If you are new to growing roses, you may have noticed there are numerous classes of roses, and there are many varieties in each class. What’s the difference, and how should you decide what to plant? Hybrid tea? Floribunda? Before you go rose shopping, it’s helpful to understand a little about the different rose classifications, and how they are each used in the landscape. Don’t be surprised, however, if you make up your mind to grow floribundas…until you fall in love with the perfect hybrid tea!

Hybrid tea roses: These are tall, long-stemmed roses ideal for cutting—they’re the Valentine’s Day roses you see at the florist. The flowers are usually borne singly, one to a stem, rather than in clusters. In the garden they are often featured as single specimens or in a traditional rose cutting garden.

American Hero Hybrid Tea Rose		Electron Hybrid Tea Rose		John F Kennedy Hybrid Tea Rose		Joyfulness Hybrid Tea Rose

Floribundas: Developed during the last century, these roses have the large, showy blossoms of the hybrid teas, but bloom more freely, setting clusters of blossoms rather than a single bloom on a stem. Floribundas are versatile; an individual shrub will fit easily into almost any sunny border planting. However, they are perhaps most striking in mass plantings.

‘Leila Verde Floribunda Rose		Octavia Hill Floribunda Rose		Nicole Floribunda Rose		Geranium Red Floribunda Rose

Shrub roses: These roses have changed the way many people view roses. Shrub roses, especially when compared with traditional varieties, are impressive for many reasons: their natural disease-resistance, their willingness to grow in a variety of climates with a minimum of attention from the gardener, their compact growth habit (very little pruning required), not to mention the great beauty of their flowers, which are borne consistently over a very long season.

‘Champlain Shrub Rose		Monticello Shrub Rose		Niagara Shrub Rose		Alchymist Shrub Rose

Ground Cover roses: These low growing roses casacade over walls or act as ground covers in a perennial garden. Most grow only 1 to 2 feet tall while spreading 3 to 4 feet wide. They look great at the edge of beds and in containers.

Central Park Ground Cover Rose		Madison Ground Cover Rose

Climbers: Climbing roses produce long canes that can be trained to a trellis, fence, or other support. Grow them up and over an arching trellis to make a striking entryway; train them up a lattice to adorn a plain wall.

Compassion Climbing Rose		Lavender Lassie Climbing Rose		Royal Sunset Climbing Rose		Altissimo Climbing Rose

Credit: National Gardening Association