If I Could Only Grow Five Roses

If I had to narrow a lifetime of roses down to just five, this is the list I would carry with me.

Not the rarest.
Not the trendiest.
But the roses that earn their place, season after season, through performance, fragrance, emotional pull, and sheer reliability.

These are the roses I trust. The ones I’ve grown in volume, cut by the hundreds, lived with in my own garden, and watched prove themselves when conditions weren’t perfect. They are beautiful in the landscape, generous in the vase, and deeply satisfying to grow.

If you want a garden that gives back, this is where I would begin.

Bolero™

Bolero is, quite simply, one of the most reliable white roses I’ve ever known.

She blooms constantly. Truly constantly. When others pause, Bolero keeps going. Her blooms are full and elegant without being fussy, and her fragrance is exceptional, soft, classic, and unmistakably rose.

Ryan and I grew more than 500 Bolero plants for florist production, and she was our most requested white rose for weddings. That alone says everything. She performs in heat, holds beautifully in the vase, and looks even better when planted in multiples.

If I could only have one white rose for the rest of my life, it would be Bolero.

Princesse Charlene de Monaco™

Princesse Charlene de Monaco carries a quiet elegance that is impossible to ignore.

Her blooms open in soft apricot and blush tones, gently unfolding into one of the most refined forms I’ve ever seen. There is a softness to her, a calm presence in the garden that feels both romantic and composed.

Her fragrance is beautiful and refined, and her blooms are perfectly suited for cutting. She is a rose that elevates everything around her.

This is the rose I plant when I want the garden to feel timeless.

Francis Meilland™

Francis Meilland is not just a rose. It is an experience.

Her blooms are large, luminous, and deeply romantic, with a fragrance that feels layered and nostalgic, like something remembered from another time. She has presence in the garden and elegance in the vase, and when she blooms, you notice.

This is a rose I plant when I want to feel something.

She is not hurried. She blooms with intention. And every time she opens, she reminds me why roses have been symbols of love for centuries.

Romantica® Ball Gown™

Romantica Ball Gown feels like celebration.

Her blooms are full, abundant, and endlessly romantic, with soft, feminine tones that seem to glow in the garden. She flowers generously, creating that layered, overflowing effect that makes a garden feel alive and abundant.

There is a joy to this rose. A sense of movement and fullness that transforms a planting into something truly immersive.

This is the rose I reach for when I want beauty in abundance.

Yves Piaget®

If fragrance is the soul of a garden, Yves Piaget is its heartbeat.

Her scent is intoxicating, deep, rich, and unmistakably old rose. One bloom can perfume an entire room. Her petals are densely ruffled, her color a saturated, joyful pink, and her presence feels unapologetically romantic.

This is the rose I plant near paths, doorways, and windows, places where fragrance matters most. She is not subtle, and she doesn’t try to be.

She exists to be adored.