Maine’s most well-known rose, rosa rugosa, is actually an ancient rose from Asia, that found a welcome home along Maine’s coast.

Throughout history, humans have been enamored with roses. The fragrant blooms, whether lush and velvety or just a mere silken whisper, never fail to capture us with evocative emotion. They produce images of prom corsages, romantic gifts of long-stemmed roses received from sweethearts, wedding bouquets and the scent of summer blossoms in a country garden. Forever thought of as a symbol of love and beauty, President Ronald Reagan even proclaimed the rose as the national flower of the United States in 1986.

Roses have been the go-to flower for commemorating all of life’s notable events for centuries. The rose’s origin can be traced back 60 to 70 million years to Central Asia. In North America, fossilized rose leaves date back 35 to 40 million years.

Tending roses became a popular hobby in the 18th century after Dutch growers increased the dozen or so known varieties to over a thousand. Around that same time, repeat-flowering roses from China were introduced to European growers, leading to the development of even more roses, considered to be the biggest breakthrough in the rose world. Another very important advancement took place in the early 20th century when the yellow rose was developed. Since that time, thousands of roses have been bred in nearly every color imaginable.

Last June the National Garden Bureau, a nonprofit organization that markets for the garden industry, proclaimed 2017 as The Year of the Rose. Each year, the bureau selects four different plants — this year, the spotlight also focuses on brassicas, daffodils and pansies.

There’s no arguing that roses have always been popular, but they’re more in vogue than ever these days, with nearly as many varieties as there are stars in the sky. And roses aren’t just for June. There are hundreds that either flower continuously throughout the summer or have intermittent “blooming cycles” right up until the first frost.

It’s mind-boggling to leaf through rose catalogs and view websites with their vast array of closeup photos of roses bejeweled with droplets of dew, bursting with color from trellises and cascading artfully over stone walls.

THE TYPES: ‘OLD,’ ‘MODERN’ AND ‘SPECIES’

Roses are divided into three groups: old garden roses, modern garden roses, and species roses. Old garden roses are the predecessors of today’s roses; some dating back to the Roman Empire. This is a diverse group that includes albas, bourbons, centifolias, China roses, damasks, gallicas, hybrid perpetuals, moss roses, noisettes, Portlands and tea roses. Most of these are easy to grow, disease resistant and winter hardy.

The grouping of modern roses varies somewhat because many of them have old garden roses as parents or grandparents. But they are the roses — too numerous to count — that have been introduced since 1867, with many of them appearing on the scene in the last 50 years.

Species roses grow wild and normally have five petals. They can be multiplied by division or cuttings, but they are the only roses that come true from seed. Extremely rugged, they can thrive just about anywhere. Although there are over 200 species of this type of rose, only a few dozen are commonly grown.

When Mainers speak of roses, the prolific rosa rugosa or sea rose — a species rose — comes to mind because of its existence along Maine’s coast. However, this familiar flower is from away, hailing from the Far East. No one really knows how rugosas got here, but they gained a toehold in the sand and intermingled with North American natives including rosa carolina, rosa virginiana and rosa blanda. These roses are all a bit similar to each other, but sea roses are the hardiest of the lot and have naturalized up and down the Eastern seaboard.

Unlike the extremely invasive rosa multiflora, a common white rose also originating in Asia, the two most common forms of rugosa — rosa rubra (red/pink shades) and rosa alba (white) — are not considered to be invasive here in Maine. Not yet, anyway, according to Gary Fish, state horticulturalist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Listed as “probably invasive,” the plant is considered to be a “colonizer” and is closely studied and documented. It’s possible that the tenacious sea rose puts native plants, beach grass and animal habitats at risk, but its roots and suckers are also considered to be beneficial anchors that stabilize sandy shore line from the erosion of storms and rising tides.

The rugged rugosa can be tamed, and according to more than a few rose experts, can be controlled simply by digging up any suckers that sprout up. On the positive side, the hardiness and disease resistance of rugosas is so attractive to rose breeders that they started crossing these plants with other species, making for interesting hybrids, according to Suzanne Verrier, owner of North Creek Farm in Phippsburg and author of “Rosa Rugosa.”

ROSE VARIETIES IN MAINE

Verrier was instrumental in bringing sea roses and hybrids that are less invasive to Maine gardens, but what if you long for a different sort of rose? What other types of roses can be grown here considering the challenges of a cooler climate, short growing season, nibbling deer, hordes of insects and influx of fungi?

It’s not impossible, provided you’re willing to invest time into seeking out the experts, listening to their advice and exercising some patience.

