Best Flowering Roses For Your Spring Garden (And How To Pick The Right One)

Learn how to choose the best type of flowering rose for your garden this spring based on seven different modern rose options.

Roses are one of the most popular flowers in the whole world.

In fact, they are one of the top ten flowers sold worldwide every year.

Whether bought as a cut flower or a plant, roses have been a mainstay in gardens for hundreds of years.

In this post, we’ll teach you about 7 different types of modern roses that all flower in the spring and discuss the differences between each type.

This post will help you narrow down your choices so you can find the perfect rose (or roses) to plant in your garden.

 

Read our Flowering Roses post to learn the following: 

• The difference between modern roses and old roses
• 7 examples of modern roses that flower in the spring
• General rose maintenance and pruning tips
• Find roses to purchase with easy, clickable links

This post is based on our DIY Garden Minute podcast ep. 58 – Types of Modern Roses 

 

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By the way, this post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on any of the links we are promoting, we might get a small commission at no cost to you which helps us run our website and podcast.

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Roses

Roses are one of the largest groups of flowers available.

They encompass a large, diverse family of 150 species and thousands of hybrids.

Roses can be found in nearly every color, shape, or size you can imagine.

Depending on the type of rose you want for your garden, there’s a good chance you can find whatever your heart desires with a little research.

 

 

Modern Roses vs. Old Roses

Just to be clear, there are several different groupings of roses including modern roses, old garden roses, and often wild roses.

Rosarians (gardeners specializing in roses) agree that roses can be divided into different groups depending on how long ago they were cultivated with 1867 as the demarcation line.

Roses cultivated before 1867 are called “Old Garden Roses.”

Those that were cultivated after 1867 are referred to as “Modern Garden Roses.”

Wild roses are those that grow wild (big surprise there).

 

Rose Plant Care

Depending on the type of rose you want, most have similar maintenance requirements (but not all).

There are roses that flourish in the sun, those that prefer shadier areas or a mix of both.

Roses can grow in almost any type of soil with very little maintenance or water needs.

And, they can live for years! Of course, as with anything, they’ll live longer depending on what type of care they receive.

In general, roses have the following maintenance needs:

• Moderate, regular watering
• Fertilizer (there are specific rose plant fertilizers you can buy)
• Yearly pruning after blooming (for most types)
• Full sun (for most types of roses)
• Mulching
• Removal of spent flowers to encourage more growth (for rebloomers)

 

Best Flowering Roses

Roses are as diverse as they are beautiful.

Available in almost any color you can think of, roses have been bred and cultivated for hundreds of years.

Below are 7 examples of modern garden roses that all flower in the spring. Some of these will bloom multiple times throughout the growing season.

Get ready to pick the perfect type of rose for your garden!

 

Climbing Roses

Climbing roses, or climbers, are rose bushes that produce long canes that grow upright. Some can grow as high as 20 feet tall!

These roses are repeat bloomers and climb on almost everything.

They can be trained and definitely need to be attached or tied on a wall, arbor, or trellis.

Climbing roses are perfect for adding vertical height and interest to your garden.

Plus, they can add fragrance to your garden!

Flowers can come in blue, red, orange, white, pink, or yellow.

Pack your patience though as these roses may take 2-3 years to fully mature and fill in.

Be very aware of the growth height upon purchasing your own climbing roses so you know what to expect!

Another bonus, most varieties have been bred to be cold-hardy and disease-resistant!

 

Quick Summary:

• Repeat bloomers
• Require trellis, wall, gazebo, or arbor to grow on
• Most are cold-hardy
• Can be fragrant
• Great for adding vertical interest
• Flower colors = blue, red, orange, white, pink, yellow
• Average height = 10-20 feet tall

 

 

Shrub Roses

Shrub roses are just like they sound. They are shrubs that produce many beautiful flowers. 

These rose plants have been specifically bred into a shrub form with a range of heights available and they’re really tough.

This diverse, low maintenance group of roses are repeat bloomers and will bloom multiple times throughout the growing season.

Shrub roses are perfect for screens and hedges and are usually pest and disease-free.

Luckily, there are numerous flower colors available including purple, red, orange, white, pink, and yellow. Take your pick.

Furthermore, they are also cold hardy and have been bred to be planted with other landscape perennials that continuously flower throughout the growing seasons.

Quick Summary:

• Repeat bloomers
• Cold hardy
• Low maintenance
• Little to no fragrance
• Great for screens or hedges
• Flower colors = purple, red, orange, white, pink, yellow
• Average height = varies by species
• Usually pest and disease-free (hooray!)

Groundcover Roses

Don’t let the name fool you.

These roses are not true groundcovers, they just happen to grow really low to the ground and then spread out with small flowers. 

They have an average height of about 2 feet and can spread out about 3 feet wide with little to no fragrance.

With a variety of flower color options, including red, purple, orange, yellow, white, and pink, these roses are generally low maintenance and disease-free.

Groundcover roses are perfect for growing over banks, spilling over walls, or in the front of your border. 

Actually, they are ideal for any hard-to-grow areas such as rocky areas, slopes, and along driveways.

Quick Summary:

• Repeat bloomers
• Wide, small flowers
• Low maintenance
• Little to no fragrance
• Great for along driveways, growing over banks or walls, and rocky areas
• Flower colors = Purple, red, orange, white, pink, yellow
• Average height = 1-3 feet high, 3-4 feet wide
• Disease-resistant

Floribunda Roses

Floribunda roses, also known as “spray roses,” have lots of large, beautiful blooms.

