The 15 Best Roses to Grow, Even If You’re Convinced You Can’t Keep a Plant Alive

Fact: No garden is complete without roses.  While annual flowers and perennials are essential, roses are known for their classic beauty, fragrance and romantic, old-fashioned charm.  Pollinators love them, too!

And if you think they aren’t for you, we’re here to prove otherwise. “There’s a rose that works in every garden,” says Stephen Scanniello, curator of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at New York Botanical Garden, rosarian of Helen S. Kaman Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park and advisor to the Remember Me Rose Garden, which honors those lost during 9/11. “Anyone can grow roses when you find the right variety for your garden setting.”

Roses generally are grouped based on their growth habit and flower form. You may see the words heritage, antique, heirloom or Old Garden roses in descriptions. These terms are used interchangeably to describe varieties that have been around for many years and that have big, lush blooms. They flower once in early summer and are not as disease-resistant as many newer roses, so they can be challenging for new gardeners to grow, says Scanniello.

Hybrid tea roses are the “classic rose” with a single flower on a long stem for cutting; some varieties also can be tricky if you’re not an experienced rose grower.

Some of the easiest roses to grow include newer hybrids, which tend to have better disease resistance, cold tolerance and a longer bloom time, says Scanniello. This includes:

• Many types of shrub roses, which grow about 3 feet wide and tall
• New varieties of floribundas, which have small flowers in clusters or sprays, and grandifloras, which feature large flowers in clusters
• Miniature roses, which have small leaves, blooms and thorns and are ideal for containers
• New varieties of climbing roses, which have long canes that you train over a trellis

First, choose a spot in your garden that gets full sun, which is at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. All roses need full sun to bloom well, so don’t try to cheat or you’ll be disappointed with their performance. Also, make sure you select a variety that can survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here). Finally, do not water them at night, which increases the likelihood of spreading foliar diseases, says Scanniello.

Ahead, our favorite roses trialed in our own gardens, as well as Scanniello’s top picks: