Pick the perfect rose to plant on your property

Seeing gardens awash in rose blossoms this time of year is undoubtedly what prompted my sister-in-law to call me for suggestions on what roses to plant. We’ll see if she can sustain her enthusiasm until early fall or spring, either of which would be better times for planting.

Not that you couldn’t plant roses now — if they were purchased growing in pots and were diligently watered (1 gallon of water per plant, first on a daily schedule and then tapering off to a weekly schedule).

As for what type of roses to plant, that’s a matter of taste. I cautioned her to consider, above all else, disease resistance, which varies considerably among classes and varieties of roses. After all, why plant something that you know is going to be sick unless you douse it with pesticides?

Hybrid tea roses have pest problems

Fortunately for me, my least favorite roses, hybrid teas, also tend to be those most susceptible to disease. I happen not to like those pointed buds and large, high-centered blossoms in traffic-stopping colors alone atop long stalks. They’re OK for cutting, but not in the garden. Still, if someone likes hybrid tea roses — and they are the ones most commonly planted — some, such as Friendship, Paradise, Secret and Sheer Elegance, do resist disease.

For that hybrid tea shape on a more