When it comes time to select a flowering shrub for the garden, many people turn to the rose. And it’s no wonder! These popular plants offer beautiful and fragrant flowers, live multiple years, and are well-suited to many environments.
However, it’s not always easy to choose which type of rose to grow. That’s because there are hundreds of different types of roses for you to select from. We’re going to highlight some of the best types of roses that can add a dash of beauty to your garden.
Understanding the Different Types of Roses
People use various methods to classify the different types of roses. You can call upon plant growth forms to break roses down into climbers, ramblers, or shrubs. And you can consider the plant’s origins to distinguish these plants as wild roses, old garden roses, or new garden roses.
Another way to classify roses is by their species or cultivar. Many modern roses are not individual species but rather hybrid varieties known by their cultivar names. Fun names like ‘Princess Anne’ and ‘Rio Samba’ may not roll off the tongue, but their prolific flowers and alluring fragrances make them great additions to the garden.
While there are hundreds of different types of roses, we’re going to cover some that can make a great addition to your garden.
Abraham Darby®
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‘Abraham Darby’ first appeared in 1985 after David Austin introduced it in England. Since then, it’s delighted thousands of gardeners with its large cup-shaped flowers that hold layers of ruffled interior petals. Plus, the flowers fill gardens with their sweet and fruity fragrance.
It grows as a medium to large shrub that reaches about five feet tall and five feet wide. That means it’s a great choice for hedges, mixed plantings, and front yard gardens.
Hardiness zone: 5–11
Light requirements: full sun
Flower color: peach, apricot, and yellow
Apricot Drift®
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When people think of roses, they often conjure images of tidy shrubs or long, climbing vines. But the Apricot Drift mixes things up with a low-growing form that acts as a groundcover.
The plants remain under two feet tall and display clusters of small blooms from spring all the way through the first frost. And since they’re low-maintenance plants, they’re a great addition to sections of the garden you have a difficult time reaching.
Hardiness zone: 4–11
Light requirements: full sun
Flower color: apricot to pink
Black Bacarra
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The ‘Black Bacarra’ is one of the most well-loved black roses. It’s a hybrid tea rose that grows as a medium shrub and produces loads of long-lasting flowers.
Like all black roses, its blooms aren’t truly black. Instead, they’re a deep maroon that almost appears velvety. People often view these dark flowers as symbols of mystery, mourning, and rebirth, but you can learn more with information on the meaning of black roses.
Hardiness zone: 5–9
Light requirements: full sun to part shade
Flower color: deep maroon
Dream Come True™
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With impressive two-toned flowers that can reach over four inches across, this rose really does make dreams come true. The flowers start out bright pink with yellow centers and eventually turn deep red as the plants age.
This is a shrub rose that typically grows six or so feet tall, which means it’s a great option for front-yard gardens or mixed plantings.
Hardiness zone: 5–10
Light requirements: full sun
Flower color: yellow and pink
Ebb Tide™
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Some roses offer multi-colored flowers, but Ebb Tide™ displays blooms that change in color over time. New flowers on younger plants are some form of pink while older plants produce deep magenta or violet blooms. The flowers are at least three inches wide and have more than 35 petals.
Along with beautiful flowers, it also infuses the garden with a strong clove-like fragrance. And the fragrance stays around for months due to the flowers’ long-blooming nature.
Hardiness zone: 5–10
Light requirements:
Flower color: pink to deep purple
Emily Brontë
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Named after the English novelist, the Emily Brontë rose is a shrub rose bred by David Austin. It’s renowned for its flat, peach-colored flowers that display large, flat outer petals and small, ruffled interior petals.
While many roses require full sun to produce healthy foliage and lots of blooms, this rose can be happy growing in partial shade. That means you can tuck these shrubs beside north-facing walls or under large trees.
Hardiness zone: 5–11
Light requirements: full sun or part shade
Flower color: light pink and peach
Fantin-Latour
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The Fantin-Latour rose was first introduced in 1940 and has been brightening gardens with its pink flowers ever since. It’s named after the French painter Henri Fantin-Latour who particularly enjoyed painting roses.
People sometimes refer to this flower as the cabbage rose due to its layers and layers of petals. Despite their beauty, these plants are quite hardy and can survive in various soil types.
Hardiness zone: 5–11
Light requirements: full sun
Flower color: pink
Gertrude Jekyll®
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This variety is named after the English garden designer and is one of the most popular types of roses available to home gardeners. Plants grow as either tall shrubs or short climbers and are covered in bright pink double blooms.
It begins producing flowers before many other types of roses and continues to bloom for multiple months.
Hardiness zone: 4–11
Light requirements: full sun or part shade
Flower color: pink
Julia Child™
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Just as Julia Child added some magic to the kitchen, her namesake rose brightens up the garden. This medium shrub rose is covered with bright yellow flowers that bloom from early summer through early fall. The flowers produce a fragrance that combines classic floral notes with hints of licorice—a scent that we think Julia would love!
Hardiness zone: 4–9
Light requirements: full sun
Flower color: yellow
Mary Delany®
Mary Delany®’s climbing form and bright pink flowers make it a welcome addition to your arbor, gazebo, or brick wall. The plant can reach up to ten feet tall and displays almost thornless canes and bright pink flowers with loose collections of petals. Since it can tolerate some shade, it’s an especially great choice for north-facing walls.
Hardiness zone: 4–11
Light requirements: full sun or part shade
Flower color: pink
Mr. Lincoln
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By now, you know that roses range in flower color, size, and shape. But when you think of a classic red rose, you may think of Mr. Lincoln. This hybrid tea rose grows to a medium shrub and produces lots of fragrant red roses that display perfectly swirled petals.
Hardiness zone: 7–11
Light requirements: full sun
Flower color: red
Perpetually Yours™
With a climbing form and beautifully fragrant flowers, Perpetually Yours™ can make a great addition to many gardens. The plants produce three-inch flowers that display layers and layers of soft yellow ruffled petals. Since the plants are repeat bloomers, you can expect to enjoy flowers for multiple months.
Hardiness zone: 6–10
Light requirements: full sun or part shade
Flower color: light yellow
Tahitian Sunset
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Multicolored petals and a strong fragrance are two highlights of this hybrid tea rose. The flowers display tidy swirled petals and come in shades of pink, apricot, and peach. The plants grow as medium to large shrubs and work well as single plantings as well as hedges.
Hardiness zone: 7–11
Light requirements: full sun
Flower color: pink and peach
The Generous Gardener®
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One of the most popular types of climbing roses, The Generous Gardener® can easily grow over 15 feet tall. Try planting it next to a pergola, gazebo, or pillar, and get ready for it to take over. Its vigorous canes and stems are covered with clusters of light pink flowers that emit fragrances reminiscent of musk and myrrh. The flowers also gracefully droop downwards, creating a unique appearance.
Hardiness zone: 4–11
Light requirements: full sun to part shade
Flower color: light pink
Zéphirine Drouhin
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Another impressive climbing rose, Zéphirine Drouhin grows well in a variety of soil types as well as partial shade. It has long vines and large, deep pink flowers that bloom throughout the summer. While this old variety is beautiful, it is a bit more susceptible to disease than some newer types of roses.
Hardiness zone: 5–11
Light requirements: full sun or part shade
Flower color: deep pink
Send Different Types of Roses with The Bouqs
If you can’t wait until your garden roses burst into bloom, you’re in luck! The Bouqs Co. makes it easy to order roses online for a midweek pick-me-up and send roses to a friend. You can choose from classic red rose bouquets, pick up cheerful mixed rose arrangements, or even order David Austin roses with Bouqs.
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