Standard Roses

© 2024 CTC Productions Pty Limited. All rights reserved. The material presented on this website, may not be reproduced or distributed, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of CTC Productions.

Standard Roses

Roses are probably the world’s most popular plants, which is not surprising when you consider that they come in a fantastic range of colours, shapes and forms, and many have beautiful perfumes.

The way roses are being used in gardens has changed over the years. Varieties with long stems have been popular for picking, and more recently they became cottage garden favourites. Today, catalogues are filled with roses which can be used as architectural or structural plants, and the most fashionable of these is the tall standard rose. Standards are grafted onto tall stems, usually between 75 and 85cm. They add height to plantings, define pathways, and their straight single stems give a sense of order to gardens. Smaller plants with light surface roots (for example annuals and iris) can be grown underneath standard roses. Don looked at some of the best standards available, beginning with the all-time favourite ‘Iceberg’. To find out which varieties are most suitable for your area and climate, ask at a specialist rose nursery such as Ross Roses at Willunga in SA, where our segment was filmed.

‘Iceberg’ Thought by many to be the world’s best rose, ‘Iceberg’ has small pink buds opening to dainty white blooms, with a lovely spicy fragrance. It has two main flower flushes in spring and autumn, but it also spot flowers throughout the year, even in winter. The foliage is glossy green. When grown as a standard, Iceberg’ is extremely successful, forming a substantial and well-shaped crown.

‘Seduction’ is a very pretty rose with wavy ivory petals gently deepening to sunset pink on the edges. The medium-sized blooms last exceptionally well when cut. The plant is bushy and well foliaged.

‘Gold Bunny’ flowers almost continuously. It has medium-sized, clear yellow blooms, and soft green, disease resistant foliage.

‘Friesia’ is one of the very best floribundas, with clusters of deep yellow blooms with a pervasive sweet fragrance. The plant has a compact and bushy growth habit, with healthy bright green foliage.

‘Fruitee’ has fragrant, shapely blooms which turn from gold to sandstone red. The flowers are medium sized and nicely formed, with a distinct fruit fragrance. They grow on a compact, bronze/green bush.

‘Madame President’ was bred by Sam McGredy in New Zealand and introduced in 1975. It has perfectly formed, soft pink blooms resembling a camellia in shape and form. The flowers are long lasting, with a light musky perfume.

‘Bonica’ Bred by the Meilland family, ‘Bonica’ includes in its parentage a seedling of Rosa sempervirens, the creeping wild rose of Southern Europe. The flowers are cup-shaped with frilly, pastel pink petals, and they are gracefully held in large clusters on arching branches. The foliage is dark green and healthy.

Getting started: Tall standard roses cost from $27. Look for the varieties mentioned above at specialist rose nurseries, such as:

VIC

Bleak House Rose Nursery
Calder Highway (PO Box 43)
Malmsbury, 3446.
Phone: (03) 5423 2427 Fax: (03) 5423 2738

Brundrett’s
Brundrett Road
Narre Warren North, 3804
Phone: (03) 9796 8305

NSW

Swane’s Nursery
490 Galston Road
Dural, 2156
Phone: (02) 9651 1322 Fax: (02) 9651 2146 SA

Ross Roses
St Andrews Terrace
Willunga, 5172
Phone: (08) 8556 2555