Planning a Rose Garden: The Best Roses to Grow

It would not be any real problem naming 50 top roses. Only once in all the years I have been listing my 'best 10' did I ever include an All-America Rose Selections winners and that was two years ago when I placed Electron at the top of my list, based on the performance of the rose in my own garden (that's how I base all my selections) but last year that same rose did not do as well as it did the first year so I decided that I would never again place any of the new All America roses in my 'best 10' or this year in by 'best dozen.'

Now, I mention this for a very special reason. The first year I placed Electron at the top of my list I have to admit it was a real beauty and as just mentioned, not quite as good last year, but here is the stunner. Electron is giving an 8.1 rating so when you consider this with the fact that a rating of 10 is the best, that rose is worth having in the garden. Also, this proves another very important point and it has been a lesson to me. I will not- rate new roses on a point basis until I have grown them for at least three or four years.

Well, here's my "best dozen' for this year beginning with hybrid teas: "Capistrano" (medium pink); "Charlotte Armstrong" (deep pink); "Etoile de Hollands" (medium red); "Century Two" (medium pink) and "Old Smoothie" (medium red). These are fall hybrid teas. In the grandifloras I list Camelot (medium pink), Carrousel (dark red), Montezuma (orange-red) and Queen Elizabeth (medium pink). For my last trio I take "Betty Prior" (medium pink); Little Darling (yellow blend) and "Sweet Talk" (white). These are all floribundas.

Turning now to the average home gardener who may be just interested in haying a beautiful and colorful rose garden containing roses that can be depended upon and last over the long growing season, the list is larger here than in all the other areas of the world combined. Also, as an added unit of encouragement to any of you home gardeners who may be just a little timid and doubtful as to your ability to grow good roses, remove that thought from your mind completely.

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