Roses are a classic favorite, with beautiful blooms and deep green foliage that bring romanticism and elegance to any garden. We are proud to grow roses from two of the top rose breeders in the world right here at Pine Hills Nursery: David Austin Roses and Weeks Roses. Here is their history and their most remarkable roses, and a guide to the basics of taking care of your roses!

 

David Austin Roses

David Austin is a notable breeder who set out to create a more beautiful rose, finding the balance between the beauty of classic roses with the durability and color variety of modern roses. After a lifetime of breeding, David Austin roses are a style of their own that features award-winning varieties with a wonderful fragrance and outstanding performance. Austin’s legacy lives on with roses bred in the UK and grown here in the US! His roses are known for their many-petalled, repeat-flowering blooms.

 

Our Favorite Varieties

The ‘Olivia Austin’ is a classic, mid-pink shrub that will add a bit of romanticism to your garden. The cupped rosettes have even coloring and produce a light, fruity scent. It grows well in partially shaded areas and will produce repeat flowers all season. We highly recommend this variety for a classic rose garden. 

Another stunning rose by David Austin is the ‘Graham Thomas,’ an upright clumber with rich yellow blooms that create a perfect cottage atmosphere in your garden. The bright, smooth green foliage is the perfect backdrop for the large, cupped blooms. This rose is ideal for covering walls or fences or surrounding doorways. 

 

Weeks Roses

Weeks Roses began in 1938 by O.L. and Verona Weeks in California. Since then, Weeks Roses have become synonymous with top-quality roses bred here in the US. They develop proprietary rose hybrids through their programs and have won numerous awards for their stunning roses, including ‘Perfume Delight’ and ‘Sweet Surrender.’

 

Our Favorite Varieties

We love the incredible color of the ‘Rock & Roll’ rose. Its creamy petals have stripes of burgundy and red for a spray of color that will catch your eye. The flowers are full and old-fashioned for a classic shape with a bold, modern twist. Plus, it smells absolutely divine.

 

‘Mister Lincoln’ is a classic, beautiful crimson rose with a strong fragrance and velvety petals. It’s a tall, upright bush with excellent resistance to disease. This variety was introduced in 1954, making it a classic in more ways than one! For an elegant addition to your garden, we can’t recommend this rose enough. 

 

How to Care for Your Roses

Roses grow best in plenty of sunlight, sheltered from windy areas. They do best when there isn’t too much competition with other plants; after all, they were made to stand out and take up the limelight! Ensure that your soil is well-draining, adding compost to difficult soils if needed. After planting, it’s good to lay some mulch around your roses to help with moisture retention and prevent weeds from growing. 

 

In the spring, you’ll want to water newly planted roses every 2 to 3 days, or once a week for established roses. Keep the soil moist around your roses through the summer; if the roses start to wilt, they likely need more water. You can continue to water through the fall if the ground is completely dry until the rose goes dormant. Be mindful not to water the flowers or foliage, as that can lead to disease. Use a spray setting and water close to the base of the rose.

To promote repeat blooms, we recommend giving your roses some fertilizer at the beginning of the season and once again after the first bloom cycle; this will give them a boost for repeat flowering. Be sure to let brand new plants grow at least 4-5 inches long before fertilizing, and only use half-strength at this point.  

 

As your flowers spend from the first bloom, it’s good to deadhead your roses to encourage more blooms to grow. Once your flowers die, simply cut back each flowering stem as far back as three sets of leaves. You can use this opportunity to shape your plant for an aesthetically pleasing rosebush!

 

If you’re looking for roses for sale in Mississippi, visit us at Pine Hills Nursery. We’d be happy to help you find the perfect fit for your garden.