How about Fortunia?
ars.org
Fortuniana (introduced 1850; Misc. OGR from China) is
believed to be a hybrid of the Cherokee Rose (Rosa
laevigata) and the Lady Banks rose (Rosa banksiae). The
plant is vigorous, becoming quite large, perhaps 8 feet tall by
up to 25 feet across after several years, if unsupported, or it
can climb to at least 30 feet tall, with support. To keep it in
bounds, it may be pruned severely in the late spring, just after
flowering. Some canes have large, hooked prickles, while
others will be virtually thornless. The leaves are different from
most roses, closely resembling those of R. laevigata - 3 or 5
long, pointed leaflets, and if 5, the back pair are very much
smaller than the other three. The foliage is extremely resistant
to black spot and powdery mildew.
Fortuniana blooms only once a year, but for 2-3 weeks in
the early spring, it becomes an enchanting mountain of bloom.
The flowers are about 2 inches across - larger than the white
Lady Banks and somewhat smaller than the Cherokee rose,
quite double and sometimes somewhat quartered, or at least
having a white "button" of tightly packed petals in the center.
The fragrance is much like the white banksiae roses - said to
resemble that of English violets.
While it is a beautiful rose in its own right, the major use of Fortuniana in the last several decades has been as a
rootstock for other roses, especially in Florida and western Australia, where it gives varieties grafted to it extreme
vigor and productiveness, as well as a tolerance for hot, sandy, excessively well-drained, nematode-infested
soils. However, it is not very cold-hardy, and whether one grows Fortuniana as a bush, or as a rootstock under
some other variety, it will likely need cold protection in areas colder than USDA zone 8a or 7b.
If you have the space and a climate it can handle, I recommend Fortuniana as a healthy, vigorous, care-free
rose, which will be the star of the garden in the early spring, before most other roses come into bloom. |
