For smaller but more abundant blooms, check out a shrub or ground cover rose like ‘Red Drift’ or ‘Double Knock Out.’ While these roses don’t pack quite the same fragrant punch as the big bloom roses, they are very disease resistant and may not even require spraying. Green roses infuse a jolt of minty freshness into any flower arrangement. Pale green is a cool complement to lavender or pink flowers, and it adds a festive flair to a holiday arrangement with red roses. Keep in mind that most roses marketed as “blue” are, in fact, purple or violet roses. Similarly, roses labeled as silver are usually in the purple or lilac range. Certain lighting situations or companion plantings may help to highlight the blue or silver tones of purple roses. White roses with pink and cream seem to glow in the garden, making them well-suited for the moon garden. ‘Desdemona,’ an English musk hybrid, seems to emit a faint pink glow from its highly perfumed flowers. ‘Crocus Rose,’ a cream-colored introduction from David Austin, will produce its lavishly petaled blooms even in zone 4 gardens with poor soil.
