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Try a climbing or rambling rose. Heirloom varieties fit in small spaces. They grow up, around and over easily. They are usually low maintenance and many are disease resistant. Their slender canes weave through trellises and fences, over small buildings and around trees. Choose vigorous ramblers to hide a debris area or junk storage. These roses have profuse white, yellow, pink or red blooms that frequently flower in clusters. In autumn, they usually have large and decorative rose hips. - 2
Plant heirloom groundcover roses. These are ideal to soften the edge of lawns and fill front landscapes around taller evergreens or perennials. The groundcover or scrambling roses are low-growing rose shrubs that send flowering canes out across open spaces, trailing down walls or spreading over landscape slopes. Use them to reclaim vacant spaces and minimize erosion. - 3
Use heritage rose shrubs for a single flowering shrub or a privacy hedge. Shrub varieties grow low topping at about 3 feet or range up to 10 feet tall. Shrubs take more space than traditional roses and bloom once a year. They are excellent as landscaping shrubs the rest of the year. The flowers are varied and fragrant. Most plants are disease-resistant. They may need pruning for shape once or twice a year. - 4
Find heirloom or heritage roses at garden centers and independent nurseries. Rose growers often propagate old roses to sell or exchange with other gardeners. Look for local garden or rose club shows and sales. These are excellent sources for information on varieties that grow regionally. Internet societies and rose dealers often offer information as well as bushes for sale. Visit area museums and visitor sites as many have historical rose gardens. - 5). Enjoy heritage roses for their independent streak. Many are drought tolerant and survived for years at abandoned homes, in cemeteries and in the wild until rosarians discovered them. These roses grew for decades with no care. Some grew with little water and no fertilizer. Others survived freezing winters and blazing heat without attention. They are highly valued by rose growers for their wonderful flowers, foliage and sturdy heritage. Shakespeare said, "Of all the flowers, methinks a rose is best."
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