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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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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.
A few more things: in order to comply with legal requirements, we’ve changed
our container size descriptions. The old 1 gallon pot is a #1, 2 gallon is a
#2, etc. See our Pot Size Table for exact pot
capacities.
Also, because we sell larger, more mature plants, WE
ARE UNABLE TO SHIP PLANTS, so please come visit us our farm!
| Plant Name |
Size |
Container |
Price |
All the Rage
|
2 ½-4’ |
#2 |
$27.00 |
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.
|
Beauty Secret
|
12-18” ht, 15”w |
#1 |
$13.95 |
A miniature rose that is in nearly continuous bloom, she
has fragrant scarlet red double blooms. With an ARS rating of 7.9 and entry
into the Miniature Rose Hall of Fame in 1999, she can surely be squeezed
into your garden! |
| Blushing Knockout |
3’ |
19 cm |
$16.95 |
This
2004 sport of the famous and HIGHLY touted ‘Knockout’ rose is actually
my favorite of the Knockout 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 |
$27.00 |
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
$22.00
|
| A miniature rose that has medium pink, very full, adorable
little roses! Its ARS rating is an 8.0! |
Cuthbert Grant
|
3’ |
#2 |
$27.00 |
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.
|
Double Pink Knockout
|
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
Knockout |
3’ |
#1
19 cm |
$13.95
$21.95 |
|
Another
‘Knockout’ 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!! |
| Fiesta |
2-3’ |
#2 |
$25.00 |
Another
BRAND NEW Easy Elegance Rose with dark pink and white striped full
flowers. A recurrent bloomer that’s starts to flower early; too new
for an ARS rating yet! |
| Frau Dagmar
Hartopp |
3-4’ |
#3 |
$25.00 |
This Hybrid Rugosa is and everbloomer from 1914! She
has medium pink, single roses and has stood the test of time with
an ARS rating of 8.0! |
| Grandma’s Blessing |
1˝’ |
#2 |
$27.00 |
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! |
Green Ice
|
12-18” ht, 15” w |
#1 |
$13.95 |
Another darling miniature, this one has frosty white buds
that are often tipped with red, opening to a double rosette that starts out white
and ages to a glacial green. The flowers are held in clusters, so you have a
bantam bouquet of white and green blooms! A prolific bloomer in late spring
to early summer, it then takes a short breath before bursting into flower
again from mid-summer to fall. ARS rating of 8.0….awesome!
|
| Henry
Hudson |
2-3’ ht |
#3 |
$27.95 |
This
Hybrid Rugosa from the Explorer Series is one tough cookie (after
all, he is from Canada, eh!). He has rosy pink flower buds that unfurl
to reveal double, nearly flat flowers that are soft pink aging to
white with yellow stamens. Very fragrant and a recurrent bloomer,
he has the incredible ARS rating of 9.0! |
| Hope for Humanity |
2-4’ |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$27.00 |
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! |
John Cabot
|
5-9’ht climber |
#2 |
$27.00 |
 This hybrid Kordesii (form of shrub rose) is the first
climber from the Explorer Series, which as you know is a series developed in
Canada for amazing hardiness and disease resistance! He is a recurrent
bloomer with extremely fragrant, double 2 ½” blooms that run the range from
orchid pink to fuchsia red, highlighted with showy yellow stamens. In the
fall, large orange hips are produced. With an AWESOME ARS rating of 8.8,
this is a climber to make room for!
|
John Davis
|
6-8’ht climber |
#2 |
$27.00 |
Another from the Explorer Series, this versatile rose can
either be allowed to roam or be trained as a climber! He has red canes and
glossy leathery foliage, and flowers that are full, 3½” medium pink with
light yellow at the base, held in clusters of up to seventeen. A recurrent
bloomer with another amazing ARS rating of 8.7!
