A Guide to Growing Roses in the Desert

Growing Roses in The Desert

You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. -Ziggy

Budding rose gardeners will be happy to know that roses grow quite well in our very arid and hot climate. They mix well with other plants in the garden, including edible plants. In addition, rose petals are edible and the hips are valuable for its high vitamin C content as well.

Roses are complex. They vary in bloom styles, scent, growth habit, and even blossom shape. Additionally, it may surprise some that the rose family of plants(rosacea) is quite varied and roses are related to apples, loquats, almonds, peaches, blackberry, strawberry, and several others.

The yearly release of The David Austin Handbook of Roses is coveted by Rose Enthusiasts around the world. It is packed with rose growing information, pages of gorgeous pictures displaying their beautiful collection, and new releases. Request one at David Austin Roses.

Types of Roses

Classifying roses is complicated. There are 3 main groups: Species(wild) Roses, Old Garden Roses( in existence before 1867), and Modern Roses.

Species Roses: The wild rose has smaller single petaled blooms. They produce large amounts of pollen and are valued for their medicinal rose hips. They can be identified by the classification Rosa Rugosa. For example Rosa Rugosa Alba.

The rest of the types listed below could fall into the Old Garden rose or modern Roses category. Sub classifications of old roses are alba, bourbon, damask, centifolia, China, Ayrshire, Boursault, Hybrid Galicia, Hybrid Perpetual, Moss, Noisette, Portland, and Tea roses.

Shrub Roses: This is the broadest grouping of roses and the most popular in the rose garden. Shrub roses can be divided into Englis shrub roses and hybrid Tea Roses

English Roses: This is the term given to roses bred by David Austin. They retain the old rose charm and fragrance but have been bred to be hardier and repeat blooming. These have rich and varying fragrances from fruity, myrrh, old rose, teas rose, and musk. They are repeat blooming, meaning they continue to bloom all season long during the warmer months. They are often large with many petals and “old rose” styled blooms.

Hybrid Tea Rose: This is the modern shrub rose that is most familiar. Often roses are borne on long sturdy stems and the bloom is the rose shape most people are familiar with when they think of a rose. They grow into 5-6ft tall bushes and some can be beautifully scented. However, in the floral industry manty are bred to have no scent at all. The word Grandiflora may also be present on hybrid teas. While the general hybrid tea will hold one bloom per stem, a Grandiflora will hold several blooms on one stem but bloom one at a time. The floribunda however holds several blooms in a cluster with multiples blooming at the same time in that cluster.

Climbing Roses:Climbing roses have the ability to form long arching stems, perfect for training on pergolas and supports. The flowers are held singularity or in large groups. This type of rose is repeat blooming.

Rambling Roses:A rambling rose is very much like a climbing rose but only flowers once during the growing season. They are extremely vigorous growers and require a lot of space. A good example of the rambling rose is Lady Banks or the Tombstone rose. This is an excellent rose for our hot climate. Pruning times for rambling roses differ from the rest.

English Tree Roses:These are a minimum of 2 rose bushes of the same variety grafted onto the top of a vertical stem that is 3 ft tall. It forms a rounded shape of concentrated blooms that sit at eye level.

How to Plant Roses

Planting roses are easy, there a just a few guidelines to follow.

Roses are either planted from bare roots or potted plants. Bare roots will be planted at the beginning of Spring in most cases. The guidelines here apply to both.
Plant in an area where there is good drainage if planting in the ground. Amend the soil with good compost. If planting in a large pot, add native clay to hold moisture and prevent them from drying up too quickly.
Do not bury the crown/root ball when planting.
Roses are heavy feeders, ensure they have rich fertile soil. We recommend the use of Earth’s Original Organics for feeding. Do not feed bare roots until they start leafing out.
If leaves get chlorotic, especially during the summer, small amounts of chelated iron can be used to help.
Water well, roses are thirst plants but do not like sitting in boggy conditions.
Mulch well.
Add sulfur 3 times a year to lower the pH and prevent issues like chlorosis.
Container Growing: Use large containers at least 30 gallons, use a well- draining soil and follow all the above info.

