Antique, Old and EarthKind Roses for Sustainability
You CAN Grow Roses in a Sustainable Landscape
Old and Antique Roses are the New Rage!
Texas A&M University Agriculture System has been conducting a hardiness study of many kinds of roses. In the study they plant many rose varieties out in a field in the hot Texas sun. Once they are established, the roses are left on their own and receive no watering, spraying or pruning. It's sink or swim for them. After 3 years, the ones that survive are designated "EarthKind" Roses. These roses possess the high level of landscape performance coupled with outstanding disease and insect tolerance and resistance required for this special designation. Very few (if any) of these trademarked EarthKind roses are hybrids. Almost all of them fall into the old rose category. These rose cultivars retain the resilience and fortitude that was programmed by nature.

Buy Old Fashioned Pink Rose Poster Print by naturalilly
This means that these roses will not require the use of harmful pesticides or fungicides so they are perfect for sustainable and eco-friendly landscaping. Unlike modern, hybrid roses, these beauties do not require hours of devoted attention. Old rose varieties will give the rose loving homeowner a rest from heavy fertilizing, spraying and nurturing that their hybrid cousins demand. Some old roses prefer a minimum amount of pruning. Many specimens were found living on their own in old cemeteries and home sites, untouched by human hands for years.
The new modern hybrids were bred for the size and shape of the individual flower, with little or no attention to the shape or form of the bush, so frequent pruning is necessary to make them look nice. Old roses have a natural beauty of form, a quality which does not diminish over the years. The colors of old roses are a little more muted that the more showy hybrids, but we prefer the soft pinks, yellows, whites and beautiful reds of the older varieties. And the fragrance of the old roses beats the modern hybrids, hands down.
Many of the old roses also have interesting foliage and colorful hips. These hips are a source of vitamin C and are quite delicious in tea, jelly and many other foods. Rose petals are also edible and have been used in aromatherapy for hundreds of years.
References: Chamblee's Rose Nursery and the Antique Rose Emporium. Both offer free catalogs which contain valuable information about old roses and their care.
EarthKind Rose Types
Mairie Daly - pink double blooms from April through November; mature HxW: 3'-4' x 3'- 4'; Category: Polyantha
The Fairy - light pink semi-double blooms from April through November; mature HxW: 2'-4' x 4'; Category: Polyantha
Small Shrubs
Caldwell Pink - Lilac Pink double blooms from May - November; mature HxW: 3'-4' x 3'; Category: China
Perle d'Or - Apricot Yellow, semi-double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 3'-6' x 3'-4'; Category: Polyantha
Medium Shrubs
Belinda's Dream - Pink, semi-double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 3'-6' x 3'-4'; Category: shrub
Carefree Beauty - Pink double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 4'-5' x 4'-5'; Category: shrub
Ducher - Pure white double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 3'-5' x 3'-4'; Category: China
Duchesse de Brabant - Rose pink semi-double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 4'-6 x 4'; Category: Tea
Else Poulsen - Pink single blooms from April-November; mature HxW: 3'-5' x 3'-4'; Category: Floribunda
Georgetown Tea - Pink blend double blooms from April- November; Mature HxW: 3'-5' x 4'; Category: Tea
Knock Out - Cherry red single blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 3'-6' x 3'-6'; Category: Shrub
La Marne - Pink/White semi-double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 4'-6' x 4'-5'; Category: Polyantha
Mme. Antoine Mari - Pink Blend double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 3'-5' x 4'; Category: Tea
Souvenir de St. Anne's - Light Pink single blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 3'-4' x 2'-3'; Category: Bourbon
Large Shrubs
Mutabilis - Yellow/Pink/Orange single blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 4'-10' x 6'; Category: China
Climbers
Climbing Pinkie - Rose Pink semi-double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 8'-12' x 6'; Category: Climbing Polyantha
New Dawn - Blush Pink semi-double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 15'-20 x 8'-20'; Category: Shrub
Sea Foam - Creamy White double blooms from April-November; Mature HxW: 2'-8 x 4'; Category: Shrub
Growing Frost Free and Disease Resistant Varieties
EarthKind Environmental Practices
- Practice enlightened methods of bed preparation prior to planting flowers and woody plants.
- Get your soil tested. Contact your local County Agricultural Ectension Office for more information..
- Base choice of fertilizer on current soil test..
