It’s no secret that I love flowers! As a full-time floral designer, I have the privilege of working with some of the prettiest blooms available throughout each season. Come spring, garden roses are in full bloom and I just can’t get enough of them. For event work, I like to buy the majority of my garden roses from a local rose farm but, I’ve come to love these flowers so much that I now have over 20 garden rose varieties in my own little cutting garden. Some of these are primarily for wedding work, but others are just for me to cut from and enjoy. Keep on reading for a few of my absolute favorite garden rose varieties that I think are the best roses for any cutting garden.
Why should you grow garden roses in your garden?
There are so many reasons why you should grow garden roses! Their beauty and fragrance are like no other flower that I’ve grown. They are also so easy to grow and very forgiving so it’s really hard to go wrong. I’ve had busy seasons at work and neglected proper care of my plants for months and they have all bounced back. And even if you only plant a few rose plants, you will be able to fill your home with fresh picked garden roses all season long, year after year.
Fun facts about roses
Roses may be the most popular and loved flower, but here are a few other fun facts about garden roses that I hope will convince you to add a few to your own garden:
- 1. Every rose has a name. When a breeder creates a new color, they get to name it. And many roses are named after celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Julia Child, and Barbara Streisand just to name a few.
- 2. Rose petals are edible. So make sure to save them to create your own rose water, rose simple syrup, rose petal tea and more.
- 3. Roses are one of the oldest flowers and this one in Hildesheim, Germany is over 1000 years old and thought to be the oldest living rose on the planet.
- 4. Rose oil is a popular ingredient in many of the best fragrances from around the world because of its lovely aroma. It’s been used for centuries and is a true symbol of love. Check out Harper’s Bazaar list of The 15 Best Rose Fragrances to Spritz on This Summer for all of the best rose fragrances to try.
- 5. The rose is the US National flower! In 1986 President Reagan declared the rose as the national flower emblem of the United States and I couldn’t think of a better flower to own this title.
Are garden roses hard to grow?
Absolutely not!! There are so many disease resistant roses available that are perfect for a cutting garden. With a little care and love, most roses are quite easy to grow. (I’m in zone 10a in case you are curious about my growing zone.)
Here are my recommendations when selecting garden roses for your garden:
- 1. Choose roses that perform best in your growing zone. If you don’t know your growing zone, you can find it here.
- On most of the larger rose supplier websites you can also filter by your growing zone which makes selecting roses for your home garden that much easier.
- 2. Look for roses that are ‘disease resistant’ or labeled ‘good for beginners’ since these are tried and true favorites from the supplier.
- 3. Order bare root roses. For the best selection start looking in late fall and flag your favorites. Most companies start to sell the new year’s supply in January of each year so keep an eye out for their sales since hard to find colors can sell out within minutes. And don’t worry, even if you order in January they won’t ship them to you until it’s the right time for them to be planted in your zone.
Where are the best places to get garden roses?
Even though you can find rose plants at almost every hardware store and nursery in town, not all rose plants are created equal. I recommend getting high quality bare root roses from top suppliers like the ones below, or rose plants from a rose breeder or farm in your town to guarantee that your plants will perform and grow in your garden for years to come.
Below are a few places I have purchased bare-root roses from in the past and every single plant is still growing and thriving in my own garden today.
My Favorite Garden Rose Varieties For Any Garden
There are thousands of roses to choose from for your garden. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes from climbers to shrubs and trees. I think it’s so important to choose varieties that you will love and enjoy since you could have these plants for generations to come. Here are a few of my favorite roses for a cutting garden along with why I chose them for my own little space.
Honey Dijon
Yellow is my favorite color and the shades of mustard and yellow in this rose are stunning. I use this color often for weddings since it blends well with neutral color palettes. It is also great for cutting with long stems that contain multiple blooms which is why it’s one of my favorite roses for a cutting garden. I have 2 plants and each plant cranks out between 10-15 blooms with each flush. My plants are still young (this will be their 3rd season) so I think that they will continue to produce more and more blooms as the plant matures and grows. These bloom consistently for me from April to December when I cut them back for the winter. I purchased mine from Menagerie Flower Farm.
