof pale pink, white, and pale yellow, al-though the latter may be the result of hy-bridization. This rose is usually three to fivefeet high and is thoroughly hardy and adapt-able. Because it suckers so easily, it must beplanted where it will not overwhelm smaller

plants. It grows best in full sun and is excel-lent in dry sites. A superbly adaptable rose, itshould be planted wherever its specialcharacteristics make it useful. All its vari-eties are outstanding; the one known as al-taica, with cream yellow flowers, is espe-cially handsome and grows up to six feethigh.

Hybrids: R. pimpinellifolia has producedmany outstanding offspring. Most bloomonce only. One of the best is ’Golden Wings’(1956). This rose resembles a floribunda buthas much greater vigor. Its medium-yellowflowers are large and single, covering thebush all summer long. It is somewhat sus-ceptible to disease, and in my damp CapeCod garden I find it necessary to spray itwith a fungicide twice during the summer.Another very satisfactory hybrid is ’StanwellPerpetual’ (1838). All summer this producesmedium-sized double pink blossoms on afour- to five-foot disease-resistant bush.

R. primula Boulenger. Central Asia. Intro-duced in 1910. SectionPimpinellifoliae.Flowers 1-11/2 inches, solitary. Blooms inlate May.This is a lovely yellow rose, and it is the

most fragrant-leaved of all roses. The scentpermeates the air, particularly after rain.The leaves are small and delicate and disease

resistant, making this a choice plant.

R. roxburghii Tratt. Chestnut rose. Japan/China. Introduced in 1880. Subgenus Platy-rhodon. Flowers two inches, usually soli-tary. Blooms in early June.This Chinese rose is a special favorite of

mine. Named the chestnut rose because its

hips are covered with chestnutlike prickles,it forms a stout, round bush 8 feet high and10 feet wide. One specimen in the collection

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Rosa roxburghii

of the Arnold Arboretum has a trunk 10inches in diameter: this is the variety hirtula.An attractive feature of R. roxburghii is thepeeling bark. The leaflets are large for a roseand their very regular pinnate arrangementis particularly conspicuous. The flowers ofR. roxburghii are single and pink. This rosecommands respect if only for its impressivearmor.

Hybrids: Of the few hybrids of R. roxburgh-ii, the most well-formed and most beauti-ful is ’Coryana’ (1926). It produces largesingle pink flowers in great profusion, setagainst attractive foliage. In one garden I vis-ited, a jacket had been draped to dry onthe strong branches of ’Coryana’.

R. rugosa Thunb. RussialJapanIChina. Intro-duced in 1845. Section Cassiorhodon. Flow-ers 21/2-3 inches, solitary or in few-floweredclusters. Blooms between early June andmid-June.Naturalized all along the east coast of the

United States on dunes to within a few feetof the high tide mark, this is a shrub rosewithout peer. It is extraordinarily hardy and

adapts to every soil, from clay to sand. Thewild forms bear single flowers of white,pink, or purple-red, while the hybridsbroaden the color range and flower formwithout losing the vigor and adaptability ofthe parent. The canes are thick and coveredwith spiny thorns. Like those of many rosesthat sucker, the canes are almost consistentin diameter throughout their length. Rosarugosa is unaffected by salt spray, and if thelocations where it grows along the coast arean indication it can take some flooding fromsaltwater as well.

Hybrids: All the hybrids are good and be-cause of R. rugosa’s vigor are almost alwaysrecognizable. Most do not sucker with thefreedom of their parent, and because they areheavyset seem more like stevedores thanlike the ballerinas among roses such as ’Gol-den Chersonese’. The hybrids are numerous,and it is difficult to suggest selections. Two

hybrids I have grown are particularly out-standing : ’Blanc Double De Coubert’ (1892)and ’Jens Munk’ (1974). The former is a fra-grant double white from the turn of the cen-

tury which blooms repeatedly throughoutthe summer. The latter is a recent hybridwith excellent pink blooms on a dense, dis-ease-resistant shrub.

R. sericea f. pteracantha Franch. (R. omei-ensis China. Introduced in 1890. SectionPimpinelli foliae. Flowers 11/2 inches, soli-tary. Blooms in late May.Here is a wild rose whose most attractive

feature is its thorns. A brilliant translucentred during the first year, they are poisedalong the branches like miniature delta-winged airplanes. The sight of this rose, withthe sun shining through its thorns, is spec-tacular. During the second year the pricklesdarken to gray. The four petals, instead of

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Thoms of Rosa sencea f. pteracantha (R. omei-ensis /

the usual five, are a unique feature of thisrose.

Hybrids: A hybrid that may be superior toits parent is ’Red Wing’ (date of introduc-tion unknown). This has been selected for itsextraordinary thorns, a luminous red, and itsvigor and resistance to disease.