- Ensure 50 percent of nitrogen is in the slow-release (controlled release) form..
- Based on soil test, eliminate unnecessary, environmentally detrimental nutrients. That is, only add what your soil test says that you need..
- Practice year-round mulching using organic materials, preferably those that are on-hand..
- Practice good irrigation, using drip irrigation whenever possible and making use of on-site water..
- Change programming of overall irrigation system from automatic to manual..
- Modify irrigation system so that turf areas and landscape beds are in separate irrigation zones..
- Water thoroughly, but less frequently..
- Dramatically reduce pesticide usage by using it only as a last resort..
Growing Old-fashioned Roses
Hardy and Old Roses That We Grow
Old Roses
Louis Phillipe - Fragrant Crimson red double blooms from April-November; Mature: 3 to 5 feet, China Rose
Louis Phillipe Rose by naturegirl7
Noisette Roses - Cottage Rose that could be Champneys' Pink Cluster or Blush Noisette - pink semi-double blooms from April-November; Mature: 4 to 8 feet
Pink Noisette Roses by naturegirl7
Cherokee Rose - White single flowers in spring followed by large golden hips; This climbing rose from China has naturalized all over Southeastern Louisiana; Mature 5 to 15+ feet.
Cherokee Old Climbing Rose by naturegirl7
The Fairy - Light pink semi-double clusters blooming from April-November; Mature HxW: 2'-4' x 4'; Category: Polyantha and EarthKind
The Fairy Rose by naturegirl7
Jessie's Rose - Found near Coushatta, La on an abandoned homesite. Unknown very fragrant purplish-pink draping bush Rose that could be a form of Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris scandens) or "Maggie" (William C. Welch, Heirloom Plants of the South) It blooms in spring.
Jessie's Unknown Old Rose by naturegirl7
Duchess de Brabant - Fragrant Light Pink repeat blooms from April to November; Mature: 4 to 6 feet; Tea Rose and EarthKind
Caldwell Pink - Pink blend clusters repeat bloom from April to November; Mature: 3 to 4 feet, found Rose and EarthKind
Unknown Hardy Red Rose - Very fragrant, deep red double rose that was on the property which blooms from April to November; bright red rose-hips
Old Red Rose by naturegirl7
Small red cluster that I got at Albertson's 25 years ago. It is probably Happy, a polyantha Rose, Currant red tiny semidouble blooms from April-November. Mature: 2 to 3 feet.
Happy Old Rose by naturegirl7
Native Roses
Carolina Rose (Rosa Carolina)- single pink flowered shrub that grows in groups and is seldom over 3 feet tall.
Native Carolina Rose by naturegirl7
Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) - More leggy shrub rose with pinkish-purple semi-double fragrant flowers.
Rose Facts from Wiki
A rose is a perennial flower shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species and comes in a variety of colours. The species form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. It is a common error to refer to roses having thorns. Thorns are modified branches or stems, whereas these sharp protrusions on a rose are modified epidermal tissues (prickles). Most are native to Asia, with smaller numbers of species native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Natives, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and fragrance. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/509710/rose
The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with sharply toothed oval-shaped leaflets. The plant's fleshy edible fruit is called a rose hip. Rose plants range in size from puny, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach 20 metres in height. Species from different parts of the world easily hybridize, which has given rise to the many types of garden roses.
The name originates from Latin rosa, borrowed from Oscan from colonial Greek in southern Italy: rhodon (Aeolic form: wrodon), from Aramaic wurrd?, from Assyrian wurtinnu, from Old Iranian *warda (cf. Armenian vard, Avestan warda, Sogdian ward,
Also the Hebrew ??? = vered and the Aramaic ????: these preceded the Greek above.
Parthian wâr).http://www.rose-bushes.com/about/http://www.iranica.com/articles/v11f1/v11f1033.html
Attar of rose is the steam-extracted essential oil from rose flowers that has been used in perfumes for centuries. Rose water, made from the rose oil, is widely used in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The French are known for their rose syrup, most commonly made from an extract of rose petals. In the United States, this French rose syrup is used to make rose scones.
Rose hips are occasionally made into jam, jelly, and marmalade, or are brewed for tea, primarily for their high Vitamin C content. They are also pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup. Rose hips are also used to produce Rose hip seed oil, which is used in skin products and some makeup products.
