These are roses we believe should be sustainable in Colorado, given adequate care.
“Broadway Perpetual”
“Petite Rouge”
“The Yarmouth Rambler”
Abraham Darby
Alba Semi-Plena
Alba Suaveolens
Annie of Tharau
Applejack
Austrian Copper
Awakening
Banshee (High Country Banshee)
Baronne Prevost
Belle de Crecy
Bonica
Burgundian Rose
Cardinal de Richelieu
Carefree Beauty
Carefree Delight
Champlain
Chloris
Cl. American Beauty
Cl. Iceberg
Cliffs of Dover
Complicata
Constance Spry
Cramoisi Picotee
Darlow’s Enigma
Dart’s Dash
Desiree Parmentier
Dortmund
Eddie’s Jewel
Eglantyne
Europeana
Fairmount Proserpine
Fairmount Red
Fantin-Latour
Father Hugo
Felicite Parmentier
Francis E. Lester
Frontenac
Fru Dagmar Hastrup
Fruhlingsgold
Gertrude Jekyll
Golden Celebration
Golden Wings
Harison’s Yellow
Henri Martin
Henry Kelsey
Hope for Humanity
Ispahan
J. P. Connell
Jeanne La Joie
John Cabot
John Davis
Jude the Obscure
Kakwa
Kazanlik
Knock Out
Konigen Von Danemark
Lady Penzance
Lawrence Johnston
Lillian Gibson
Linda Campbell
Louise Odier
Madame Hardy
Madame Plantier
Maiden’s Blush
Maigold
Marchesa Boccella
Margo Koster
Mary Rose
Metis
Morden Blush
Morden Centennial
Morden Snowbeauty
Morden Sunrise
Nearly Wild
New Dawn
Nuits de Young
Paul’s Himalayan Musk
Persian Yellow
Pink Meidiland
Pink Peace
Pompom Blanc Parfait
Prairie Joy
Quadra
Red Cascade
Reine des Violettes
Robusta
Rosa Arvensis
Rosa Eglanteria
Rosa Glauca
Rosa Pulverulenta
Rosa Setigera
Rosa Spinosissima
Rosa Woodsii
Rose de Rescht
Scharlachglut
Seafoam
Sharifa Asma
Sleeping Beauty
Stanwell Perpetual
Sweet Chariot
Sydonie
The Alexandra Rose
The Fairy
The Yarmouth Rambler
Theresa Bugnet
Tuscany Superb
Victorian Memory
White Pet
William Baffin
William Lobb
Windrush
Winnipeg Parks
Zephirine Drouhin
Sustainable Roses are:
- Long-lived
- Disease-resistant
- Strong and tolerant of adverse (Colorado) conditions
- Cold hardy to at least zone 5 and preferably zone 4 or zone 3.
- Own-root (not grafted)
- Good performers with minimal inputs
Maintenance and Care of Sustainable Roses:
- Water once a week if needed, or twice a week during peak bloom or in severe heat and/or drought
- Fertilize twice (or 3 times) a year with a good organic fertilizer
- Mulch 3—4″ deep to suppress weeds, to retain moisture and support soil microorganisms.
- Prune out dead and diseased canes, thin if canes are too dense, and compact canes that are too long or in the way of paths or entries.
- Winter protection can be helpful the first winter or two. Pile soil or half compost, half sand over the canes 6—2″ deep, with a coarse mulch over that.
- Pest management should be mostly selecting the right plants and keeping them strong and healthy. Spray rarely if needed.
- If a rose gets diseases every year, needs frequent fertilizations, often has bug problems or performs poorly, shovel prune it and replace it.