Roses are one of the world’s most popular types of flowers.  These fragrant beauties are a symbol of love and devotion and they have enchanted gardeners ever since ancient times.  In 1867, the advent of new hybridization techniques led to the production of various modern rose varieties that quickly surged in popularity and left the old roses forgotten. However, in recent years the popularity of the ancient roses has begun to resurface and gardeners are searching for these varieties.

The old garden rose flower is popular with gardeners because these roses are easy to grow, resistant to disease and very fragrant.  This is a striking contrast to many modern varieties that are finicky and lack strong fragrance.  These types of roses are also range in size, shape and colors.  The drawback to planting old varieties is that most only flower once per year.  Modern roses tend to flower throughout the summer.

Four popular types of old roses include the alba rose, damask rose, gallica and the centifolia roses.  In these categories there is a rose of almost any size and color to fit the needs of most gardens. Visit Gardens of Green to learn more about these beautiful old rose varieties.