Maybe your landscape design already has Grandma’s roses. Or, maybe you’re ramping up to re-landscape. Either way, Old Garden Roses are a remarkably hardy plant in Colorado’s climate. And they provide security too. If you’ve ever tried to trim your rose bush, you know exactly what I mean.
Known as Old Garden Roses, Grandma’s Roses and also as antique or heirloom roses, these are popular for their fragrance, blooms and easy care. From giant climbers to shrubs to ground cover, they are stunning when in bloom and prickly all year round.
If you’re unfamiliar with this type of rose, you can visit one of the largest collections of Old Garden Roses in North America right here in Denver. Fairmount Cemetery at 430 S Quebec St., has 300 antique rose bushes in 60 different varieties that are over a century old. This resting place for Denver’s rich and famous since 1890, even has two of its own varietals, the Fairmount Malton and Fairmount Chameleon. The original nursery order dating back to 1891 shows that Fairmount landscape architect Reinhardt Schuetze included 380 roses—all kinds. He also included 4,000 saplings, 100 large trees, 220 evergreens, 200 vines and creepers, nearly 2,000 shrubs, 380 roses and 585 herbaceous plants for a total of almost 7,500 plantings.
As Colorado’s largest arboretum, the cemetery grounds are home to deer, fox, hawks, owls and Golden Eagles.
Grandma’s Roses are resilient in that they can tolerate freezing temperatures and grow off their own root structure. They are drought-hardy and can withstand Colorado’s hot summer sun and drying winds.
Roses (Rosaceae) date back 40 Million years in Colorado. We know that because a rose left its imprint on a slate deposit at the Florissant Fossil Beds.
Popular roses include the Rose de Rescht that grows to 3 feet tall with fuchsia pink blooms. The Madame Hardy is highly disease resistant with white cupped blooms that feature a green button center.
The Fairmount Arboretum is open to the public. Roses bloom throughout the cemetery and are the centerpiece of the Heritage Rose Garden located in Block 85 (easily identifiable by the White Gazebo.) Call Fairmount at 303-399-0692 to confirm hours that change seasonally.
The Colorado State University Cooperative Extension recommends the following to keep your roses healthy:
- Avoid wounding plants during transplanting.
- Plant roses in areas with good soil drainage and ventilation.
- Avoid shady spots and dense plantings. This will improve air circulation so leaf surfaces will dry faster, preventing disease infection.
- Remove and destroy infected leaves and canes during the season.
- Avoid overhead watering. Water on the leaf surface increases the chance of foliar disease infection.
- If disease is severe, a fungicide may be warranted.
As the expert Donovan Arborists when it comes to caring for Grandma’s Roses. And spare the bloodied arms from DIY trimming with Donovan Arborists’ professional services.
