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Grow roses in Qld
Being one of the world's most favourite plants, you're sure to find plenty of information about roses on the internet. However, it's harder to find advice about growing roses in climates such as ours. Therefore, this page will mostly concentrate on information for the warm-climate rose grower, particularly the tropical and subtropical parts of Queensland.
Heat and humidity present two major challenges, but with water restrictions hitting Queensland and many other parts of the world, drought tolerance also becomes an issue. Also, sun tolerance (especially burning of the flowers) is also something that the rose growers from more temperate and cloudy parts of the world have few worries about, but Queensland rose gardeners do.
Wherever you live, a great way to get information about growing roses appropriate to your geographical region is to join a local Rose Society (see links section further down this page). Rose societies may also organise shows, displays, meetings, outings or plant sales.
If you live in Queesland, keep an eye on the Events Diary of this website for society shows around the state. (p.s. if you're involved in a rose society in Qld, be sure to send in your events information for free promotion).
Where to buy rose plants
Most garden centres will carry some rose plants. Look for bagged, bare-root roses during autumn/winter. Potted roses may be available at other times, depending on the outlet.
For a wider selection, rare species or heritage varieties, look out for a specialist rose nursery, either located near you, or offering plants for sale by online or mail order. Given the popularity of roses and their amenability to bare-rooting, there are a number of online suppliers in Australia. Note that you may have to place an order in advance of the digging season to be sure of getting your choice of varieties.
The following advertisers may include online suppliers. For the most up-to-date information on plants in stock, opening hours, prices etc, be sure to visit the seller's website or contact the business directly.
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BIRCHGROVE NURSERY 38 Alpine Tce Mount Tamborine, Qld Ph: (07) 5545 1042 birchgrovenursery.com.au  |
One of Qld's largest ranges of roses with potted bush, climbing, weeping and standard roses available most of the year. Heritage and modern varieties. The selection of flowering cherries, maples and other deciduous trees, birch, weeping mulberry, magnolias, camellias, hydrangea, daphne, lavender and other cottage garden favourites changes seasonally. Concrete & metal garden art, water features, arbours, arches, bridges, wishing wells and other accessories will add an extra dimension to your dream garden. View the picture gallery at the Birchgrove Nursery WEBSITE for more information and inspiration. |
Interested in advertising here? While general garden centres may carry a limited range, this section is intended for nurseries (supplying the public in Qld) which might be considered roses specialists, for customers seeking a greater selection or heritage and other hard-to-find varieties. If YOU operate a rose nursery selling rose plants to Qld (retail) go to Information for advertisers, to learn more about promoting your business on this website, including current prices.
Getting started with roses in the subtropicsRoses are essentially just shrubs, and sometimes climbers. However, they tend to be treated as a special category, partly because of the special maintenance that became associated with rose-growing in the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the varieties most popular in that time (typically hybrid tea and floribunda types) were mostly bred for cooler climates and suffered in hot and humid conditions, necessitating lots of spraying and pruning. The latter also helped in growing them in the suburbs (which also flourished in the twentieth century). However, the ancestors of these roses contain many varieties which are actually better for our climate, and are surprisingly tough and drought-resistant once established. A resurgence of interest in these "heritage" or "heirloom" roses worldwide means they are stocked by many nurseries. The flowers exhibit a variety of forms from single to fat, multi-petalled types which might not be the typical florist rose that we're used to, but are nevertheless perfect for a traditional country garden. What's more, breeders (the best know being David Austin) are creating new varieties attempting to retain the beauty (including fragrance) of these old types in new and improved varieties. The various plant habits among the old roses also make them easy to incorporate into a mixed garden setting as feature shrubs, hedges, climbers or groundcovers. There is plenty of room here to allow the shrub types to grow. Semi-climbers could be trained onto fences. Garden centres always carry a range of bare-root roses in winter and may also have potted roses at other times. If buying through a specialist rose nursery, it will be possible to obtain a wider selection. There aren't a lot of rose specialists in Queensland but fortunately a wide selection can be readily purchased from the southern states online as bareroot plants. At right is a suggested shortlist of shrub-type roses. A few of the most locally-successful modern roses have also been included. Most should be relatively easy to obtain. There may be other varieties seen in rose catalogues that could be tried. Out of the heritage roses, the tea, noisette and China types are the best prospects. There is also a tend in modern breeding toward low maintenance and disease resistance, so some of the new releases might also be suitable. Be guided by the descriptions or further research. |
Heritage Rosesplus some more modern varieties in the heirloom style:
Duchesse de Brabant (The Montville Rose)
Pierre de Ronsard
Cecile Brunner
Zephrine Drouhin
Kathleen Harrop
Crepuscule
Monsieur Tillier
Felicia
Buff Beauty
The Fairy
Lady Hillingdon
Souvenir de la Malmaison
Penelope
Seafoam
Perle d'Or
Modern Hybrid Teas & FloribundasFollowing are some most favoured for SE Qld:
Iceberg
Mister Lincoln
Queen Elizabeth
Peace
Gold Bunny
Roundelay
Double Delight
Apricot Nectar
Just Joey
Seduction
Fragrant Cloud
Bonica
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More Online Information
Apart from some general information, the following list concentrates on links about roses in warm climates and associated issues. However, some species or cultivars discussed in international links may be unavailable in Australia. Remember also that fertiliser and pesticide recommendations in websites may not be directly applicable where you live.
