18 Groups Of Roses: Part 2

So far, we have covered 4 groups of roses; the Alba; the Bourbon; the Centifolia; the China Rose. Below is a brief summary of Climbing, Damask, Floribunda, Gallica, Hybrid Musk, and Hybrid Perpetual.

5. Climbing: These are a jumble of roses, not so vigorous nor so lax in habit as Ramblers, but nonetheless possessed the climbing urge. Examples of roses in this group are 'Celine Forestier', 'City of York' and 'Constance Spry'.

6. Damask: Damask roses take their name from the ancient hybrid, Rosa x damascena, known since the 16^th century. Modern Damask roses owe their repeat flowering to a particular form, R. x damascena semperflorens. They are medium-sized shrubs, rarely exceeding 5ft in height, and their flowers are typically double and white or pink in color. Almost all are very well scented. Included in this category are 'Belle Amour', 'Celsiana' and 'Madame Hardy'.

7. Floribunda:This group, also known as Cluster-flowered, consists of modern bush roses, all of which are perpetual-flowering and carry their flowers in many-stemmed clusters. They vary immensely in every other way. Included in this group are 'Gruss an Aachen', 'Iceberg' and 'White Pet'.

8. Gallica: Rosa gallica is a wild rose found widely in Europe. It has rather large single flowers, up to 3 ½ inches across, deep pink fading towards white in the center. Its leaves are attractively pleated and curved, with finely toothed edges, and it forms an upright bush with very fine thorns. It gave rise to one of the oldest surviving garden cultivars, R. gallica, 'Versicolor', known also as 'Rosa Mundi', which was described in 1583 by the botanist Clusius. Almost all Gallicas found today are French 19^th century cultivars; the Empress Josephine is said to have had 160 varieties at La Malmaison. Among others are 'Assemblage des Beautes', 'Belle de Crecy', 'Camaieux', 'Charles de Mills' and 'Tuscany Superb'. The

characteristic flower color of the Gallicas ranges from pink to the deepest maroon. The form of the flower is rather flat and many of them are double. None has white flowers. Some of the Gallicas have rather spindly lax growth deriving from influences other than R. gallica. They flower once only in the summer.

9. Hybrid Musk: The Hybrid Musks are unusual among rose groups in that they were the creation of a single breeder, the Englishman Joseph Pemberton, in the early 20^th century. One of his sources was the rose 'Trier', bred by the German nurseryman Peter Lambert in 1904. As a group the Hybrid Musks have in common excellent scent and the ability to flower throughout the season. Some examples are 'Buff Beauty', 'Cornelia', 'Felicia' and 'Penelope'.

10. Hybrid Perpetual: The Hybrid Perpetuals date from the middle of the 19^th century when rose breeders succeeded in breeding a new kind of rose that would flower repeatedly after its first flowering in June. Many of these introductions are still to be found in gardens today. Many different roses were involved, but the strain that gave them their perpetual-flowering characteristic was the China rose. Although the Hybrid Perpetuals are bush roses some grow very lanky and make better climbers. In the past the classic way of growing Hybrid Perpetuals was to peg down the lax new growth which encourages flowers on side shoots. Some examples from this group are 'Baron Girod de L'Ain', 'Baronne Prevost', 'Le Havre' and 'Souvenir du Docteur Jamain'.

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