The Rose family houses over a hundred species of the Rosa genus, the woody perennial flowering plants known for their colorful, fragrant blooms of great architectural dimensions. The distinct characteristics of the rose plant include symmetrical round flower head with soft and fragrant petals, oval serrated leaves and hard thorny stems (3).

Roses are valued for their rich and varied colors, profusion of bloom, velvety petal texture and, in many cultivars, a rich sweet scent. Over hundreds of years of cultivation, hybridization and breeding, roses are available in many hundreds of cultivars and hold a place in the culture as a flower of celebration and love.

There are roses that climb (ramblers or climbers), spread, or stand upright. Roses require full sun and organically rich, well-drained, acidic to neutral soils. Roses are heat and frost tolerant. Deadhead the blooms as they fade but stop at summer’s end so the plants can start their hardening process before winter.