Queensland
Roses in other warm climates
Types of Roses
Enthusiasts divide roses into a number of categories (noisette, bourbon, hydrid tea and so on) depending on their parentage, history, plant form and flower. Almost any rose book or website will include an explanation of these categories so it isn't necessary to do into too much detail here. The information below is roughly divided into heritage and more modern roses, but because the emphasis here is on succesful rose growing in Qld, the focus is on classes and varieties which do relatively well here. [NB: this is a work in progress so not complete or comprehensive].
Heritage Roses
Old Roses - General
Banksia Rose
Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'
'Zephrine Drouhin' and 'Kathleen Harrop'
Others
More recent varieties with an old-fashioned look
Pierre de Ronsard
'The Fairy'
Others
Selected Hybrid teas and Floribundas
This is a work in progress. To be continued...
More general information about roses
Cultivation - selected links
Miniatures
Climbing Roses - pruning and training
Grow roses in containers
Nutrition
Propagation
Rootstock Issues
Breeding
Assorted botanical and technical information
Rose News
Vale David Austin
Many readers will know of David Austin, or have encountered his world famous roses. Mr Austin passed away on 19 December 2018, aged 92. His breeding work brought the beauty and fragrance of historic roses to new varieties better suited to the demands of modern gardeners, including repeat-flowering, disease resistance and colour range.
More roses for New Farm Park
The first of 2,500 rose bushes has been planted as part of Brisbane's New Farm Park revitalisation plan. From 1913, the park has been famous for its rose gardens which grew as many as 20,000 bushes. Huge losses were suffered, however, from the 1974 floods. Besides adding to the rose display, the current upgrade will improve facilities in the park. (May 2016)
Path to rose fragrance takes unexpected turn
Researchers studying the biochemistry of rose fragrance has found that fragrance in all plants is not produced by enzymes called terpene synthases. Comparison of the cultivars Papa Meilland (highly scented) and Rouge Meilland (low scent) allowed them to identify RhNUDX1 in a different class of enzyme. Located in in the cytoplasm of rose petal cells it produces the primary part of rose oil, geraniol. This knowledge may be used in the future to help breed fragrance back into new rose varieties. Source: Unexpected enzyme may resurrect roses' fading scents (July 2015)
Some roses tested for salt tolerance
18 popular rose cultivars promoted by Texas A&M University under the Earth-Kind® brand for their pest tolerance and landscape performance have also been tested for salt tolerance. The cultivars varied, with 'Sea Foam' being one of the best and 'Cecile Brunner' one of the worst. Source: Earth-Kind roses analyzed for salt tolerance. (June 2014)
Antioxidant roses
 | A Slovenian study in which several rose species and modern cultivars were compared, showed differences in levels of phenolic compounds, Among those tested, Rosa canina leaves exhibited high and varied content of the antioxidants. This could be an underlying reason for the popularity of this species in traditional medicine. On the other hand, the modern cultivar 'Schwanensee' had the lowest levels of those tested, which might explain its susceptibility to disease. Differences in phenolic makeup of indigenous rose species and modern cultivars (May 2014) |
Roses to rebound in Biggenden
Biggenden have called on rose experts and professional growers Pam and Randall Barton to consult on the town's public rose gardens. Community garden volunteers will work with North Burnett Regional Council staff to rejuventate most of the currently surviving plants on the basis of the Bartons' advice. New plants of hardy varieties suitable for the conditions will also be added. Restoration of the beloved roses are part of Biggenden Community Flood Recovery Program and other gardening events are planned. Read more at the Council's website: Biggenden Main Street is coming up roses! (June 2013)
A new type of plant tagMicrochip technology similar to that used to identify animals is being tested in plants. Scientists in Italy have developed a way to embed Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) tags in rose bushes that causes minimal damage. Potential applications of such technology include tracking of plants for research or quarantine purposes, identification of valuable specimens vulnerable to theft, and visitor guides in botanic gardens. Media releases including link to original HortTechnology article: Embedding microchips in ornamental shrubs (July 2011)
Genetically modified "blue" rose goes on sale in Japan
The product of a collaboration between Japanese and Australian developers, what is being called the world's first blue rose will be commercially available in Japan from 3rd November. The claim is based on the "nearly 100% blue pigment" resulting from introduction of genes from pansy and iris after first suppressing production of red pigment. However, the actual flowers are described as having "a bluish tinge" in the Suntory media release: Introducing "SUNTORY blue rose APPLAUSE" (October 2009). A information sheet from the CSIRO with more information about the biotechnology involved is available here: World's first blue rose (PDF). Further research may produce bluer blue roses.
Nashville celebrates music with flowers
A new public garden in Nashville, USA, will pay tribute to icons of the music industry as well as beautifying the city with appropriately named plants like Hank Williams, Elvis, Grand Ole Opry and Purple Haze. Rose and daylily collections will feature. Learn more at the website: Nashville Music Garden (September 2009).
 | 'Graham Thomas' declared World's Favourite Rose After nomination and voting involving 41 member countries, the World Federation of Rose Societies has awarded this David Austin cultivar it's highest honour. A World's Favorite Rose is selected only every three years, and is then inducted to the Rose Hall of Fame. The first winner, in 1976, was 'Peace'.
Pictured left: Rosa 'Graham Thomas' (Image courtesy David Austin Roses) | |
