Guest Author - Sue MacNeil

Roses come in a huge variety of colors, varieties, and even shapes. Blooms can be doubled, semi-doubled, cupped or blowsy. But one of the most important factors in purchasing a rose is often overlooked by consumers and gardeners alike. That factor is the grade of rose you are considering.. If you're looking for roses for an informal hedge or a fill in for a bare spot, the grade is not really important.

However if you are looking for an outstanding specimen rose, roses for showing, or want to establish a formal rose garden, then the grade and type of rose you select is very important . Nothing is worse than planting a new roses bush or bushes, giving them proper care and feeding and having them fail.

The very best commercially grown rose stock are grown on their own rootstock starts. With these roses t you are getting a strong well grafted rose that is certified disease resistant, guaranteed to give you gorgeous blooms. Heritage Roses have some of the finest available and offer a huge selection.

Following closely in quality, but not always as disease resistant, are the number one field grown roses. These are widely available both on and offline from such places as Jackson and Perkins, Home Depot, and local garden centers. This designation indicates a start of very high quality.

Both these grades are ideal for formal rose gardens and show quality roses. I recommend that beginning rose growers consder some these roses to start their collections.

The next grade is number two field grown rose stock. This is still a healthy rose, but may not produce big blooms. This shouldn’t prevent you from grabbing a few of these lower priced roses. They make wonderful hedges and do well in pots. They can be found in retail chains like Wal-mart, Target, K-Mart as well as at local hardware stores and even grocery stores. They a make lovely gifts when potted up and well fed. These are also ideal plants for beginning gardeners to try their hands at before moving up to the pricier grades. The one drawback to these bargain roses is that they are often more prone to common rose diseases such as black spot, rust, and mildew.

Given the right care, any rose will do well depending on light and soil conditions. Armed with the right knowledge you can now go out and make the ideal choices for your own garden!