Old-fashioned roses—those that were popular in the early 1800’s—are beautiful and uncommon in Austin, Texas. The Bourbon rose was named after its discovery on the island of Bourbon hundreds of years ago.

Damask roses and a Chinese breed combine to produce a rose with the fragrance of the Damask and the repeated blooming of the Chinese variety. These roses were popular garden climbing roses for hedges or to grace a trellis leading onto the walkway to the house.

The blooms are lovely and the scent is pervasive and heavenly. Generally, it is older gardeners—who know how to coax the best from the sometimes finicky antique roses—who prefer to plant them. Bourbon roses are sometimes susceptible to blackspot and some other diseases.

Roses, especially ones of uncommon loveliness, create a stunning presentation when used as a design feature. A good example is when the gardener chooses to weave the canes of different rose plants together to form a tall post with a riot of blooms and color. There are many other ways to show off old-fashioned roses such as weaving them through an overhead trellis or creating a teepee effect from tree limbs and allow the rose to twine about them as they climb.

Old-fashioned roses can be finicky unless they are given special care.

1. Choose a location in the garden where they receive approximately four to six hours of sunlight daily.
2. Make certain that the location is positioned where the roses receive maximum air circulation. The roses must remain dry to prevent fungal development as the season progresses.
3. Plant roses in a rich sandy loam soil bed that is well-drained.
4. Amend the soil by mixing two parts existing soil to one part compost and one part rotted manure.
5. Plant the roses in a hole about 14 to 18-inches deep and wide enough to allow the roots to spread out fully.
6. Position the bud union, the part of the plant between the roots and limbs, approximately one to two inches above ground level.