Floribunda Roses
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Floribunda Roses, with their large flowers in bunches of upright trusses, are a sensible choice for the general and beginning gardener. Basically, they produce more blooms, often in bunches, so they appear more productive, more colorful and more healthy.
In the early 1900's the Paulsen family from Denmark began crossing hybrid teas with Polyantha roses to produce hybrid Polyanthas. These "Paulsen" roses became the forerunner to the Floribunda.
To simplify the family tree a little:
Dwarf Multifloras and Dwarf China roses
crossed with
Hybrid Teas
Produced: Hybrid PolyanthasThese were crossed with
Rosa Multiflora/Rosa Rugosa and Rosa Wichuraina
This produced
Floribunda Roses!
Advantages to Floribundas.
There are several advantages to growing Floribundas.
Besides being prolific bloomers they produce continuously throughout the season and have large clusters of these sprays,so the bush provides masses of color.
Although they look similar to the hybrid tea they are bushier and produce a lot more blooms.
You can also find a wide range of varieties, in all sizes, so they can be very appropriate for the small garden.
As cut flowers they are the best because one stem could hold five or six flowers: fill the vase with one stem!
Maintenance is the same for Floribundas as it is for tea roses except that removing the center but from each stem allows the remainder to bloom at the same time, otherwise the one in the middle will bloom first and need to be deadheaded as the outside blooms come into their own.
And don't forget to choose disease resistant varieties that are best for your area. Floribundas rule!
Some suggested favorites are:
Margaret Merril-Scented White.
Escapade-Single Mauve/Pink.
Playboy-Red Blend.
Eyepaint-Red with yellow centres.
Ainsley Dickson-Orange Double flower.
Autumn Sunset-Apricot Double.
Betty Boop-Red/Yellow Semi-Double.
Europeana-Dark Red Double.
Sexy Rexy-Shell Pink Double.
...and one of the latest additions:
Hot Cocoa-Deep Rust Double.
There are many hundreds of varieties of course, these are just suggestions, so see what's available locally, check the size, color and disease resistance and plan accordingly. Cold hardiness varies so ask about that as well.
If you are looking for masses of color all summer long, Floribundas are your best choice.
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