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Contrary Marys is EXCITED to announce that we are now offering
super-hardy, disease-resistant, absolutely GORGEOUS roses!! As you all
probably know, I do not generally agree with using chemicals on ornamental
plants & if they are so picky and chemically-dependent, they have no place
in Contrary Marys garden. There are certainly enough natives and
tough hybrids/cultivars to choose from so that we shouldnt have
to make our gardens toxic and unfriendly to the rest of the creatures
that share our green domain! Anyway, with that being said, I love roses
but was unwilling to compromise on my drug-free stand—now
I dont have to!
The following are all very hardy (at least to zone 5), own root roses
that have high disease resistance (although not immunity). Many of them
are also very wildlife friendly because they develop beautiful,
nutritious rose hips in the fall.
A great resource that rates roses is the American
Rose Society. They put out a yearly rose-rating guide called Handbook
for Selecting Roses in which members of the Rose Society are invited to
participate in a review of the new rose introductions. They are evaluated
for three consecutive years and assigned from the following scoring system:
| 9.3-10 |
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One of the best roses ever! (seldom awarded) |
| 8.8-9.2 |
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An outstanding rose (the top 1%) |
| 8.3-8.7 |
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A very good to excellent rose (one recommended without hesitation) |
| 7.8-8.2 |
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A solid to very good rose (well above average) |
| 7.3-7.7 |
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A good rose (a little to somewhat above average) |
| 6.8-7.2 |
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An average rose |
| 6.1-6.7 |
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A below average rose |
| 0.0-6.0 |
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Not recommended |
Some of the roses which we are offering have not yet been rated because
they are so new, but I have confidence they will achieve a high score!
We are also planting the majority of them in our display beds so that
you can judge for yourself their worthiness! Just remember, roses dont
always look perfect & the weather is a deciding factor on
a lot of cosmetic diseases or pests, so sometimes you just
have to be patient!
Also, a couple of more tips:
| 1 |
Dont ever cover these roses with rose cones! You run the risk
of smothering them, and also they are all hardy and dont
need covering (a light mulch is fine!). |
| 2 |
Wait until spring to prune back your roses (the Morton Arboretum
also recommends this). Otherwise, you may be trimming off stems that
would have survived the winter (making the plant smaller and causing
more die-back in the process). |
| 3 |
Make sure you select the correct site for your roses. They need
a well-drained site (no soggy feet!) that has good organic material
and gets a minimum of six hours of sun per day. It does not have to
be continuous sun; in fact, some roses like morning sun, a little
mid-day shade, then sun again in late afternoon. Some roses such as
alba and hybrid musk types do tolerate more
shade. |
| 4 |
Choose a good fertilizer that is formulated for roses, and dont
fertilize too late in the year (not past late summer so they dont
have a flush of new growth that is prone to cold damage). Also, wait
until your newly-planted rose has bloomed once before fertilizing.
Make sure you follow the directions on whatever type of fertilizer
youre using (too much and you wont get any flowers!). |
| 5 |
Deadheading needs to be done on repeat blooming roses. On an established
plant, cut on a diagonal just above the first 5-leaf stem; on a young
plant its better to remove fewer leaves, so cutting above a
3-leaf stem (or even just above the flower) is fine. Stop deadheading
about one month before the first fall frosts so no new, tender growth
is encouraged. |
The above are just general guidelines—I would recommend joining the
American Rose Society or a local rose club if you want the advice of real
experts in this area! Anyway, have fun with these new additions
to our continuing list of gotta haves! Just a reminder—varieties
may not be available at the same time and occasionally the sizes listed
may not be available.
Our complete selection of hostas and peonies are now available for mail order! However, because we sell larger, more mature plants, we are unable to ship plants on this page , so please come visit us our farm! Also, plant availability, sizes, and prices are subject to change, so check with us if you’re coming for something in particular.
| Plant Name |
Size |
Container |
Price |
All the Rage |
2 ½-4’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
A NEW beauty in the Easy Elegance series, this
everbloomer has buds that are coral, opening to apricot blossoms with
glowing yellow centers. The flowers then age to a sweet pink before dropping
cleanly off (dead-heading not necessary!) So new, she doesn’t have an ARS
rating yet! ALL roses in the Easy Elegance series are now guaranteed for two
years (up to two plants) by the introducer. For more details, visit
easyeleganceroses.com.
|
| Blushing Knock Out |
3’ |
19 cm |
$16.95 |
This
2004 sport of the famous and HIGHLY touted ‘Knock Out’ rose is actually
my favorite of the Knock Out siblings! The color of this everblooming
shrub rose is described as shell pink, but I’ve found that it runs
the gamut from nearly white to a lovely flush pink. A subtle bouquet
all on one plant! Of course it’s disease resistant and self-cleaning
and the blooms are lightly fragrant. ARS rating is 8.3! |
| Centennial |
2-3’ |
8" |
$16.95 |
This
Easy Elegance rose from the Garden Art Series has apricot to soft
yellow blooms that fade to white and bronze tinted foliage. A Grandiflora
that is a recurrent bloomer, it is too new to have an ARS rating yet! |
Champlain |
3’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This hybrid kordesii (a form of shrub rose) is from the
Explorer series in Canada, so ya know he’s one tough cookie! He’s everblooming
and has 3” double velvety-red flowers with golden stamens that appear in
large clusters, with lovely orange rose hips in fall. With an ARS rating of
8.5, how can you resist?!
|
| Cupcake |
18” |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$28.00
|
A miniature rose that has medium pink, very full, adorable
little roses! Its ARS rating is an 8.0! |
Cuthbert Grant |
3’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This shrub rose from the Parkland Series has clusters of
very dark red, fragrant blooms often compared to hybrid teas. It is a
recurrent bloomer with an ARS rating of 7.6.
|
| Deep Velvet |
12-18” ht (mini) |
#1 |
$13.95 |
This very floriferous mini rose has copious amounts of
deep velvety red blossoms and an ARS rating of 7.3. Adorable! |
Double Pink Knock Out |
3-4’ |
19cm |
$21.95 |
WOW, this is the one we’ve been waiting for!!! Sure to
sell out fast, this is the double PINK form of Contrary Mary’s favorite
rose! You don’t have to waste time removing old flowers from this blooming machine. Hardy, drought tolerant upon establishment, this rose is a carefree, show-stopping star! Need I say more?! |
Double
Knock Out |
3’ |
#1
19 cm |
$13.95
$21.95 |
|
Another
‘Knock Out’ sibling, this beauty features DOUBLE cherry red flowers
almost all season.
This is by far and away Contrary Mary’s FAVORITE rose (‘Morden
Sunrise’ is a very close second though!) You should see ours
in the display bed-it looks ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS all season (up until
a hard frost) with no supplemental watering and no real attention
at all (except admiration of course!). It bloomed continually from
late spring to hard frost with very minimal deadheading and the
gorgeous bronze tinted foliage had not one iota of mildew or blackspot.
We sell out of this very early, but you can always come and drool
over mine!! A Contrary Mary Top 10 Honorable Mention! |
| Grandma’s Blessing |
1˝’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
What
better rose to find on Gram’s farm??! This diminutive doll from Easy
Elegance will add charm to any sunny area with dusty pink blossoms
that resemble a hybrid tea and keep coming intermittently most of
the season. No ARS rating yet, but she’s bound to score highly as
she also has dark green, disease-resistant foliage. See our gorgeous one in our display bed! |
| Hope for Humanity |
2-4’ |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$28.00 |
This
Parkland Series rose from Manitoba, Canada
(so you just KNOW how tough it is!) is an everblooming shrub rose
with deep wine-red buds that open to blood red flowers in clusters
of four to five. Its ARS rating is an 8.0 and its foliage is lustrous
and highly disease resistant. Wow! |
| Kashmir (Easy Elegance) |
2.5-3’ ht |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This classy new Easy Elegance rose has 3” very full deep
red velvety blossoms that resemble a hybrid tea and are awesome as a cut
flower. A recurrent bloomer, with no ARS rating yet! |
| Knock Out |
3’ |
#1
19 cm |
$13.95
$16.95 |
This
AARS 2000 winner truly lives up to its name! This shrub rose is one
of the most disease-resistant ever, and blooms copiously from mid-Spring
up to frost! It has cherry red flowers and foliage that is tinged
slightly with burgundy—in the fall, the foliage turns a deeper burgundy
and bright red-orange hips appear. At a height of 3, it fits
in fabulously in most sunny gardens, and has an interim ARS rating
of 8.6! It was also voted the ARS Members Choice, making this
yet another gotta have! |
| Morden Blush |
2-3’ |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$28.00 |
This
Parkland series rose is one of my favorites! Its official color is
light pink, but it has creamy ivory blooms that are blushed with different
shadings of pink and cream, finally fading fully to ivory. It has
very full and very fragrant recurrent blooms, and will get orange-red
hips in the fall. Very attractive foliage rounds out this gorgeous
shrub rose, ARS rating 8.0! |
| Morden Sunrise |
3’ |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$28.00 |
|
A
Parkland Series rose from Manitoba, Canada, you just KNOW this baby
is tough enough for us!! A pink-blushed, single-yellow ever-bloomer,
it also has glossy, disease-resistant foliage. A VERY strong grower
with ARS rating 7.8.