Their bloom time is usually from early spring to late fall depending on the species.

Floribundas are characterized by rounded bushes with flowers forming in clusters. Several blooms form in rounded clusters, or sprays.

This type of rose has an average height of 2.5 – 5 feet tall and are very fragrant.

They are perfect for mid-border areas with a range of flower colors from blue to red to pink.

These roses are perfect if you want to plant large, fragrant blooms in your beds, borders or containers.

Quick Summary:

• Bloom spring through fall
• Cold hardy
• Fragrant
• Great for beds, borders, containers, or cut flowers
• Flower colors = Blue, red, white, pink
• Average height = 2.5 – 5 feet tall

 

 

Grandiflora Roses

Grandiflora roses are a cross between Floribunda and Hybrid-tea roses.

They have beautiful, fragrant flowers that are perfectly suited next to other perennials and shrubs.

The blooms are very large and tend to form clusters at the top of tall stems.

Grandifloras bloom continuously just like the Floribundas do.

Their average plant height is very tall with some species reaching 8-10 feet in height making them perfect in the back of your border or as a screen.

Flower colors include purple, red, orange, yellow, white, and pink.

 

Quick Summary:

• Late spring-summer bloomers
• Very fragrant
• Great for back of the borders, screens and as cut flowers.
• Flower colors = purple, red, orange, yellow, white, pink
• Average height = 4-8 feet tall

Hybrid Tea Roses 

Hybrid tea roses are the traditional-looking roses you probably picture when you think of roses.

They are the classic florist’s rose.

These roses grow upright and have a small, narrow stem with a single flower on the end.

The oldest of the modern garden roses, Hybrid tea roses can grow on average 2-6 feet tall (some as tall as 8 feet) and are very fragrant.

Related to Floribunda roses, they are smaller in both in flower size and height compared to Floribundas.

This type of rose comes in quite a variety of flower colors including purple, green, red, orange, yellow, white, and pink.

Hybrid tea roses are low maintenance but need protection in colder climates.

Unfortunately, as with many roses, hybrid teas are generally disease-prone.

 

Quick Summary:

• Late spring- summer bloomers
• Not cold hardy
• Fragrant
• Great for containers and cut flowers
• Flower colors = purple, red, orange, yellow, green, white, pink
• Average height = 2-6 feet tall (some can grow to 8 feet)
• Classic, traditional type of rose

Miniature Roses 

Miniature roses closely resemble both Hybrid tea and Floribunda roses but their average height is only about 1-1.5 ft tall.

Actually, there are many different types of miniature roses, including some of the six types of roses listed above.

Just about any type of rose can be bred to be mini.

Their flowers and foliage are proportional to their size difference.

This type of rose has similar care requirements as all other roses but they need protection in colder climates.

Miniature roses are perfect for gardeners who lack space or who want to try growing roses in containers. They also work well as edging or low hedges.

Minis come in a variety of flower colors including blue, green, red, orange, white, and pink.

 

Quick Summary:

• Repeat bloomers
• Some are cold hardy
• Some have fragrance
• Great for gardeners with limited space, containers, flowerbed edgings, and low hedges
• Flower colors = blue, green, red, orange, white, pink
• Average height = 1-1.5 feet high (some can grow up to 3 feet)

 

 

Rose Videos

 

Roses For Sale

Whether you already have different kinds of Roses in your garden and want more, or you are looking to purchase your first plant, we’ve gathered a selection of best-selling plants for you to choose from.

It really depends on your preferences and needs.

 

Hybrid-Tea Roses

 

Floribunda Roses

 

Shrub Rose

 

Climbing Rose

 

Modern Rose Accessories

 

Rose Fertilizer

Many rosarians swear by using specially-formulated rose fertilizer for their rose plants. Below are two options for you to choose from.

 

Rose Gloves

Protect your hands and forearms from rose thorns with these special leather gloves.

They have reinforced fingertips and suede cuffs.

Rose Companion Book

This is the perfect reference book to educate you about roses and the perfect companion plants.

Learn about growing annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and vines with roses.

 

 

Flowering Roses Conclusion

The perfect type of rose is just waiting for you.

Armed with your knowledge of the different types of modern roses available, you should now be ready to plant and maintain whichever type you choose.

Whether you want a low grower, a climber, or a mid-height rose, rest assured that your plants will bloom each spring and bring you enjoyment for many years to come.

Now we want to hear from you!

What is your favorite type of flowering rose from the list above?

Which type would you plant in your own garden?

Let us know by leaving a quick comment below!

 

Flowering Roses Additional Resources:

• Roses: A Gardener’s Guide and Plant Profile
• Types of Modern Roses – DIY Garden Minute Ep. 58
• Climbing Roses: A Quick Care Guide – DIY Garden Minute Ep. 57
• The Benefits of Rose Hips and Why You Should Care – DIY Garden Minute Ep. 56
• Camellia: Gardener’s Guide and Plant Profile

 

 

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P.P.S. Check out our Resource Library page for FREE printable freebies in our Resource Library! 

 

References Used:

“Year of the Rose” – National Garden Bureau

“Planting and Caring For Roses” – Sunset Magazine

“Roses: Choosing the Best” – RHS

 

 

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How to choose the best type of rose for your spring garden.