Rosa Alba Maxima

This beautiful rose is one of the most subtle and simple of the Albas, and yet also a sophisticated shrub of great character. Also known as the 'Jacobite Rose', or the 'White Rose of York'.
The shrub form is upright and arching, or fountain shaped. 

The foliage is typical of the Albas: grey-green and dark, generally disease free, although rarely this rose will get rust.

Blooms are white when fully open, but depending on the weather, they will have a cream or blush pink tone at the center at the beginning. They are produced in small clusters of 3 or as many as 8, and are very strongly, and sweetly scented.
R. alba maxima is not an ordinary rose....it is a sublime beauty that works very well in cottage gardens. Just remember that Albas are best left unpruned so that they may develope their true shrub form, so don't plant one unless you can allow it the room to grow as it pleases.
Alba Roses are hybrids whose antiquity may go back further than the Roman Empire. Plinius, who lived from 23-79 A.D., mentioned white roses in his Natural History. Botanists believe these roses may have been Albas.
Graham Thomas supports Dr. C. C. Hurst's theory that Albas are derived from the dog rose, Rosa canina, and the Damask rose, Rosa damascena. Others say it's born from Rosa canina and Rosa gallica. 

They have a penetrating pure rosy fragrance with tones of citrus. 

They are resistant to disease for the most part. Many can tolerate shade, drought, and are winter hardy.
Many prominent artists including Botticelli, Luini, Crivelli, Shoengauer, da Zevio and van Spaendonck illustrated Albas.

Zone 3 to 9

Rosa Banksiae

Rosa banksiae, commonly referred to as the Lady Banks' Rose, is a species of Rosa native to central and western China, in the provinces of Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Yunnan; it grows in mountains at altitudes of 500–2200 m.

It is a scrambling shrubby liana growing vigorously over other shrubs to 6 m tall. Unlike most roses, it is practically thornless, though may bear some prickles up to 5 mm long, particularly on stout, strong shoots. The leaves are evergreen, 4–6 cm long, with three to five (rarely seven) leaflets 2–5 cm long with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, 1.5-2.5 cm diameter, white or pale yellow.

There are several varieties, the most known are:

- Rosa banksiae var. banksiae. Flowers semi-double or double (rosa banksiae alba plena), with numerous petals replacing most or all of the stamens; a cultigen developed in Chinese gardens.

- Rosa banksiae var. normalis Regel. Single flowers, with five petals; the natural wild form of the species.The rose is named after Lady Banks, the wife of the eminent botanist Sir Joseph Banks (after whom the Banks Peninsula is named).

Cultivation and uses

R. banksiae has likely been grown in the gardens of China for hundreds of years. The species was introduced to Europe by William Kerr, who had been sent on a plant-hunting expedition by Sir Joseph. He bought the first Lady Banks' Rose, subsequently named the 'White Lady Banks' (R. banksiae var. banksiae) from the famous Fa Tee nursery in 1807.

A number of other forms were subsequently discovered growing in China:

- the white, small-flowered R. banksiae var. normalis (1796) is considered the "wild" form;

- 'Banksiae Lutea', the 'Yellow Lady Banks' Rose, probably the most popular (brought to Europe in 1824 by J. D. Park), light yellow full blooms;

- and R. banksiae 'Lutescens', a rose with light yellow simple blooms.

All Lady Banks' roses are said to smell of violets to varying degrees, some say the most fragrant of all banksiaes is rosa banksiae normalis.

According to Guinness, the world's largest rosa banksiae bush was planted in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1885 and still flourishes today in the city's sunny climate. This rose bush now covers 8,000 square feet (740 m2) of the roof on an inn, and has a 12-foot (3.7 m) circumference trunk.

Zone 6 to 10. It likes warm weather. It doesn't survive under -9C (15F).

