Old Garden Roses

Red is the new purple purple the old red.

Old garden roses. To put it plainly old garden roses are not a class of roses but rather a group of classes that fit one definition. The old garden rose is defined as any rose that existed before 1867. So if you hear folks speak of old garden roses then launch into bourbons albas damasks teas and so on relax.

Their flowers vary in form and color according to variety. Some date back to the time of the roman empire when they were revered for their beauty and fragrance. Miniature roses some shrub roses many old garden roses and hard to find roses are often propagated from cuttings and are shipped in bands or sleeves.

Within this generic definition a number of popular subdivisions exist based on natural historical developments and characteristics. Some look like a 5 petaled apple blossom while others are round and full. The old garden classification is for any variety of rose whose horticultural classification existed prior to 1867 when the first hybrid tea was introduced.

Their fragrance can range from slight to strong. There was white light pink dark pink and even darker pink but not red not quite. Today about 80 of all roses grown are of the modern classes of this rose.

The damask is a shrub rose typically known for its sprawling growth habits. Alba a free branching shrub roses varying greatly in size with only a few prickles on the stems. Maybe red was always a desirable color but among the old garden roses of europe true red wasn t one of the options.

Historic roses have a delicate beauty and wonderful perfume not often found in modern hybrid tea roses. At least as far as western rose breeding goes this is the way it went. Under this classification we find the following rose classes.