By Kathleen Gresham
Would you like to cut down on the areas you would normally have to mow grass? You can plant roses as a ground cover. The beauty of it, of course, is more than just the benefit of coverage, but also that of gracing your yard with the ever-popular rose. In fact, the effect is quite attractive.
The image of a rose plant is usually that of a rosebush, not as ground cover. That is a fairly new concept. Wild roses tend to be sprawling vines that climb when they can but also grow naturally as a low ground cover.
Why use a ground cover at all? It helps prevent erosion on banks, grows low, and covers a wide area. The ground cover rose is not to be misinterpreted as a ground-hugger. Roses as a ground cover will not kill weeds. You will still need to prepare the ground to cut down on the chances of weeds growing through the rose ground cover.
Ground cover roses can grow out as wide as 6 feet and as high as 2 feet. That may help you decide how many plants you will want to buy for adequate coverage.
It is best to select for repeated blooming and disease resistance. Pruning may still be necessary, depending on the effect you desire. Of course, to keep the ground cover looking its best, monitor for dead stems.
Roses that are suitable for planting as ground cover include Flower Carpet Coral, Flower Carpet Appleblossom, The Fairy, Baby Blanket, Red, White, or Pink Meidiland, Foxy, My Rosy Carpet, and Sea Foam.
If you want strong fragrance, be sure to check on that feature before you purchase your ground-cover rose. Many modern roses are simply not bred for a strong fragrance. They are bred for their looks.
Ground cover roses tend to be quite thorny. Thorns for a true rose grower are but a minor inconvenience. If you will need to have access to the areas or plants nearby, you would do well to consider placing the roses where you will not be continually fighting to avoid being pricked and scratched.
Weed removal is more of a challenge with this type of plant. So you should plan a way to get in and out of the ground-cover areas for weeding.
A particular favorite among groundcover roses seems to be the Flower Carpet series. However, Rosa ‘Glacier Magic’ has a spectacular white flower. It is said to have glossy, large, self-cleaning flowers that are highly pest and disease resistant. The white blooms help the plant stand out and demand attention. Planting Glacier Magic is like adding a light to the darkness of a nonblooming ground cover!
Some ground-cover roses may not look the way you expect a rose to look. For example, the Rosa ‘Nearly Wild,’ like wild roses themselves, has fewer petals than you normally see, and it opens wide. It is a colorful vision that is still a joy to own.
When deciding where to plant your ground-cover roses, remember to avoid areas where they would hinder foot traffic or where too much traffic might damage the plants. Consider whether you will need to drag a water hose out to the area. If so, you may want to purchase a soaker hose, and make sure it will be the proper length.
If you’ll have a big area to maintain, or if your groundcover will be spread out to include several areas of a large yard, you may want to buy a wheelbarrow. You may need special heavy gloves that protect against thorns. If you don’t already have them, you will need to get as a hoe for weeding, sharp clippers for pruning, and a pair of knee pads.
A rose ground cover is a bit more trouble to plant and maintain than common lawn grass, but the unique beauty and the lovely fragrance are well worth the effort.
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