Roses prized for their variety, versatility

For every yard, a rose. From the most formal garden setting to the most casual, and every style in between there are multiple choices.

For the formal rose garden, hybrid tea roses with large, single flowers, and showy grandifloras and floribundas boasting masses of blossoms, have long held sway.

These often high-maintenance beauties are usually the roses people have in mind when they say, "I can't grow roses!" In fact, you don't have to be an expert gardener to grow roses in your yard or in pots on your deck. The world of roses has expanded tremendously to include numerous easy-care varieties that range in size from under 2 feet to over 8 feet. They are as disease resistant as many other types of shrubs and can be hardy to zones 3 and 4.

There are many long-blooming, easy-care roses now available that are superbly suited to landscape use. With the proper selection, roses can be used for hedges, foundation plantings, privacy screening, large or small patio pots, mixed shrub borders, ground covers and accents.

Roses range in size from tiny miniatures of 8 inches tall to climbing giants that can reach 20 feet or more. Hybrid tea roses typically grow to 4-6 feet tall, and floribundas generally range from 3-4 feet tall. Most popular pillar and climbing roses reach 8-15 feet.

Tree roses are actually two roses grafted together to create a tree form and can be tricky to overwinter satisfactorily, though they do make a beautiful accent in the garden.

For a cutting garden, grandifloras, tea roses and floribundas can't be beat. A good old-fashioned Mr. Lincoln, Tropicana or Iceberg make an exceptional cut flower for a vase indoors.

But for more general landscape use, look to the shrub roses.

Ground cover roses such as Happy Chappy, Yellow Ribbons and Baby Blanket will fill an area with glossy green foliage and lightly scented flowers all summer long. Happy Chappy, covered with brightly colored orange, pink and yellow flowers, and Yellow Ribbons both stay under 2 feet tall and spread to 24 inches wide. Pink-flowered Baby Blanket is slightly larger at 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide.

More compact types of low growers are excellent for edging a walkway or planting in a narrow bed, and also are nice in containers. Polyantha roses, such as the soft-pink The Fairy, boast fine, shiny leaves and large clusters of flowers. They are a great choice for foreground plants and also make excellent low hedges.

Larger, more upright shrub roses are handsome in borders or grown as an informal hedge. Most shrub roses are vigorous and hardy and make excellent landscape shrubs. Varieties from the Carefree series of roses, planted 3-4 feet apart make a nice mid-sized hedge.

Larger rugosa varieties, such as Therese Bugnet, Blanc Double de Coubert and Hansa, often have showy fruits that follow the spicy scented flowers.

Two very hardy rose series have been developed to be grown in the cold, cold winters of northern Minnesota and Canada and are highly reliable in the Chicago area.

The newly introduced Northern Accents series include Sven, Lena and Ole, and all three reach about 2 feet in height. The Canadian Explorers roses, such as William Baffin and Jens Munk, have been available in the retail market for more than 30 years. The super-hardy Canadian Explorers include every size and shape for landscape use.

Roses can be used for espaliers on the walls of various structures, though selection of varieties is important. Walls can reduce sunlight and limit air circulation, which may result in problems with mildew, black spot and spider mites in nonresistant varieties. Sally Holmes is a good choice, as it shows good disease resistance.

Climbers can dress up arching trellises, obelisks or fences. Trained to grow up and over a trellis, roses can highlight an entrance, enhance a bare wall or garden shed or create a backdrop to a garden. Good choices include America, Eden Climber, New Dawn, Social Climber and the thornless Zephirine Drouhin.

In mixed borders or foundation plantings, low plants can be grown with roses to complement, contrast and fill in any open spaces. Campanula, candytuft, catmint, coreopsis, dianthus, dusty miller, erigeron, feverfew, geraniums (species types), heuchera, lamb's ears, licorice plant, nemesia, scabiosa, sweet alyssum and thyme are all easily grown companions.

Good taller plants for contrast include bearded iris, delphinium, verbena bonariensis, lavender, ornamental grasses, Russian sage, santolina, summer phlox and Sunny Border Blue veronica.

Roses prefer a loose, moist, well-drained soil and at least six hours of direct sun. Rugosa roses tolerate a wider range of soil types, but good drainage is still a must. Bare root plants should be planted in early spring while they are still dormant.

Container-grown roses can be planted at any time during the growing season, though earlier is better so their roots can get firmly established before winter. Fall planting of roses is not recommended in the Chicago area because soil temperatures drop too quickly to allow for good root establishment.

• Beth Gollan is a horticulturist at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield, IL 60190. Call (630) 293-1040.