This one is Contrary Mary’s second favorite rose (came in very
closely behind ‘Double Knock Out’!).
The plant in the display bed was a STUNNER, continually blooming
from late spring to hard frost with no extra care at all! The flowers
are almost indescribable as they seem to mimic a sunrise with ever
changing hues, and its fragrance is to die for..smells citrusy and
good enough to eat! We sell out early (I wonder why??!). |
My Girl |
3-4’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
Another Easy Elegance beauty, this shrub rose is a
recurrent bloomer with very full, 2-3” flowers of deep pink. No ARS rating
yet.
|
| Mystic Fairy (Easy Elegance) |
3-4’ ht |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This charming shrub rose from the Easy Elegance
Collection has clusters of 3” double red flowers that have pink undertones
and is an everbloomer…she just doesn’t quit! Great foliage too that is
glossy red when it is new and ages to a shiny deep green. No hips are
produced, and no ARS rating yet! |
| OSO Easy Cherry Pie |
2-3’ ht |
#1 |
$13.95 |
Yummy candy-apple red, single flowers with yellow stamens
are produced all season on this vigorous new intro in the “OSO Easy” series.
All of the roses in this series that we have tried here on the farm truly
live up to their name, so I’m SURE this one will meet our expectations too! Magnificent
shiny foliage is an added bonus (and it sure doesn’t hurt that its named
after Contrary Mary’s FAVORITE dessert!) |
| OSO Easy
Fragrant Spreader |
1-2’ ht |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$28.00 |
A
NEW class of roses that were bred to be highly resistant to mildew
and blackspot. Practically a no care landscape rose! This one is a
low-growing groundcover with highly fragrant, single pink flowers
that bloom all summer. No ARS rating yet. See how ours roams in our display bed! |
OSO Easy Paprika |
1-2’ |
#1 |
$13.95 |
This is lovely rose sold out quickly last year, but good thing I grabbed
one for the display bed first! A really remarkable color (reminds me of my 2nd favorite rose Morden Sunrise), has incredible glossy, disease resistant
foliage, and blooms its little heart out with AWESOME fragrant flowers. If
you want a low-mounding blooming machine, get one fast! And, Oso Easy Paprika was recently awarded the Gold Medal for Best Groundcover Rose at the Rose Hills International Rose Trials!
|
OSO Easy Peachy Cream |
1-2½’ |
#1 |
$13.95 |
Great name for a great rose…peachy pink double blooms age
to cream and look good enough to eat! Flowers are self cleaning and foliage
is glossy dark green and disease resistant. No ARS rating yet!
|
| Paint
the Town |
2-3’ ht. |
8"
#2 |
$17.95
$28.00 |
This
Garden Path rose is literally COVERED with hybrid-tea shaped vivid
red roses all season! An everbloomer, it has a spreading habit and
no ARS rating yet. |
| Pink Gnome |
1’ |
8 pot |
$17.95 |
This
new little rose from the Garden Path Series is aptly named - it only
gets 1 tall! An adorable little everblooming shrub rose with
single light pink, cup-shaped flowers with white centers, it makes
a great groundcover. The ARS rating is not yet available. |
| Pink Pearls |
1-2’ ht. |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This
NEW Garden Path rose has a tight, compact habit and is festooned with
tiny, fluffy, deep pink flowers with white eyes and golden stamens.
