Roses Made Easy
Don't be afraid to grow roses. New varieties are so easy, you can just plant them and enjoy the boost of color they give your garden from late spring through fall.
More rose recommendations
Tom Carruth of Weeks Roses, headquartered in Wasco, California, bred these three roses, all hardy to Zone 4 with winter protection:
-- Home Run gets its black spot resistance from its father, Knock Out, and Tom says it has better powdery mildew resistance. It's also smaller, growing in a 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-foot-tall ball. Bright red, single-petal flowers grow mainly at the top of the plant. It reblooms about every 30 days.
-- Be-Bop, at 3 feet tall and 3 1/2 feet wide with 15 to 30 flowers per cluster, may lose 15 to 20 percent of its foliage to disease, but Tom says it's worth it for the cherry-red single petals and bright yellow centers.
-- Valentine's Day, a hot-red miniature climber, reaches 5 to 6 feet, perfect for trellises or containers. Two-inch double-petal flowers grow in large clusters.
Pictured: Home Run
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