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Are you very familar with the classifications of garden roses? If not, naming them and describing also may help you in your decisions on the roses you will be planting in your rose garden.
Garden roses are divided into certain general, loosely-defined classes, such as Hybrid Perpetual, Hybrid Tea, Rambler and Polyantha. The development of modern roses begn early in the last few centuries, after the arrival in Europe of three somewhat variable species from China; the pink Rosa chinensis (or indica), the red Rosa sempervirens (both of which are called China Roses) and the Tea Rose (Rosa odorata). Of course this is only conjecture as to the origins of the earliest types of garden roses, such as Bourbon, bengal, China and even the Tea Roses.
Bengal or China Roses: These hybrids of chinensis as "Mme. Laurette Messimy," "Hermosa,", "Cramoisi Supericur," and "Gloire des Rosomanes" ("Ragged Robin"), still linger in a few gardens. They are mostly dwarf, slender with many branches, and have recurrent crops of delicate, cupped flowers.
Tea Roses: These roses are descendants of strains of Rosa odorats. They are petual-flowering, loose, open-cupped and sweet-scented. The crushed leaves have a tea scent, thus the name Tea Roses.
The plants are slender-branched, and two to three feet high. "Bon Silene," "Duchesse de Brabant," "Lady Hillingdon," "Maman Cochet" and "Mrs. Herbert Stevens" are famous varieties of the past. They are comparatively hardy, but are more adapted to the south for winter flowering. They have been superseded by more rugged types.
Hybrid Perpetuals: These hybrids presumably originated from R. gallica and Damask Roses, crossed and recrossed with forms of the Bengal (r. chinensis). "Rose du Roi" (originated about l842) was of this class. It was bushy, rugged, three to six feet, free-flowering in June, with somewhat recurrent blooms. The plants are hardy with little protection in most northern states. The flowers are large, and the colors are clear, but do not include yellow.
Hybrid Teas: These are ever-blooming roses originating from a combination of Tea and Hybrid Perpetuasl.
Polyantha Roses: At first these were dwarf forms of R. multiflora. The garden varieties are hybrids of this with R. chinensis and many horticultural hybrids. These will flow in sprays or large corymbs throughout the summer.
Climbing Roses: No roses are true climbers, even those with exceptionally long canes are variously called climber, Pillar, or Rambler Roses. Except for their glossy foliage they are scarcely distinguishable from slender hybrids; they also bloom best on last year's growth.
Pillar Roses: Varieties five to eight feet tall with large stiff stems, such as "Birdie Blye," "Pauls Scarlet," "Mary Wallace" and "Skyrocket," are classed as Pillar Roses.
Large-flowered Climbers: This category includes a motley collection varying in size, habit, and character. They extend their growth year after year and flower best on new lateral growth from old canes.
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