|
| Kiss
Me |
2-3’ ht |
#2
#3 |
$27.00
$29.95
|
This
Easy Elegance Garden Art Series rose is a Grandiflora that has very
large, double, clear pink blooms much like the English roses. It’s
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! |
| Little Mischief |
1˝-2’ |
8" Pot
#2 |
$17.95
$27.00 |
This
little dickens is an Easy Elegance rose so you just know how reliable
and desirable it is! This shrub rose features deep pink with a white
eye, ever-blooming, semi-double flowers and medium-green, semi-glossy,
disease-resistant foliage. No ARS rating is available yet. See our little cutie in our display bed! |
| Louis Jolliet |
6’ |
#3 |
$28.95 |
| This hybrid kordesii shrub rose is extremely hard and
vigorous and is a recurrent bloomer with medium-pink, double, fragrant
flowers. A reliable beauty, no ARS rating is available yet. |
Macy’s Pride
|
3-5’ |
#2 |
$27.00 |
Another Easy Elegance beauty, this one was selected by
Macy’s Department store for their centennial. A recurrent bloomer with
double 4-5” flowers that start with lemon yellow buds opening to a creamy
white with a hint of pink. Young foliage is red-tipped! ARS rating of 8.0
|
| Magic
Meidiland |
1½-2’ ht |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$22.00 |
This
groundcover rose has semi-double, magenta pink blooms all season;
the magnificent one in our display bed never seems to take a breath!
It also has very shiny, disease resistant foliage; no ARS rating yet. |
| Morden Blush |
2-3’ |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$22.00 |
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
$27.00 |
|
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 Knockout’!).
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 |
$27.00 |
Another Easy Elegance beauty, this shrub rose is a
recurrent bloomer with very full, 2-3” flowers of deep pink. No ARS rating
yet.
|
| My Hero |
3’ |
8" |
$16.95 |
I
fell in love with this Lifestyle Garden Series shrub rose last year
cause it is a bloomin machine! It is a self-cleaning rose
with medium-red, 3˝ double blooms that fade to deep pink as
they mature, and seems to be constantly in bloom! It gets about 3
tall, and has an ARS rating of 8.1. |
| OSO Easy
Fragrant Spreader |
1-2’ ht |
#1
#2 |
$13.95
$22.00 |
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 a lovely rose we carried in 2007 but forgot to
put on the website (oops!). It sold out quickly, 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!
|
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
$27.00 |
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 |
$27.00 |
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! |
| Polar
Joy Tree Form |
3’ Standard |
#5 |
$70.00 |
This
HARDY tree rose was especially bred for northern gardens by Bailey
Nurseries! It has soft apple-blossom pink single flowers and is everblooming.
Excellent disease resistance and no ARS rating yet. VERY, VERY LIMITED! |
| Rainbow
Knock Out |
3’ ht |
19cm |
$19.95 |
A
new addition to the Knock Out family, this one was a 2007 All-American
Rose selection winner! This one blooms constantly from spring to late
fall with salmon buds that open to single shell pink flowers with
a tinge of yellow. A real ‘Gotta-Have!’ |
| Red Leaf Rose |
5’ |
#3 |
$27.95 |
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! |
Ramblin Red
|
6-10’ climber |
#5 |
$38.00 |
We had this one a few years ago and brought it back due to
numerous requests! Want a disease resistant, med red climber recurrent
bloomer with double, full 3-4” flowers? Ya found it! ARS rating of 7.8.
|
| Showtime |
3-8’ ht |
#2 |
$25.00 |
A
Garden Wall rose that is a large flowered climber with full, medium
red blooms with golden stamens. Gorgeous, dark green, glossy foliage
enhance the flower power! Recurrent bloomer with spent flowers dropping
cleanly. No ARS rating yet. |
Snow Pavement
|
2½-3’ |
#2 |
$25.00 |
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.
|
| Snowdrift |
3-4’ ht |
#2 |
$27.00 |
A
shrub rose with very full creamy white flowers with a tinge of apricot
in the center. Reminds you of an English rose! TONS of flowers literally
cover the bush on this recurrent bloomer; spent blooms drop cleanly.
No ARS rating yet. |
| 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 |
$27.00 |
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 |
$27.00 |
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! |
| Tahitian Moon |
3-4’ |
8” |
$17.95 |
In
the Lifestyle Garden series, this one can be grown either as a shrub
or trained as a climber. Full double, pale yellow 2 blooms grace
this beauty—I just LOVE yellow roses! The flowers are recurrent,
and drop cleanly after blooming. No ARS rating is available yet, but
Im SURE it will be a winner! |
William Baffin
|
5-9’ht climber |
#5 |
$38.00 |
Yet another Explorer rose, he has double 3” flowers of
strawberry pink with bright yellow stamens in clusters of up to 30. Small,
orange-red rose hips in fall grace this beauty with an almost unbelievable
ARS rating of 8.9!
|
Yellow Brick Road
|
2-3’ |
#2 |
$27.00 |
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.
|
| Yellow
Submarine |
2-4’ ht |
#2 |
$27.00 |
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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