Stone beds are often planted with trees and grasses. However, flower lovers are missing color in the green and white rock garden. Roses in the stone bed add fragrance and color to the rock garden. But not all roses like the nutrient-poor, dry soil. Find out below which roses are suitable for the stone bed.
Which types of roses fit in a stone bed?
Roses suitable for stone beds are drought-tolerant species such as beaver rose (Rosa spinosissima), gallica rose (Rosa gallica), dog rose (Rosa canina), potato rose (Rosa rugosa) and sand rose (Rosa carolina). With additional care, more demanding varieties such as 'Mainaufeuer', 'Super Dorothy', 'Ghislaine de Feligonde', 'Lichtkönigin Lucia' and 'Romanze' can also thrive.
Which roses thrive in the stone bed?
Not all roses are the same. Since roses have delighted humanity with their beautiful, fragrant flowers for some time, numerous breeders have bred increasingly sophisticated varieties for very different locations with very different requirements. There is a huge range of rose varieties, from non-hardy, sensitive rose types to very hardy, robust roses. The stone bed is characterized by certain factors:
- Drought,
- sandy, nutrient-poor soil
- and blazing sun.
Heat-resistant, robust varieties that require few nutrients and are easy to care for are suitable for the stone bed. If you have the opportunity to enrich the soil with nutrients and water it on hot summer days, you will have significantly more roses to choose from for your rock garden.
Five drought-tolerant roses for the stone bed
These roses can cope with full sun, nutrient-poor sandy soil and drought:
| Rose | Botanical name | Flower color | Flowering time | Growth height | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beavernell Rose | Pink spinosissima | White with yellow center | May to June | Up to 1m | Local wild rose |
| Gallica Rose / Vinegar Rose | Pink gallica | Pink to dark red | June to July | 0, 70 to 1, 50m | Small, bushy shrub rose |
| Dog Rose | Pink canina | Whitepink | June to July | 2 to 3m | Most common wild rose |
| Potato rose / apple rose | Pink rugose | Pink | June to September | 1, 20 to 1, 50m | Wild rose, strongly scented |
| Sandrose | Pink carolina | Pink | June to August | Up to 1, 50m | Small, wind-resistant, undemanding, bird feeder |
5 slightly more demanding rose varieties for the stone bed
The following rose varieties can cope with drought and blazing sun, but should be pampered with compost once or twice a year.
| Rose name | Flower color | Flowering time | Growth height | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground cover rose 'Mainaufeuer' ® | Bloodred | June to September | 30 to 60cm | Frequently flowering, rain-resistant and extremely heat-tolerant, semi-double |
| Ramblerrose 'Super Dorothy' | Pink | June to September | 2, 20 to 2, 80m | Very resistant and floriferous |
| Shrub rose 'Ghislaine de Feligonde' | Yellow, orange or cream | May to September | 1, 50 to 2, 00m | Frequently flowering, double, almost thornless |
| Shrub rose 'Light Queen Lucia' | Lemon Yellow | June to September | 1, 20 to 1, 50m | Frequently flowering, semi-double |
| Shrub rose 'Romance' ® | Pink | June to October | 1, 20 to 1, 50m | Double flowers, resistant to mildew, rich in flowers, fragrant |
