ROSES FOR AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS

Articles In This Section:

This chapter is intended mainly for the guidance of the new rose enthusiast, and contains a list of roses suitable for various Australian conditions. Planting of varieties unsuited to his purpose may cause him to lose interest. In every aspect of rose-growing, observations of successes and failures, rather than catalogues and books, will teach him how to grow roses, but his first need is to choose varieties that will please him.

Many roses are omitted simply because it is far better to grow several plants of each variety that is known to be good than to increase the varieties at the expense of quality. Even so, the lists are much longer than one would recommend for any one area. For the sake of brevity, colour descriptions are not attempted, and abbreviations are used; explanations of these are given prior to the main list. A few of the best varieties in each colour group are given later in this chapter. For more detailed descriptions of colour refer to a reliable catalogue, or, better still, see the roses in bloom.

Following the main list are sections devoted to climbing roses, including those suitable for pillars or tripods, single roses, Flori-bundas or Hybrid Polyanthas, Polyanthas, Hybrid Wichurai-anas, roses as shrubs, roses for low edges, roses for hedge-making, weeping standards, roses for evergreen screens, winter-blooming roses, miniature roses, rose species for hips, roses for the cut-flower trade, and roses as garden curiosities.

A few varieties warrant special comments in that the general public have overlooked some aspect of their value or behaviour. These comments, which will be found at the end of this chapter, are not meant to be descriptions of the roses named, and should be read in conjunction with a good catalogue. It must not be thought that they refer to only the best varieties and that roses not mentioned are inferior. Throughout the lists the varieties forming the subject of these special comments are marked with an asterisk.