Earth Kind Roses

Enjoy the beauty and fragrance of roses without all the work. Many of us have switched to hardier more pest resistant shrub roses for just this reason. But now, thanks to the Earth-Kind rose designation, growing roses will be easier for all.

The goal of this program was to help gardeners enjoy roses while limiting the use of fertilizers, pesticides and water. The Texas Agrilife Extension Service started the program by conducting field trials of 100 rose cultivars for at least four years. They evaluated the roses for outstanding performance, superior pest resistance and tolerance of a wide variety of soils from acid to alkaline and sand to clay. To earn the Earth-Kind designation, roses also needed heat and drought tolerance once established.

The effort has expanded and now the National Earth-Kind research study includes test sites throughout the United States and several countries.

A bit more information: A few of my favorite roses already carry this designation. The Fairy is a dwarf polyantha shrub rose covered with bouquets of small pink roses throughout the summer. Knock Out with its raspberry red flowers and glossy green leaves performs well throughout the country. And Carefree Beauty, one of the Buck roses, has fragrant double pink roses all season long on a 5 feet tall and wide plant.