More Growing Old Roses
Old Roses for Warm Gardens
Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers
In the Language of Fowers
Kate Greenaway
The Rose in the symbolic meanings of flowers:
Rose....Love
Rose, Austrian...Thou art all that is lovely.
Rose, Bridal... Happy love.
Rose, Burgundy... Unconscious beauty.
Rose, Cabbage... Ambassador of love.
Rose, Campion... Only deserve my love.
Rose, Carolina... Love is dangerous.
Rose, China... Beauty always new.
Rose, Christmas... Tranquillize my anxiety.
Rose, Daily... Thy smile I aspire to.
Rose, Damask... Brilliant complexion.
Rose, Deep Red... Bashful shame.
Rose, Dog... Pleasure and pain.
Rose, Guelder... Winter, Age.
Rose, Hundred-leaved... Pride.
Rose, Japan... Beauty is your only attraction.
Rose, Maiden Blush... If you love me, you will find it out.
Rose, Multiflora...Grace
Rose, Mundi... Variety.
Rose, Musk... Capricious beauty.
Rose, Musk, Cluster... Charming.
Rose, Single... Simplicity.
Rose, Thornless... Early attachment.
Rose, unique... Call me not beautiful.
Rose, white... I am worthy of you.
Rose, white (withered)... Transient impressions.
Rose, Yellow... Decrease of love. Jealously.
Rose, York and Lancaster... War.
Rose, Full-blown, placed over two Buds... Secrecy.
Rose, White and Red together... Unity.
Roses, Crown of... Reward of virtue.
Rosebud, Red... Pure and lovely.
Rosebud, White... Girlhood.
Rosebud, Moss... Confession of love.
For information about how to make a Victorian tussie-mussie go to Eras of Elegance - How to Make a Victorian Tussie-Mussie
England's Historic Treasures
Recipes for Roses
We have included many delicious recipes for roses and other edible flowers in this lens. Rose hips are the seed pod of roses. They are high in vitamin C and are very tasty in teas, soups, jams and other concoctions.-
Please Eat the Wild Flowers
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For centuries, people have been eating wild flowers and plants. There are so many tasty buds out there, free for the taking, if you know what to look for. I've included some of our favorite edible wild flowers and plants with descriptions, photograph...
Rose Photos on Flickr
Old Roses and Rose Hip Products on Amazon
Old and Wild Roses on Zazzle
Relax in your rose garden while drinking rose hip tea from these old rose mugs designed by naturegirl7.

Minature Rose Plants
If you only have a windowsill or patio
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Heirloom Roses YouTube vid
Heirloom Summer Roses
You can have a 2nd flush of blooms on your roses. You can even plant roses now, in August. Our friends at Heirloom share some of their secrets
Runtime: 3:30
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- Tips And Tricks About Antique Roses .
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Tell Us What You Think About Old Roses
paperfacets wrote...
We have nesting bluebirds this year for the first time. All we did was put up a bird house.
The juveniles from the first clutch are helping with the second set of chicks. They are very entertaining.
LindaJM wrote...
I absolutely must get more roses into my flower beds! You have a beautiful lens here. Angel blessings and 5*.
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
I love the roses, but its so hot and humid here in the summer. Rather than plant my own, I enjoy my mother's when I head north in the summer.
Great lens
Lizzy
Orphie_G wrote...
Thanks so much for featuring my "Old Roses" photo....This is a great lens about the old roses....5*****
Naturegirl's Plants Del.icio.us bookmarks
Links to Sources and Care of Old and Antique Roses
Add you own or vote on these
The Antique Rose Emporium
Devoted to bringing the beauty, frangrance and cha more...0 points
Chamberlee's Rose Nursery
Environmentally Friendly Roses for Environmentally more...0 points
EarthKind Roses
Texas A&M University Research site, where and more...0 points
How to Plant EarthKind Roses
How to Plant EarthKind Roses. Looking for roses th more...0 points
Petals From the Past, Inc. - Welcome
Petals From the Past, Inc. specializes in antique more...0 points
New Orleans Old Garden Rose Society
Info on the society and a page about the "Peg more...0 points
by naturegirl7
My husband and I have always loved nature and the outdoors. We currently maintain a 9 acre private wildlife preserve and are Master Gardeners and offi... (more) 






