Rosa Rugosa

Rosa rugosa (rugosa rose, Japanese rose, or Ramanas rose) is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in northeastern China, Japan, Korea and southeastern Siberia, where it grows on the coast, often on sand dunes.
In Japanese, it is called hamanasu, meaning "shore eggplant" and also hamanashi meaning "shore pear". In Korean, the species is called haedanghwa, literally "flowers near seashore".
It is a suckering shrub which develops new plants from the roots and forms dense thickets 1–1.50 m tall with stems densely covered in numerous short, straight thorns 3–10 mm long. The leaves are 8–15 cm long, pinnate with 5–9 leaflets, most often 7, each leaflet 3–4 cm long, with a distinctly corrugated (rugose, hence the species' name) surface. The flowers are pleasantly scented, dark pink to white, 6–9 cm across, with somewhat wrinkled petals; flowering is from summer to autumn (June to September in the northern hemisphere).
The hips are large, 2–3 cm diameter, and often shorter than their diameter, not elongated like most other rose hips; in late summer and early autumn the plants often bear fruit and flowers at the same time. The leaves typically turn bright yellow before falling in autumn.
Rugosa rose is widely used as an ornamental plant. It has been introduced to numerous areas of Europe and North America. It has many common names, several of which refer to the fruit's resemblance to a tomato, including beach tomato or sea tomato; saltspray rose and beach rose are others.
The sweetly scented flowers are used to make pot-pourri in Japan and China, where it has been cultivated for about a thousand years.
This species hybridises readily with many other roses, and is valued by rose breeders for its considerable resistance to the diseases rose rust and rose black spot. It is also extremely tolerant of seaside salt spray and storms, commonly being the first shrub in from the coast. It is widely used in landscaping, being relatively tough and trouble-free. Needing little maintenance, it is suitable for planting in large numbers; its salt-tolerance makes it useful for planting beside roads which need deicing with salt regularly.
Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use, with flower colour varying from white to dark red-purple, and with semi-double to double flowers where some or all of the stamens are replaced by extra petals. Popular examples include 'Fru Dagmar Hastrup' (pink, single), 'Pink Grootendorst' (pink, semi-double), 'Blanc Double de Coubert' (white, double) and the more common 'Roseraie de L’Haÿ' (pink, double), which is often used for its very successful rootstock and its ornamental rose hips.
Syns:
• Apfel-Rose
• Beach Rose
• Hama-nashi
• Hama-nasu
• Hedgehog Rose
• Japanese Rose
• Kartoffelrose
• Nordische Apfelrose
• Ramanas Rose
• Rosa andreae Lange synonym
• Rosa ferox Lawr. synonym
• Rosa rugosa f. rugosa
• Rosa rugosa Thunb.
• Sea Tomato
• Shore Pear
• Tomato Rose

Also referenced as: R. andreae, Rosa rugosa flore simplex, Wild Beach Rose.

Purple or red. Or white. Strong fragrance. 5 petals. Large, single (4-8 petals) bloom form. Occasional repeat later in the season.
Armed with thorns / prickles, sends out runners, suckers on its own roots. Wrinkled (rugose) foliage.
Height of 90 to 245 cm. Width of up to 185 cm.
Zone 2b through 9b. Produces decorative hips. Shade tolerant. Disease susceptibility: very disease resistant.
Author: Lange
Diploid
Rosa rugosa was first described by Thunberg in 1784 and introduced to Europe 50 years later, also by Thunberg. Prefers sandy or gravelly soils with average pH, although soils range in pH from 4.7 to 8.5. Salt and drought tolerant. Rosa rugosa actually performs best with periodic burning of the top growth in fall.

Native to Hokkaido and Honshu, Korea, NE China and Kamchatka, and the Russian Far East, where it's native habitat is sand dune and shores near the coast the low elevations.

Rosa rugosa is an invasive species in northern, central and western Europe and in parts of North America - New England, in Canada from Ontario to Newfoundland, and in Washington.

Rosa Gigantea

Rosa gigantea (diploid) is a species of rose native to northeast India, northern Myanmar and southwest China (Yunnan) in the foothills of the Himalaya at 1000–1500 m altitude. As its name suggests, it is the largest species of rose, climbing 20 m or more into the crowns of other trees by means of its stout, hooked thorns, and with a trunk up to 50 cm diameter.

The flowers are white, creamy or yellow, the largest of any wild rose, 10–14 cm diameter. The hips are yellow or orange, 2.5-3.5 cm diameter, hard, and often lasting through the winter into the following spring, often still present at the same time as the next years' flowers.

Wonderful fragrance too. Mild to strong, clove, honeysuckle fragrance.

Syns:
- Rosa gigantea Collett ex Crépin
• Rosa gigantea macrocarpa
• R. macrocarpa
• Rosa macrocarpa G.Watt ex Crép. synonym
• R. odorata gigantea
• Rosa odorata var. gigantea Rehder & Wilson
• Rosa X odorata gigantea
• R. xanthocarpa• Rosa xanthocarpa G.Watt ex E.Willm. syn.

