Heat hardiness is the crucial component for the Texas Rose Garden.  Two factors cannot be overcome, even in lush east Texas:

• Technically, Texas remains in drought conditions from July 1 through about October 15
• Roses rarely bloom once the temperatures routinely begin reaching 100 degrees

I have chosen a mixture of miniature roses, grandifloras, multi-floras, bush roses and climbers.  Most people think of grandifloras when they think of roses.  My choices here are not original – they are probably everyone’s choices – but the news is – these roses do well in Texas, too!

While this is my favorite it is not an overwhelmingly popular rose in Texas.  If I could have only one rose, it would be Mrs. Dudley Cross.  For many years the Memorial Garden at the World Trade Center had roses in an informal and impromptu garden.  I was not surprised to see Mrs. Dudley Cross there.

The rose was developed by a husband for his wife, and was planted at the World Trade Center by a husband in memory of his wife, and his childrens’ mother.  I wept to see that.

Hands Down the MOST Romantic Rose in the Garden! Developed in San Antonio, Texas, in 1907 by a gardener for his wife and a hybrid tea.

Cinco de Mayo will bloom in the hottest of summer. This is the most prolific bloomer I know for the hot, hot Texas summer. It’s a pretty little rose as well.

Cinco de Mayo is a floribunda that will bloom in the hottest of summer. Can you believe how full of roses this little shrub is?  This is a winner.  It is an upright little shrub which blooms almost as a noisette.

Hot Chocolate is a good companion rose for Cinco de Mayo in that they have the same smokey orange colors, though Hot Chocolate is a hybrid tea.  I would liken them to Tropicana and Marmelade Skies, one a floribunda and one a hybrid tea with similar coloring.

Marmelade Skies, the floribunda, is in the left column and Tropicana, the multi-flora, is in the right column.  I like mixing complimentary hybrid teas and multi-flora roses for many reason, they blend nicely, the combination makes lovely arrangements and when one is not blooming the other might be, hopefully.

Tropicana is an old favorite. Nothing new here but oh, so, tried and true for Texas. This is a proven great rose for Texas and I love it. This is a hybrid tea and I suggest always planting a complimentary floribunda with any hybrid tea you select.  Marmelade Skies is a great complimentary rose to Tropicana.

Veterans Honor is a grandiflora that blooms prolifically with large five inch blooms and a 25-30 petal count. Stem is 18″-22″ and the foliage is dark-green, semi-glossy.  This blooms surprisingly well and abundantly in Texas.  It is such a prolific and beautiful grandiflora.  Perfection really in a Texas rose.

Rich of a strong damask scent, Rosa ‘Mister Lincoln’ is a striking hybrid tea rose with very large, double, velvet wine-red flowers, up to 5 in. across (12 cm), having as many as 26-40 petals.  I do rate Veterans Honor a bit higher than Mister Lincoln.  But here’s to you, Mrs. Lincoln, my old baby sitter, direct descendant of the actual President Lincoln.  What a lovely, lovely person you were.  Thank you for your kindnesses.  How fondly I remember your home, with its wrapping porch and lovely faded blue side boards.

Olympiad a Texas Hybrid Tea Rose. All-America Rose Selection in 1984.

The Queen Elizabeth grandiflora is the most exquisite pink color imaginable.

It was registered in 1954, so it is tried and true with petals and leaves which are thick and hardy. Its bloom is deep and stems are strong.

Queen Elizabeth also comes in a floribunda and a climber. I believe there are better floribundas and climbers for the Texas garden. That is why this recommendation is for the grandiflora.

Lady Banks Lutea blooms only once in early spring in Texas and then remains covered in glossy green leaves.  It can cover a garage or a shed in roughly ten years and its thornless which is so important if you have little ones.

Belinda’s Dream, a Texas Superstar, is pictured on a Texas May day.  Read more about it here:  https://www.plantanswers.com/roses.htm

This was the first rose to be named a Texas Superstar® and to receive the prestigious EARTH–KIND® designation. A shrub rose with large, fragrant and very pink double blossoms which has successive flushes of bloom spring to frost. So disease tolerant that fungicide sprays are seldom required. Outstanding performance even in highly alkaline clay soils. A near perfect landscape rose.

Dr. Robert Bayse, the developer of ‘Belinda’s Dream’, a retired mathematics professor at A&M University, has been breeding roses for most of his life. Dr. Bayse’s goals were to develop thornless, hardy, drought tolerant, and disease resistant cultivar. ‘Belinda’s Dream’ was the result of a cross between ‘Tiffany’ and ‘Jersey Beauty’. However, he was hesitant of releasing this rose because it was not thornless. Dr. Bayse finely agreed to release ‘Belinda’s Dream’ in 1988 and he named the rose for the daughter of a friend in Caldwell, Texas.

Belinda’s Dream’ is a fast growing shrub with a sturdy, upright habit. It can reach 5 feet in height by 3-4 feet wide. An easily maintain rose that only requires one major pruning each spring after the last chance for a freeze. Plants should be fertilized after this pruning and again after first bud development. Throughout the rest of the year, fertilizer should be applied on a regular basis since roses are heavy feeders. Watering should be done by hand or drip irrigation to keep water from splashing onto foliage and spreading diseases. Watering thoroughly and deeply will encourage the roots to grow deeper and the results will be a more drought tolerant plant. Applying mulch will help retain moisture, keep weeds out, and adds nutrients to the soil. Roses should be planted in a well-drained area where there is at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.

Red Cascade is a miniature rose that can be trained as a climber.  Do not be confused about miniature roses.  It is the rose itself that is ‘miniature’ and not the rose bush.  Many miniature rose bushes can grow quite large.  Red Cascade is one example.

Red Cascade also works as a ground cover if the plant is not trained upward (which it obviously can be).  It has long stems and shoots with elongated leaves.  Several hundred flowers are produced in a long blooming season.  This rose can be rooted from stems which is exciting.  You can end up with literally hundreds of these on your property.  Start with one and see how far it takes you.

Rainbow’s End patent was issued on February 29, 2000, it is a relative of the miniature rose R. ‘Savalife’ RAINBOW’S END

Deep green leaves provide a backdrop for the showy bicolor yellow flowers with pink to red edges that fade to orange and red.  The blooms appear from May to frost providing interest in the garden from spring to fall. It typically grows from 5 to 12 feet tall, usually 10 to 12 feet with a spread of and 3 to 6 feet at maturity.