GARDEN FANATIC: Singularly attractive roses at their peak

“The rose is a rose, And was always a rose.”

The earliest of roses bloomed with single flowers — brightly colored, with five to eight petals and hips that provided medicinal uses. These ancestors of our modern roses developed prickles (thorns) to survive in the wild. It is generally agreed that the early species were so beautiful and scented that the Chinese began to introduce them into their gardens more than 5,000 years ago.

Today’s single roses are at their peak, and can be selected for their singularly attractive bloom and delightful fragrance (something you can’t do during bare root season). Your favorite nursery is able to introduce you to climbers, antique roses of yesterday, and today’s disease resistant shrub roses ... all with single flowers.

One of the most rewarding of any rose is the single, blood red bloom of the climber, Altissimo.

Very fragrant and excellent as a cut flower, this rose blooms freely throughout the summer. Its dark green foliage is particularly resistant to disease. This is the strongest red climbing rose for Laguna..

The China rose, Mutabilis, was once Jana’s favorite, until others discovered its virtues (to her credit, Jana has always been willing to share). A true old rose, its multicolored pink and red blossoms brighten gardens almost the entire year.

Flutterbye is one of the finest shrub roses. The flowers are formed in large clusters and mature from golden yellow and apricot to soft yellow and beige. The plant is vigorous enough to train as a climber.

I believe that Sally Holmes, another climber, has produced more flowers than any of my other roses. Its apricot buds mature into white blossoms, and I have found the flower sprays may be cut long stemmed that last for days.

All That Jazz is a beautiful, bright coral shrub rose. Particularly well adapted for the landscape, the flowers bloom freely and are easily pruned into mounded shrubs.

Being single for many years, I believed I knew more about relationships than my married friends. After all, wouldn’t I be married, too? Then I met Catharine, and I knew my single days were over. I only wish we had met sooner.

STEVE KAWARATANI is married to writer Catharine Cooper and has one cat and four dogs. He can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to plantman2@mac.com.