White to butter-yellow, yellow stamens. Buds - light yellow [Warm creamy to lemony white]. 5 petals. Large, single (4-8 petals), borne mostly solitary, flat bloom form. Moderate, once-blooming spring or summer. Large, long buds.

Tall, arching, climbing. Medium, glossy, light green foliage.

Height of 245 to 1525 cm. Width of 185 to 305 cm.

Zone 8 and warmer.
Very vigorous.
Benefits from winter protection in colder climates.
Flowers drop off cleanly.
Prefers warmer sites.
Shade tolerant.
Disease susceptibility: very disease resistant, very blackspot resistant, very mildew resistant, very rust resistant.
Can be grown as a climber in mild climates.
Prune lightly or not at all.

R. gigantea was collected in the Shan Hills of Burma at about 20 degrees N.latitude at an altitude of about 4000-5000 feet by General Collett.
Rosa macrocarpa was collected in Manipur State, in North east India at a higher altitude of about 6000-7000 feet and about 5 degrees further north, by Sir George Watt.
Though Sir George Watt considered R. macrocarpa to be a new species distinct from R.gigamtea of Collett, the great Belgian taxonomist, Francois Crepin considered them to be identical, after examining specimens of both. In the absence of DNA we should probably follow Crepin's observation. From the common sense point of view, it appears to [Viru] that R.macrocarpa is yellower because it grows further north and at a higher altitude, i.e. less bleaching of flower color occurs in cooler temperatures. Crepin observes that in the Shan hills district where R. gigantea grows, frosts are almost unknown, whereas when Girija [Viraragavan] and [Viru] collected R. macrocarpa in Manipur on Mount Sirohi at an altitude nearing 7000 feet. There was a fair amount of frost on the ground, in places frozen into fairly substantial lumps which could not have been merely overnight dew frozen. From the seedlings raised from the Manipur seed collected by [Viru & Girija they] noticed considerable variation in flower color especially at the bud stage. Some of the seedlings are quite a dark yellow at bud stage whereas others are just cream. This color difference does not persist when the flower opens and all the kinds are creamy yellow by the second day. "So to distinguish R.macrocarpa from R. gigantea by adopting flower color as the criterion seems to be incorrect. Pending further investigation we should perhaps consider R.macrocarpa of Manipur as only an eco -type of R. gigantea Collett. But I am hoping that the Manipur rose will prove somewhat cold hardier than the Burmese collection."

Rosa gigantea is recognized by its distinctive drooping, mahogany-colored new foliage, a characteristic it shares with Rosa chinensis var. spontanea.]
Information from Viru Viraraghavn

Rosa Moschata

Rosa moschata (musk rose) is a species of rose long in cultivation. Its wild origins are uncertain but are suspected to lie in the western Himalayas.

It is a shrub (to 3m) with single white 5 cm flowers, blooming on new growth from late spring until late autumn in warm climates, or from late summer onwards in cool-summer climates. The flowers have a characteristic "musky" scent.

It is recorded in cultivation as least as far back as the 16th century.

It is important in cultivation as a parent to several groups of cultivated roses, notably the damask rose and the noisette group, and is valued for its scent and for its unusually long season of bloom among rose species.

The rose hip seed oil is used for a variety of skin conditions, including dermatitis, acne and eczema, for mature and sun burnt skin as well as brittle nails and wrinkles. Rose hip oil is also frequently used to heal scarring and diminish photo-aging.

Syns:
Gol-e moškin
• Graham Thomas Old Musk
• Musk Rose
• Rosa moschata 'Graham Thomas Old Musk'
• Rosa moschata Herrm.
• Rosa ruscinonensis Grén. & Déségl. synonym
• Rosier Musqué
• Single Musk

Also referenced as: Rose musquette, Rose muscadelle, Rosa Damascena simplici flore, Rosa moschata alba, Weiss Muscatenrose, Rosa moschata et Damascena, Rosa persica (moschata), Rosa muscheta, Rosa coroneola, Rosa sera, Rosa autumnalis, Musket Röschen, Bisamröslein, Rosa Damascena flore simplici, Rosellina Dommaschina, White Cluster Rose, Rosa Moschata simplex, Einfache Damascenerröslein