R. wichuraiana Crep. Japan. Introduced in1891. Section Synstylae. Flowers 1’/z inches,in panicles. Blooms in mid-July.Rosa wichuraiana is the best of the pros-

trate roses. It is vigorous and adaptable andsends out long canes, which sprawl a fewinches above the ground. Like those of otherroses in the Synstylae section, its flowers arewhite with a lovely boss of yellow stamensin the center. Wichuraiana is widely avail-able from nurseries and is often extolled as a

groundcover. It should be realized, however,that it does not make a thick carpet of leavesand should be planted on a mulched site sothat weeds do not come up between thecanes. This shrub is also disease resistant.

Hybrids: Numerous hybrids of R. wichu-

raiana have been created. These are

ramblers, thick sprawling bushes three tofive feet high that are even more vigorousthan R. wichuraiana. The best known is

’Dorothy Perkins’ (1901), which is nowfound growing in the harshest and most un-likely locations because it roots from thetips of the canes and is therefore easilytransplanted. It blooms once in early sum-mer with small pink double flowers. Al-though it is often afflicted by mildew, itsvigor is not significantly diminished by thedisease. Some years ago ’Dorothy Perkins’sported a more compact shrub, ’The Fairy’(1932). This is a wonderful plant that needsno attention at all and has pale pink flowerssimilar to ’Dorothy Perkins’.

R. willmottiae Hemsl. China. Introduced in1904. Section Gymnocarpae. Flowers oneinch, solitary. Blooms in early June.

For balance of flower and leaf, there arefew roses that equal this unaccountably ne-glected Chinese rose. Though long admiredin England, it is rarely seen in the UnitedStates. The pale pink flowers have cream-colored stamens, and the foliage has afernlike texture. The shrub grows to eightfeet and is exceedingly graceful. I know of nosource of this shrub in the United States at

present. Discovered in western China nearthe Tibet border by E. H. Wilson, this rosemerits widespread cultivation.

Diseases, Insects, and Other DisagreeableMatters

Conventional roses - hybrid teas andfloribundas - are by necessity pamperedplants. Often ravaged by disease, especiallyblackspot, most require spraying every 10days to 3 weeks. Cynthia Westcott, Ph.D., a

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longtime admirer of roses who made her liv-ing as a counselor to suburban rose en-thusiasts near New York City, wrote that"possible enemies of the rose are legion.There are 500 insect pests and perhaps halfas many bacteria, fungi, and various virus-caused diseases. Rodents are often a menaceand pets occasionally." In her book, AnyoneCan Grow Roses (1965), 65 pages out of atotal of 199 were devoted to rose diseasesand pests.Conventional roses usually are not long-

lived plants. Failure to spray these roses for afew months or failure to prune for a yearproduces scraggy and charmless plants. Ifthey are without care for a longer period,they deteriorate to leafless stems, defoliatedby blackspot. For the most part the speciesroses listed above are not severely affectedby insects or diseases. Some are susceptibleon occasion to blackspot or mildew but be-cause of their vigor will outgrow or resist anattack. On the rare occasions when

blackspot appears, I spray once or twice asummer with Benlate, a systemic fungicide.This is necessary for only a few specimensand even then is not necessary every sum-mer. As for pets, the abundant thorns ofmost species discourage most of them.

Planting and Pruning _

,

With few exceptions all roses require fullor almost full sun. In choice of site, this isthe first requirement. Ample room for rootsis necessary for strong-growing shrub roses.Although a suckering species such as R.nitida would do well between the sidewalkand the street, the larger species would findthe location too cramped. With regard tosoil, the species roses and their hybrids are

far more adaptable than most hybrid teasand floribundas, but if the soil is poor somemanure placed below the roots and separatedfrom them by a layer of soil is useful. A largehole obviously is better than a small one.Throughout the world most commercial

roses are grafted. In this country the under-stock is R. multiflora. Grafting is a commer-cial necessity, since it produces large plantsin a short time and because it encouragesgrowth in the many weak commercial rosesthat would die if they were dependent ontheir own roots. Although species roses ob-tained from nurseries are the result of grafts,they are capable of growing on their ownroots. It is my practice when plantingspecies roses and their hybrids to set thegraft-point four inches below ground to en-courage the rose to grow its own roots. Thismethod leads in the long run to increasedvigor, and if the plant should be damaged inthe future it will send out new shoots frombelow ground. These new shoots will be partof the graft and not the understock.

In the field of horticulture nothing is morecontroversial than the pruning of roses.Pruning species roses is not difficult, how-ever, if one point is kept in mind: these arehardy shrubs and should be treated accord-ingly. This means that after a number ofyears the very oldest stems should be cut tothe ground in early spring in the same waythat one might renew a lilac or a mockorange. No further pruning is necessary ex-cept to cut off dead branches. Since speciesroses require many years to develop theirflowering capacity, yearly pruning can be se-verely damaging.There are a few species roses that are

climbers but can be grown as shrubs if de-sired. If the canes of these become too long,they can be pruned by cutting off the tips.