A recurrent bloomer with no ARS rating yet. See our little treasure in our display bed! |
| Purple Pavement |
3’ ht |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This hybrid Rugosa is beautiful and a real tough cookie
to boot! She has bright green, highly disease-resistant foliage and 3”
semi-double intensely fragrant flowers that are a purplish-red with yellow
stamens. Also gets gorgeous dark red hips in the fall! What more could you
want?! |
| Red Leaf Rose |
5’ |
#3 |
$28.00 |
Rosa
glauca, also known as the Red-leaf rose, was first cultivated
before 1830 and is a species rose. Although most roses are primarily
grown for their flowers, this one is unique in that it is the foliage
that is most highly prized! The foliage has a blend of blue, green,
plum and red that blends exquisitely in its waxy leaves. The leaves
then turn yellow or orange in the fall, and are borne on arching,
graceful, almost thornless canes. The flowers are simple but beautiful,
with star-like blooms of deep pink with a white center. They then
produce bright purple-red rose hips in the fall that may last until
spring. This rose has an incredible 8.8 ARS rating—yep, you guessed
it, ANOTHER gotta-have! |
| Rosa rugosa |
4-5’ht |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This species rose was cultivated before 1846 and has an
almost unbelievable 9.1 ARS rating! She produces intensely fragrant 2-3”
single flowers that vary from the palest pink to deep rose to white, and
gets incredible fall color and bright red rose hips. Can’t get much better
than this one!! |
Snow Pavement |
2½-3’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This hybrid rugosa is a recurrent bloomer with flowers
that start with pink buds, then open to bright white flowers with a tinge of
pink. Flowers are semi-double and measure about 3”, and stand out against
the dark green rugosa foliage. An added bonus (for us and wildlife!) are the
large bright red hips. No ARS rating yet.
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| Starina |
12-18"ht |
#1 |
$13.95 |
This
precious miniature rose has orange-red flowers continually throughout
the summer. With an ARS rating of 8.3, can’t you fit this little star
into your garden?! |
| Sunrise Sunset |
2-3’ |
8" |
$17.95 |
Another
stunning new rose in the Garden Path series that reminds you of the
Florida sunset - always changing and always awesome! It is an everblooming
shrub rose with semi-double flowers that have pink blend petals that
change to apricot with a blush of yellow near the centers. It has
blue-green foliage that is disease resistant and has a dense spreading
habit that makes it an ideal and vigorous groundcover. No ARS rating
is available yet on this new beauty! |
Super Hero |
3-5’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
A NEW Easy Elegance rose that is a floribunda and
everbloomer, it has medium red, full 3” flowers with dark green, satiny
foliage. No ARS rating yet.
|
Sweet Fragrance |
2-4’ ht |
#2 |
$28.00 |
This
grandiflora is an everbloomer with hybrid tea shaped buds of coral
and orange that open to apricot blossom. Highly fragrant (who’da guessed?!),
it’s perfect for cut flowers. No ARS rating yet. Enjoy her intoxicating scent in our display bed! A Contrary Mary Top 10 Honorable Mention! |
Yellow Brick Road |
2-3’ |
#2 |
$28.00 |
Another Easy Elegance rose, this recurrent blooming shrub
rose has full, 3” flowers of deep yellow. Now, how can you resist something
that is named after one of Contrary Mary’s FAVORITE movies, AND is in the
Contrary Mary color??! Great blackspot resistance, no ARS rating yet.
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| Yellow
Submarine |
2-4’ ht |
#2 |
$28.00 |
O.K.,
we had to grow this one ‘cause Contrary Charlie is a HUGE Beatles
fan. This one more than lives up to its possibilities! It has very
full flowers in clusters that start out lemon yellow, then age to
soft yellow and finally become white. A whole bouquet on one plant!
Recurrent bloomer, no ARS rating yet (but I bet it’s a good one when
it happens!)
See our absolutely fabulous one in the display bed, and get yours early ‘cause they torpedo out of here quickly! |
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