Most importantly, if you want to be a successful rose gardener, you have to find a good teacher, do your homework, then select a plant recommended for your growing zone. You can’t pick up a $9 rose bush at a big box store and expect it to do well. You may enjoy it for one summer as an annual, but then all bets are off.

Experts say hardy roses will flourish if you provide a well-drained site with at least six hours of direct sun daily, use an organic mulch to eliminate weeds and conserve moisture, supply about one inch of water weekly from a combination of rainfall and irrigation, and maintain adequate soil fertility. It’s recommended to stop fertilizing after Aug. 1 to allow plants to harden off properly before winter and to give them plenty of room.

“In Maine, especially inland, the biggest challenges are cold, dry winters, sometimes with (a) lack of snow cover (when) the root system goes unprotected,” Fish said. “Other issues include insects and diseases, which can be quite prevalent. It’s especially important to look for roses that have resistance to fungal diseases.

“However, with our warming climate and moving hardiness zones, roses are easier to winter over now, especially since breeders in Canada have worked to come up with many hardy roses in most of the traditional rose categories,” he said.

In 2010, the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association acquired the rights to a wide range of genetics from the Canadian government’s agriculture ministry’s ornamental rose-breeding programs in Manitoba and Quebec. These programs have developed many new winter-hardy rose varieties, including the internationally recognized Explorer and Parkland series. Currently, the Artisan series, including the very popular “Campfire rose,” is underway. The programs have been successful in combining winter hardiness, recurrent flowering, disease resistance and ease of “own root” propagation into roses. 

If you’re an aspiring rose grower, it’s critical to know what USDA plant hardiness zone you’re in and choose a rose accordingly. In Maine, these growing zones run from 6a (5 to 10 degrees below 0) to 3b (30 to 35 degrees below zero). Although the USDA zone map isn’t totally foolproof, it’s a good resource. Just remember that factors such as humidity, winter sun, wind and microclimates that create warmer pockets can affect your roses and other plants.

A ROSARIAN’S PARADISE

Still want to grow roses? As mentioned above, find a rose expert to help guide you. He or she may be as close as your local nursery or garden center. Go-to experts for many growers are husband-and-wife team Raymond and Michal Graber of Alfred. Their Old Sheep Meadows Nursery offers an impressive selection of Canadian-bred shrub and climbing roses, old-fashioned shrub roses (including old garden roses and historic roses), English roses, and hardy modern and shrub roses.

“You can grow any rose in Maine if you want to go to the trouble,” said rosarian and ecologist Raymond Graber. He and Michal, who is a horticulturist and landscape designer, have lived on their 186-acre farm since the early 1960s. In the ’70s, they began growing and selling roses. Now five of those acres are devoted to roses. They began with Raymond collecting cuttings and shoots from cooperative neighbors and getting to know each rose individually by propagating and testing. Their roses are “own root,” meaning they’re not grafted. Most are three to five years old before they’re ready to find new homes, with some taking up to 10 years to reach their prime.

Unlike grafted roses, where a piece of a stem from a desired rose plant is carefully joined to the trunk of another rose, “own root” roses survive with very little bother. Roses growing on their own roots will grow back true to type. When grafted or budded plants send up suckers they will likely be from the rootstock rather than the desired cultivar that has been grafted onto the roots. Also, most often, “own root” roses will survive a harsh winter.

Decades later, the Grabers have successfully grown more than 500 roses in their country garden and have made it their mission to share their treasure trove of information with others.

“We are the only hybridizers and growers of ‘own root’ roses in Maine and New England,” Michal said, noting that she and her husband only propagate and sell roses that thrive in their Maine garden.

Raymond, who has been growing them for 56 years, is blunt and to the point. “I don’t have time to baby-sit roses. I want them to stand on their own feet.”

Michal added, “This is our paradise.”

Karen Schneider is the editor of Northern Journeys, a quarterly publication that supports the arts. She is also a book editor, and a writer who has contributed to the Lewiston Sun Journal for twenty years. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Rose resources

First seek out information at your local nursery or greenhouse. If you want more information, try these authorities on growing roses in Maine:

* North Creek Farm: 24 Sebasco Road, Phippsburg, (207) 389-1341; email: [email protected]; web: northcreekfarm.org (the farm is no longer a nursery and no longer sells roses, but owner Suzanne Verrier is an authority)

* Old Sheep Meadows Nursery: 90 Federal St., Alfred, (207) 324-5211; email: [email protected]; web: oldsheepmeadowsnursery.com

* O’Donal’s Nursery LLC: 6 County Road, Gorham, (207) 839-4262; email: [email protected]; web: odonalnurseries.com

New England Rose Society: Teresa Mosher, president; email: [email protected]; web: rosepetals.org