I never understood all the fuss about roses. Sure, they’re beautiful and fragrant and romantic, but who wants a plant that’s finicky, disease prone and covered in thorns? Not me. But then I started hearing about Knock Out roses and other easy care roses that were winning gardeners’ hearts all over the state. I tried a Knock-Out, and it was love at first bloom. And now that’s it’s spring, I’m on the lookout for other disease resistant repeat bloomers to try. A visit to Texas A&M’s Earth-Kind rose list has piqued my interest in Perle d’Or and Cecile Bruner, especially given that a rose has to prove in long-term field trials that it can thrive in high heat, high humidity and less than perfect soils in order to make the list. So if you’re a budding rosarian who’s considering adding roses to your landscape, check out the Earth-Kind list. And if that gets you dreaming about a field of roses in your backyard, consult a certified landscape or nursery professional in your area for an even longer list of easy care roses. And while you’re at it, check out all the other helpful bits of gardening and landscape information here at Landscape Texas.
For more about low-maintenance roses for Texas:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkindroses/
http://www.hgtv.com/gardening/growing-groundcover-roses/index.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Gardening/diggin-it/2010/0201/The-top-easy-care-roses
