Sustainable Roses with Outstanding Heat Tolerance
By Lynsey Ruml
Choosing the most adaptable and appropriate rose for your growing space almost guarantees success, but choosing the wrong cultivar can lead to stunted growth and decreased ability to absorb nutrients, leaving your new plant susceptible to pest damage and disease.
When selecting a rose, one of the most important considerations is your climate zone. Universities and commercial nurseries alike conduct extensive research trials to find new cultivars and classify existing ones as excellent climate-specific performers. With our hot, humid summers and company-wide focus on sustainability, we’re particularly fond of heat tolerant and naturally disease resistant cultivars. We find Earth-Kind roses to be extremely low-maintenance and regenerative thanks to their rapid root growth, ability to retain sandy soil and deciduous, disease-free leaves which make a natural winter mulch.
The Research Behind Earth-Kind Roses
Earth-Kind roses are selected by Texas Agrilife Service through their Earth-Kind landscaping program after passing eight years of research and data collection, including four years of randomized and replicated research at Texas A&M, AgriLife Center in Dallas, TX. To be selected as an Earth-Kind cultivar, a rose must demonstrate superior landscape performance and sustainability by meeting specific research criteria proving pest, heat and drought tolerance (once established). These roses must also demonstrate resilience in a variety of soils, including those that are alkaline, acidic and nutrient deficient.
Earth-Kind cultivars defy the stereotype that roses are ‘fussy overfeeders,’ instead reintroducing them as sustainable landscape plants that can outperform some native perennials. Classifying roses as sustainable excited plant scientists, and as a result, seven other universities now replicate the Earth-Kind rose research program, providing additional climate specific research results.
University trained master gardeners across the country also gained interest, bringing the research to their own backyards by recording and reporting initial cultivar performance, which is later replicated with four years of on-site university field trials. For efficacy, the on-site randomized and replicated research trials are supervised by a team of seven PhD-level plant scientists, including horticulturists, soil scientists and plant pathologists. With such stringent research standards, you can rest assured that with the right planting and low-maintenance care practices, Earth-Kind roses will be a winner in your garden!
Our Favorite Earth-Kind Roses
Here are some of our favorite Earth-Kind cultivars that have successfully grown in our hot climate:
Photo Courtesy Wisconsin Public Radio
New Dawn
New Dawn is the very first plant to receive a patent (1930), after it was discovered as a repeat flowering sport of Dr. Van Fleet. New Dawn has huge thorns, three-inch light pink double blooms and can be grown as a GIANT shrub, rambler or a large trellised climber. Suitable for climate zones 4-10.
Belinda’s Dream
Belinda’s Dream is a modern rose Introduced by Texas A&M University in 1992. It is a beautiful medium six by six foot shrub with soft, exceptionally healthy foliage. Belinda’s dream truly is a dream with its one-hundred petal plus, full blooms from top to bottom. Parented by Jersey Girl and Tiffany. Hardy in zones 5-9.
Cècile Brünner
Cècile Brünner is a french rose, introduced in 1881. It is a medium four by four foot shrub and has soft foliage and small pink blooms resembling miniature versions of hybrid teas. Suggested for climate zones 5-9.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed reading about these hardy, yet elegant beauties and will reconsider roses as sustainable and functional landscape plants!
Sign Up for Newsletter
Follow Us on Social
Cutting-edge microbiology
No kill formula
Superior plant nutrition derived from the most ethical, sustainable sources available.
Produces the same results as conventional fertilizers without the negative environmental impacts.
Each ClimateGard pellet is infused with micronutrients, silicon, humic acid and a high-performance blend of living bacteria and fungi.
Delivered in an environmentally friendly organic cotton bag with a compostable inner liner.
Will continue to enrich your soil long after application.
$39.95 for 7.5 pound bag | $69.95 for 15 pound bag.