The Case for Antique and Heirloom Roses as Cut Flowers

A rose by any other name may be as sweet, but where has the fragrance gone?

I asked myself this question in 2018 and fell into the rabbit hole of Old Roses. I've spent the intervening years discovering their strengths and can't wait to share them with you all. Contrary to popular belief, heirloom roses are a hale and hearty collection of high petal count blooms that were introduced before 1867 with the first hybrid rose, 'La France.'

Many people believe roses, especially older varieties, are fussy and high maintenance. But with proper forethought, they are almost no maintenance and require only one pruning a year. These roses have survived today due to their inherent stubbornness. Some were rediscovered a century after planting in estate ruins or along gravesites throughout the countryside. These varieties were bred when plant specimens were inordinately expensive, as propagation was challenging and transportations from nurseries and botanical institutes were weeks to months-long ordeals. Roses became a sign of wealth and prosperity in New World Estates as a result of these acquisition challenges and could not fall victim to disease and pest pressures if they were to be worth the expense.

As a cut flower grower in 2022, I saw these older roses as having stood the test of time, sometimes quite literally. A nursery in Florida has a whole collection of "Lost Roses" that were found around architectural relics and saved for future growers, often with no notion of the original cultivar name.

If a plant can survive, thrive on neglect, and still produce stunning blooms, I want a rose in our flower field. I am a self-proclaimed lazy farmer and was intrigued by things that can carry on with little time and labor while still producing a crop. I've found that the older roses far outstrip some of my newer hybrids when it comes to resistance to things like Powdery Mildew or the dreaded Black Spot.

Once they're established after planting, they even manage to be essentially drought resistant and go dormant only in the hottest, driest Falls here in 9a. Just like newer cultivars, heirloom varieties benefit from deadheading (removing spent blooms unless you're cultivating hips), and a good feeding, once in spring with the first growth, after the first flush, midsummer (most sources agree around Memorial Day) and early fall before the cool weather sets in.

My favourite varieties:

Red: ‘Souvenir du Docteur Jamain,’ ‘Monsieur Tillier’