Need Rose Suggestions

I'm on the church landscape committee. The consensus thus far is to tear out some of the boxwoods because they are old and getting really woody and replace them with azaleas and rose bushes.
I have enjoyed the rose bushes I have in my yard, but this is for the church which would be a bit difference in maintenance.
So, I would like some suggestions for:
1. Relatively easy care with no spraying
2. Not to get unruly tall
3. The brick is "brick red" so would not want something that would clash with the brick. Right now, the color is pink but doesn't have to be. It just has to be something that doesn't clash with the "brick red" color.
4. Don't want knock outs.
5. Edited to add: This is zone 6b
6. East side usual morning sun etc.


This message was edited Mar 19, 2017 4:00 PM

East side morning sun is close to idea for roses, so location is not an issue!

My first recommendation, in the first two pictures: (I have had it for seven years, and actually moved it to my new home)

Marie Pavie, a polyantha. I have two. It gets no disease, is zone 4 hardy with no protection, has a lovely scent, is relatively thornless. It's bulletproof. And it blooms from early May into December. To prune it, use a hacksaw or pruners. The flowers are in clusters. It is frequently referred to as everblooming.

Comments from High Country Roses:
Ratings: Hardiness Zone: 4
Approximate Size: 2' to 4' tall by 2' to 4' wide
Bloom Type: Small, Double
Color: White
Bloom Repeat: Continuous
Fragrance: Moderate

Polyantha (Alphonse Alégatière, France, 1888).

Marie Pavié is a reliable and versatile performer in even the toughest gardening situation. Clusters of 1 1/2" white blooms grace this plant through the growing season. The compact size (up to 4') in combination with its nearly thornless canes makes for an ideal container plant or landscape accent. It's pink twin, Marie Daly, is an Earth Kind rose, so MP is considered to be one. In my opinion, the biggest payoff for the least work.

ARS Rating: 8.8

2nd recommendation, 3rd picture:

Gruss an Aachen

It also blooms all season, May into December, and morphs in color from pink to peach to white. I have had them for ten years. You want to hug them. They can get a tiny bit of blackspot. You want to hug this rose.
Hardiness Zone: 5
Approximate Size: 3' to 4' tall by 2' to 4' wide
Bloom Type: Large, Very Double
Color: Salmon Pink
Bloom Repeat: Good
Fragrance: Moderate
ARS Rating: 8.3

Third suggestion (4th Pictures)
'Sea Foam', also an Earth Kind Rose. Grows wide, as you can see in the pic from my old house. This is two. They grow very wide. Nice scent. Blush pink buds form clusters of white flowers. Thornier than the others. Another Earth Kind Rose I have had for year. Glossy foliage - and absolutely no disease. I grew this in both places too!

Hardiness Zone: 4
Approximate Size: 2' to 3' tall by 2' to 4' wide
Bloom Type: Medium, Double
Color: White / Light Pink
Bloom Repeat: Continuous
Fragrance: Light
ARS Rating: 8.1

If you don't mind width, this would be my second choice after 'Marie Pavie'

Last recommendation:(last picture)
Morden Blush, from the Canadian Explorer program. Zone 3. Another everbloomer. It's a changling. In bud it looks like a tea rose, and then apparently turns into an old garden rose.

Hardiness Zone: 3
Approximate Size: 3' to 4' tall by 3' to 4' wide
Bloom Type: Large, Double
Color: Light Pink
Bloom Repeat: Good
Fragrance: None
ARS Rating: 8.1

They do not require spraying, they don't get too tall, they all bloom their brains out, they are all hardy, zone 6 is fine, and I have had great performance from all of them for at least 7 years.

I recommend these to people who want an easy rose but don't want Knockouts.

Edited to change Marie Pavie bloom time to extending into early December, not September as previously noted.

This message was edited Apr 29, 2017 11:22 PM

Donna,
I knew you would comment and make suggestions. Thank You! I'm only one person on the committee. I will research your suggestions.

Fabulous!

Just in case people insist on Knockouts I should tell you that I TRY to take care of red KO's for several clients - the ones who will let me. They require more care than people think. I have a client who lost several. She had them in bad locations and they all died when they were transplanted. I transplanted Morden Blush (tore lots of the roots of one) and both Marie Pavies and they are some of the ones in the pictures.

The classic KO does not tend to survive the winter unless it is buried with several inches of compost. I see dead ones in the spring all the time. Also, one of my clients KOs became extremely chlorotic and I had to treat it three times. The soundest appear to be Rainbow Knockout, if your colleagues insist.

It is ALWAYS a pleasure to correspond with you.

Donna

Thanks again, Donna, for the information. So far, everyone is on board for not getting Knockouts!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Yes, thanks Donna! I was looking for a suggestion for my White Flower Garden. I think that I will look into Marie Pavies. It is a small border, so I don't have a lot of room.

It is the easiest rose I have ever had. It is also the most satisfying. It was a Joel's Pick from Pickering Nursery. I told him I was looking for a polyantha and thought I wanted Katherine Zeimet. He moved me to Marie Pavie. I just love that rose. Thank you for your confidence in my judgment. I do not think that you will be sorry.

High Country Roses is a good source for Marie. 80% of my roses come from them now. I have a bunch on order that I ordered over several months (since December) and he is sending all of them (6?) on the same day to save me shipping. They are in Colorado, and I have noticed that those high altitude roses do very well in my garden. They seem to mature quickly. And he has some of the lowest prices.

Hi Evelyn,
I have a white flower garden also. I may consider Marie Pavlov also. However, my white flower garden is getting kind of full and I'm determined to keep it from getting too many plants in it. I'm real bad about that.

birder17 ~ Do you have a picture of your white garden? Yes, I probably do not need that rose in there. I have barely started to update and clean it out, and it might even look OK if I did not put anything else in it. Still, I have dreams of full - but not crowded.

Also I have a separate post in Specialty Gardening regarding the "White Flower Garden".

Will you post some pictures there? It may inspire others besides myself. Thank you!


Evelyn

This message was edited Mar 25, 2017 12:28 PM

Evelyn, I will post pictures however, nothing is going on yet but a few white daffodils.

Donna, I thought you'd like to know I ordered 4 Marie Pavie Roses and two Cinco de Mayo. The later looked interesting. The description was "drama" and that drew me in. The church sort of wanted red roses. I thought this rose was interesting and unusual and may be a good choice. We shall see.
I ordered from Antique Rose Emporium on Monday and I received them today, Thursday. All six roses were in excellent condition and nicely filled out.
We plan to plant them out this coming Saturday, however, rain is forecasted.
Thank you for your great suggestions.

Cinco de Mayo has Julia Child as one of its parents. Julia Child is one of the best and strongest hybrid teas, with an excellent record. Garden centers that want to sell a bulletproof hybrid tea offer it. I am not a hybrid tea person, but I saw it in my garden center for months last year, beginning of season to end, and if I were going to get a yellow hybrid tea I would strongly consider it. Parentage is very important. I think it's a great choice. The other parent, 'Topsy Turvy' is a Floribunda with a good reputation. Kudos to you for a great pick.

And Antique Rose Emporium. I have ordered, between my former home and new, probably 20 roses from them. The most recent were two years ago, when I ordered four, all fabulous.

And you know how I feel about 'Marie Pavie'.

Hitting on all cylinders, my dear. Bravo! You should be proud. And thank you so much for letting me know.

Donna