Rose Issues

Roses can be plagued by thrips and aphids and in summer gardeners may find issues with spider mites. The best treatment for thrips is beneficial nematodes. Aphids can be controlled organically in a number of ways. Our Insect Guide has information to control many different pests.
Fungal diseases can also be an issue for rose growers. Depending on the severity of the disease, several controls can be employed. Spraying with milk prevents mold spores from setting. Using liquid seaweed and a baking soda spray is also effective. In extreme cases, stronger controls such as a copper treatment are used. While roses can take our full summer sun, young rose plants should be protected, and depending on how well a particular variety does in the heat, protection may be needed for that variety.
Roses bushes do not always look attractive during our summer. They could have chlorotic leaves, a lot of sunburn,s and are not likely to flower. They go into a “summer dormancy.” Once temperatures cool down after the summer, they will start putting out new growth and flowering again.

Pruning Roses

Many new gardens find rose pruning intimidating but a few simple guidelines can help.

Use sharp and sterilized pruning tools and sterilize before moving on to the next rose bush. This will prevent any possible diseases from spreading.
Prune according to the type of rose. Rambling roses are pruned right after they bloom and never in the fall or winter or they will not bloom. The roses are born on old stems.
Roses are pruned right before temperatures start to warm up for spring, in late December or January in the South Western states of the USA.
They are also given a light pruning right after the summer heat, beginning of September to encourage blooms in fall. Do not remove more than ⅓ of growth when doing this pruning.
Start pruning by removing any dead wood, crossing growth, weak or diseased looking growth.
Next for young roses, trim all stems back so that they are approximately 12-18 inches from the ground.
For established roses bushes, that are older than 2 years, cut stems back by half
See the video below for more pruning tips.
Throughout the season, dead spent blooms to encourage new blooms. Cut back spent flowers the first set of 5 leaves

Varieties for Desert Climates

There are 1000’s of varieties that will grow well in the desert, but read details to find out which ones are the most heat tolerant. The easiest to grow in arid climates is the Lady Banks Rose. This is also called the Tombstone rose as it is a very old specimen growing in Tombstone, Arizona. This particular rose is also recorded as the world’s largest rose bush! Iceberg roses also do really well, flowering well into winter and as long into the summer as possible. Queen Elizabeth is a very hardy rose bush that grows into a very large bush with an abundance of blooms in a striking pink color. Unfortunately, they are not scented.

One of my favorites is Ebb Tide which has a rich color and one of the strongest scents I have come across in a rose. Neptune is the more common shaped rose bloom and is a hybrid tea with a beautiful fragrance and a lovely lavender color. Other popular ones are Angel Face, Peace rose, Tiffany, Mister Lincoln, Cinco De Mayo, The Alnwick Rose, and Queen of Sweden. However, this list is a drop in the ocean. Research varieties on online rose vendors.

Where to Purchase Roses

When buying roses online, ensure that they will be mailed out in late October or before the end of March to ensure successful planting.

Online

David Austin: Hundreds of beautiful English roses with gorgeous bloom shapes, colors, and fragrances.

Heirloom Roses: A generous selection of popular roses and eleven a few harder to find varieties. Healthy plants are well packed.

K&M Roses: Roses grown here are grafted on Fortuniana rose stock which is best for Arizona growing. A good selection of roses.

Antique Rose Emporium: A lovely selection including less commonly found varieties. A good site for the rose collector.

Jackson and Perkins: Good quality hybrid tea roses. Check mail times.

Rogue Valley Roses: Specializes in rare and historic roses. A lovely collection.

In-Store

Berridge Nurseries – Arizona A spectacular spring collection. They carry a large variety of David Austin roses among others – Arizona Pre-order available.

Francis Roses -Located in Litchfield Park. A great selection of heat-tolerant varieties.

Antique Rose Emporium – Brenham, Texas

Rainbow Gardens- San Antonio, Texas

Sara’s Garden Center- Brockport, New York

SG Nursery- San Gabriel, California