Fun in the Sun
This is a new one I picked up about 2 years ago, it’s also from Menagerie Flower Farm and I just LOVE her!! I don’t have many weddings where I need yellow so I usually get to keep these all to myself. The smell is amazing and each bloom is so fluffy and full with all of the colors of a perfect summer sunset. They brighten up any table so I love cutting these blooms and placing them in bud vases throughout our home.
Crocus
This is one of the first roses I purchased for my garden and over the years I fall more and more in love with her. The color starts out creamy and sometimes has the slightest blush but then fades to an ivory white when it’s fully open. There are always multiple blooms on each stem and each one has layers of petals with the sweetest scent. She also blooms consistently for me from April to December. In the fall I often struggle with thrips on this plant so am not usually able to use them in wedding work. I purchased this plant from Garden Valley Ranch. Unfortunately, they don’t ship bare root plants anymore, but if you are local you can order from them and pick them up at their farm in Petaluma, CA. You can also find this variety at David Austin Roses.
Jubilee Celebration
I love this fun and bright pink and coral rose from David Austin Roses so much. The blooms are always a colorful addition to the garden and I love the large ruffly shape that has the slightest scent of lemon. The plant can get a little leggy so I cut longer stems in late summer so in the fall my plants aren’t too out of control. She blooms 3-4 times each season for me and is one of the prettiest roses for a cutting garden.
Carding Mill
I’ve had this rose for a few years and wish I had more of them because it is one of the best roses for a cutting garden! The blooms are medium size and the prettiest shade of apricot/peach which are perfect for wedding work. The plants are on the smaller side and bloom consistently from April to December. Cut stems have a long vase life and also work great in bouquets. I bought mine from David Austin Roses.
Koko Loco
She is one of my all-time favorite wedding roses. Koko loco starts out taupe and fades to a dusty lavender as she ages. The color blends with any palette from taupe to mauve, and any style from modern to romantic to garden, and the ruffly petals are to die for. I have 1 plant that I originally bought from Garden Valley Ranch in 2016 and she has come to life in the last few years. In our first spring flush last year (2022) I got almost 50 blooms!!! Yes… 50 in just 1 flush! She’s a real workhorse and blooms consistently from April to December and that is why she is one of the best roses for a cutting garden. Menagerie Flower Farm sells this variety if you are interested in adding it to your garden.
Colette
She is a climbing rose I picked up at our local plant nursery Briggs. Menagerie Flower Farm also sells this variety. The blooms are the prettiest soft coral and they smell heavenly but since the stems are usually on the shorter side it’s not one I use often in wedding work. She does brighten up the fence line though and that is why she’s on this list of my favorite roses for a garden. If you deadhead regularly she’ll bloom from spring to fall.
Distant Drum
This is another rose I originally purchased specifically for wedding work but I would still have this variety even if I didn’t use them in events. The color is a lovely ombre starting out orange/coral with brighter pink guard petals and fading to a dusty pink as she fully opens. She cranks out blooms all season long, often with multiple blooms on each stem. I picked mine up from Rose Story Farm. They also do not ship their plants, but you can order and pick them up from their farm in Ventura, CA. You can also buy online from Menagerie Flower Farm.
Lichfield Angel
This is a lovely creamy white rose that is perfect for wedding work and also great in any garden! My plant is still on the smaller side but every season I get more and more blooms. They open up to a lovely cupped rosette and have a light scent. I purchased mine from Menagerie Flower Farm, but you can also get this rose from David Austin Roses since this variety was bred by him.
Crown Princess Margareta
This is the newest addition to my garden and I can’t wait to see how she does. I love all shades of coral, apricot, orange and yellow and know this will likely become one of my favorites. It is a climber, but I have read that you can grow it as a shrub so that’s what I plan to do. I bought mine from David Austin Roses, but Menagerie Flower Farm also sells this variety.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my favorite roses for a garden and that you’ll be inspired to plant some roses in your own garden. I’d love to hear what you plant and what your favorite varieties are, so please leave a comment and let me know.
