Photos by Tony Overman/The Olympian
Dave Olszyk, a sales associate at the Bark and Garden Center in west Olympia, says the Rugosa rose's easy maintenance and natural resistance to black-spot fungus set it apart from most roses, which require much more attention.

An abundance of rose hips is one of the rewards of raising Rugosa roses.

Make room for Rugosas

These easy-to-grow roses will win a spot in your heart and garden

CHESTER ALLEN, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published July 7

OLYMPIA -- Roses break South Sound gardeners' hearts every year.

Just as the warmth of summer finally flows over Western Washington, many lush hybrid roses grow sickly with black spot or other ravaging diseases.

Lush shrubs thick with buds and blossoms wither into spiky, mottled wraiths -- unless gardeners repeatedly douse them with sprays.

And sometimes roses keel over despite the sprays.

But there are roses that ignore black spot and other diseases. In fact, these ancient roses are so tough that the state Department of Transportation plants them along Interstate 5.

Rugosa roses, which were grown by the ancient Romans, thrive where other, wimpier roses keel over and die.

Some South Sound gardeners turn up their noses at the "freeway rose," but a growing number of people are falling for the rich foliage, summerlong flowering and spicy scent of Rugosa roses.

"I like a rose that I don't have to take a lot of time to take care of," said Deborah Erickson, a member of the Olympia Rose Society and consulting rosarian for the American Rose Society. "And they smell lovely."

South Sound gardeners who are weary of coddling hybrid roses are putting Rugosa roses in their gardens, said Peggy Fay, manager of the Bark & Garden Center.

"They just don't get black spot," said Allyson Sims, Bark & Garden Center purchasing manager and Rugosa rose grower. "They're about disease free. They can get aphids, but it's no big deal.

"They just keep blooming and blooming."

From the Appian Way to the freeway

The state of Washington plants Rugosa roses because they need little care and hold their own against blackberries and Scotch broom, said Mark Maurer, Department of Transportation roadside site development manager.

"We plant them because they control erosion and they're pretty bulletproof," Maurer said. "We've planted so many of them that people refer to them as the freeway rose."

Those white and violet roses blooming along I-5 are among the most ancient roses, said Suzanne Verrier, a Maine-based nursery owner and Rugosa rose fan.

Verrier, whose book, "Rosa Rugosa," has sold around the world, is nationally known as a Rugosa rose expert -- and one of their biggest fans.

Rugosa roses are native to many parts of the world, including Asia, Alaska and the Maine coastline, Verrier said.

The ancient Romans grew Rugosa roses, including the Alba variety, which is available in South Sound garden centers.

Many gardeners have resisted Rugosa roses because their blossoms don't have the classic form of hybrid tea roses, Verrier said.

But Rugosa blossoms, which tend to have thin, tissue-like petals, have their own charm, Verrier said during a telephone conversation from her Phippsburg, Maine, farm.

The flowers on a mature shrub bloom in clusters, unlike hybrid tea roses, which are the classic bouquet rose.

"You can pick a whole cluster and put it on the table -- they smell wonderful," Verrier said. "They don't last long, but you can pick a new cluster every other day."

Leave 'em alone

Rugosa roses are shrub roses that can grow to 15 feet tall and wide.

Unlike many hybrid varieties, Rugosa roses are very close to their original, wild species, which makes them very, very tough.

In fact, Rugosa roses don't need the very sprays that hybrid roses need to survive South Sound's damp conditions.

"They hate to be sprayed," Erickson said.

Rugosa rose leaves often turn yellow and fall off when sprayed with fungicide or pesticides.

One Rugosa rose turned brown when accidentally sprayed with citronella oil, Verrier said.

Rugosa roses will sprout new leaves after a spraying, but they are best left alone to grow without any fungicides or pesticides.

Erickson fertilizes her Rugosa roses with a granular fertilizer once a year.

Verrier said a thick blanket of rich compost once a year is all her Rugosa roses need.

"Like all roses, Rugosas are heavy feeders," Erickson said.

Rugosa roses also prefer sunny spots in the garden.

Deadheading -- clipping off spent blooms to prompt more flowers -- isn't necessary with Rugosas, Erickson said.

Rugosas bloom until fall, and the faded blooms turn into stunning orange to red hips.

"They look like cherry tomatoes," Erickson said.

A garden backbone

Erickson uses Hansa, a variety of Rugosa rose, as a background for her display of hybrid roses.

Rugosa roses look good all the time, even when heat, drought or cold ravage other roses, Verrier said.

Verrier, who has a big display garden at her farm and garden center, uses Rugosa roses as a backbone in all of her flower borders.

The dark green, deeply textured leaves, which give Rugosa roses their name, are handsome enough on their own -- even when you ignore the plentiful, fragrant flowers, Verrier said.

"You've got to have a good shrub with good foliage -- especially when other roses are in the dumps," Verrier said.

Rugosa roses are happy growing alongside classic garden flowers, such as day lilies, hydrangea and hollyhocks, Sims said.

If Rugosa roses have a fault, it is their vigor, Erickson said.

"They do get big, so you have to give them a lot of room," Erickson said.

Some gardeners trim Rugosa roses into a hedge.

Verrier said Rugosa roses don't mind a good pruning to keep them in their place.

"I prune them only when the get in my way," Verrier said. "I do take the deadwood out."

"You can be brutal with them. They're very tough."

Chester Allen is city editor for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5423.

Popular roses

There are dozens of varieties of Rugosa rose, but here are a few that are available in South Sound garden centers:

- Hansa, which has violet flowers.

- Alba, which has single white flowers.

- F.J. Grootendorst, which has fringed blossoms that resemble carnations.

- Blanc Double de Courbet, which has double white flowers.

- Belle Pointevine, which has semi-double pink flowers.

- Frau Dagmar Hastrup, which has light pink flowers.

These garden centers sell Rugosa roses:

- Bark & Garden Center, 3334 Mud Bay Road. 360-352-2955.

- Gordon's Garden Center, 308 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm. 360-458-2481.

- The Barn Nursery and Florist, 9440 Old Highway 99 E. 360-943-2826.

- Boulevard Nursery, 2021 Boulevard Road S.E. 360-352-1728.

- For more information about other Rugosa rose varieties, go to www.jacksonandperkins.com or call Suzanne Verrier at 207-389-1341.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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