15 5

Author’s Note: Other interesting hardyspecies roses, in the collection at the Arnold

Arboretum, are:

R. aciculans R. koreana

R. afzehana R longicuspisR. agresus R luciaeR. amblyous R. malyR. amurensis R. micrantha

R. arkansana R. nmdula

R. arvensis R. nutkanaR. beggenana R. omissa

R belgrandensis R oxyodonR. bella R pendulmaR. brunomi R. pisocarpaR. calocarpa R. pomiferaR. camna R prattmR carolma R. pruhomcianaR. cenufoha R. pteragomsR. cmnamomea R roopaeR. clmophylla R rubigmosaR. cornfoha R. scharnkeanaR. corymbifera R schwmkeanaR. davunca R. sertata

R. ditnchopoda R. seugeraR. dumahs R. setipodaR elasmacantha R. smo-mlsonuR fedtschenkoana R. spaldmgmR gmaldm R. spmuhfohaR hibermca R. tomentosa

R. highdownensis R. tuscheucaR. hornda R. waitziana

R. huntn R. webbianaR modora R. wintoniensis

R. tundz~lhi R. woodsii

R kochiana R zalana

Nursery Sources for Species and ShrubRoses

High Country Rosamum, 1717 Downing, Denver, CO80218 8

Joseph J Kern Rose Nursery, Box 33, Mentor, OH44060Lowe’s Own Root Nursery, 6 Sheffield Road, Nashua,

NH 03062

Mike’s Roses, 6807 Smithway Drive, Alexandna, VA22307.

Pickering Nurseries, 670 Kmgston Road, Pickenng,Ontario LI V 1 A6 Canada.Roses of Yesterday and Today, 802 Brown’s Valley

Road, Watsonville, CA 95076.

Wyant Roses, Route 84, Johnny Cake Ridge, Mentor,OH 44060.Not all roses listed m this article are available from

the above sources. For further sources consult the cur-

rent edition of Combmed Rose List (roses in commerceand cultivation, rose registrations smce Modern Roses8, and hard-to-find roses and where to find them), com-piled and available from Beverly R. Dobson, 215 Ham-man Road, Irvmgton, NY 10533.An English source, for which an importation permit

is required (wnte Permit Unit, USDA, PPQ, FederalBmldmg, Room 638, Hyattsville, MD 20782), is: PeterBeales Roses, Intwood Nurseries, Swardeston, NorwichNR14 8EA England.

"’

For Further ReadingThe following are the recent major publications onspecies and shrub roses:

Bean, W. J. 1973-80. 8th ed. Trees and Shrubs Hardy inthe Bntish Isles London: Murray. The fourthvolume contams an updated listing of speciesroses as well as a section by Graham Thomas onthe major hybnds.

Edwards, G. 1975. Wild and Old Garden Roses NewYork: Hafner. Like most of the other publicationsin this list, this is British in origin, and thereforemuch of the information needs to be adjusted toAmerican climatic conditions.

Gault, S. M., and P. M. Synge. 1971. The Dictionary ofRoses m Color. New York’ Grosset and Dunlap.Outstandmg color photographs of many speciesand shrub roses as well as hybnd teas andflonbundas.

Gibson, M. 1973. Shrub Roses for Every Garden. Lon-don : Collms. A most comprehensive and read-able account of shrub roses.

Kordes, W. 1964. Roses London: Studio Vista Firstpublished m Germany, this is a first-person ac-count by the major breeder of shrub roses in the20th century.

Krussman, Gerd. 1981. The Complete Book of RosesPortland, Oregon: Timber Press Inadequate edit-mg and layout mar a remarkable book, which hasan excellent section on species roses. The origi-nal German title, Rosen, Rosen, Rosen, bettercaptures the spmt of the book.

Shepherd, R. 1978. Repnnt. History of the Rose. NewYork: Coleman. This is the major American ref-erence for those who wish to grow species rosesand their hybnds. First published m 1954, it isnot a history of the rose but rather a horticulturaland botanical survey of the entire genus.

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Thomas, G. S. 1956. The Old Shrub Roses. London:Phoenix House.. 1962. Shrub Roses of Today. London: Phoenix

House.

. 1965. Chmbmg Roses Old and New. London:Phoenix House Thomas is an authority on shrubroses and for accuracy and a graceful style has noequal. The three works above have been repub-lished several times and contain the most com-

prehensive horticultural descriptions of speciesroses ever published.

Jonathan Shaw, the former director of the New En-gland Wild flower Society, is now director of Bok TowerGardens, m Lake Wales, Flonda.