email: dbclost@sympatico.ca

Dan Clost is the proprietor of Dan Clost's Greenscapes located in Trenton, Ontario. 'Greenscapes' is a multi-discipline company focussing on useable greenspaces. This involves designing and creating restful oases or the restoration and renovation of older gardens.
The heart of his garden writing is sharing the enjoyment of this good earth with others and encouraging responsible stewardship of our own little bits.

A graduate of the University of Guelph in agriculture and horticulture, Dan spends his spare time as the wholesaler for a large nursery.

December 21, 2003

Roses are a hot topic. There is not much point, Gentle Reader, in my waxing eloquent about the special qualities of this particular plant. There are enough folks out there in gardening land who do a much better job than I. People fall into one of two groups. The one group is convinced roses are the epitome of a flowering shrub.

The other, uneducated non-gardening, soulless horde will never understand what the fuss is about. We acknowledge their existence but have very little to do with them.

Roses are the one plant that most customers at our nursery know about. They arrive with lists in hand; underscored catalogues (sometimes from other stores!!) turned to a favourite page or will have watched their favourite gardening guru on television. They know exactly what cultivar they want. They are on a mission.

Alas and alack, GR, no one nursery will carry every variety; not even those that specialise in roses. You may have to do some travelling to different garden centres to satisfy your needs. Two notes before moving on to the next bit. First, any good garden centre, nursery or plant outlet will have qualified staff on hand to tell you how to care for your new treasure. Secondly, you get what you pay for.

There is a wonderful Website, www.icangarden.com, that connects you to all things gardening. One of my favourite features is the Garden Forum. This is an interactive feature that lets everyone get involved. Got a question? Post it on the forum and watch expert advice sail in from across North America.

Why has our garden path led us to the ethereal web? I thought it might be interesting to poll the ether and see what was Canada's favourite rose and why. A very open ended question but the replies were remarkably similar. The respondents hailed from across the country and Canadian hardiness zones ranged from 3 to 7b. It is interesting to note that these two divergent areas liked the same series of roses. It goes to show you that quality comes through.

Hardiness and disease resistance (black spot) were the two considerations. After that repeat blooming was considered important. Fragrance was mentioned but healthy longevity was the primary concern of the respondents. The best way to present the results is to do it by category. The David Austen Rose, 'Fair Bianca ' was a clear-cut winner. In the rugosa section Hansa lead the way with Therese Bugnet receiving honourable mention. As a general category, the Explorer series led the Morden series by a wee margin. The leading explorer was William Baffin; the top climber was New Dawn. The leading "tender" rose was Garden Party.

The good news is that these are relatively common varieties and you should be able to acquire them.

Another way to determine the viability and worthiness of a rose is to read through older books and catalogues. There are some roses, especially within the Hybrid Tea category, that are perennial favourites.

And to close out this top list, here are the two picks of the professionals, that is, landscapers who have to replace them if they die. The number one climber is 'Blaze' and the preferred shrub rose is 'Bonica'. There you go. And please note that my pick is still anonymous.