Roses can be some of the most colorful and easy to maintain summer plants for the garden, if you choose the right variety for your conditions and commitment level. On my exposed Chicago rooftop with my low-maintenance approach, mini-roses work best.
Mini-roses are tough compact mounds of summer color, which makes them ideal for containers. They are resistant to drought, heat, and diseases. Also they’re resilient, if attacked by pests, disease, or neglect. During severe drought they will go dormant and drop leaves. When rain returns, they’re quick to leaf out and begin bud set. Following a long trip last summer, I returned to find them reduced to naked twigs. Once I soaked the pots, the leaves were back within 4 days.
Mini-roses are perfect for novices and beginners because they are so easy and floriferous. However, my roofdeck does have certain advantages.
• There is no lawn nearby, so there are no grubs to pupate into ravenous Japanese beetles or June bugs. The occasional one will find its way to my rooftop, but they are easily caught and squished.
• There is always good air circulation and exposure to limit the growth and spread of fungal diseases.
• Best of all, there are no rabbits. These long-eared, furry monsters are the only reason the rest of my gardens aren’t filled with mini-roses. In the landscape rabbits will relentlessly eat mini-roses down to the ground, especially during winter and early spring. Continued munching will eventually exhaust and kill the plant.
[In yards and landscapes with lots of rabbits Earth Kind, Knock Out, and Rugosa roses are better choices for low maintenance color.]
The only pest problems I have with roses on my rooftop garden are black spot and aphids. Black spot is prevalent after cool, wet spring weather. Aphids are at their worst in late spring and early fall. Neither is a threat to kill the roses. And, both problems are easily treated with OMRI listed products. [Safer makes a 3-in-1 spray that stops fungal diseases, insects, and mites.]
Besides pests, roofdeck plants have to able to withstand the harsh conditions, including: full sun, heat island effect, high evaporation, strong winds, complete exposure, and container culture.
The best performers this week are:
• Ring of Fire – ~5 years old. Vase shaped and nearly 3’x3’. Golden orange double flowers rimmed in red have a fluffy appearance. There were nearly a hundred flowers open yesterday. Spectacular! Moss Awards: Rose of the Year 2008
• Magic Dragon – 2nd year. Magenta red flowers with loads of double petals. The interior petals appear to protrude outwards. Despite being a mini-rose, the flowers are nearly full-sized.
• Cal Poly – 2nd year. Pale yellow flowers fading to eggshell after a few days. Not as well formed as other flowers and begins to fall apart faster.
• Green Ice – 1st year. Small, flat, ivory double flowers just beginning to bloom.
• Honey Orange – 1st year. Apricot orange double flowers just beginning to bloom.
[All except ‘Ring of Fire’ are from Cottage Farms Direct.]
Don’t expect greatness the first year. Like most woody plants, give them a few (3 – 4) years to reach maturity. That’s when you’ll get the best show year after year for little effort. Just because they’re mini-roses doesn’t mean they’ll stay small. Some will grow over 3’. Feel free to shape them anytime. Like most roses, they respond positively to pruning with new flushes of growth. Remove any dead, diseased, or broken branches immediately. And, if stray branches affect structure or aesthetics, cut ‘em off.
Mini-roses are resilient and tolerant of most conditions. Their constitution combined with their long flowering period make them the perfect container plant. You get structure like a shrub and season long color like an annual in a neat low maintenance package. That can’t be beat.
Get Out & Grow
