Roses Blooming: Pictures of Rouletti, Louis Odier, Dortmund, Theresa Bugnet

To think before I became a gardener, I always was bewildered as to what time was good to go to the local botanical garden to see the roses. Now I cannot wait for the glorious roses that bloom in May and June. Here are some pictures of some of the roses blooming now.

Rouletti is a small China rose that is always the first to bloom. It covers itself with soft pink slightly fragrant roses each spring and repeats strongly throughout the season. The leaves of Rouletti are very small giving the whole shrub a rather delicate appearance. I find Rouletti has to get good, continuous water or it will instantly begin to drop leaves. If it does, it is also quick to re sprout new ones after it gets more water. I usually trim it back at that point so it looks neater as it recovers.


Louis Odier grows along the fence of the Cutting Garden. It is a repeat blooming Portland that has big, extremely fragrant blossoms. The pink of its flowers is indescribably deep and rich. The spring bloom of Louis Odier is the best. But every year, its repeat bloom gets stronger and stronger. One of my Louis Odier roses is growing with a perennial sweet pea. The performance of that one is spectacular, probably due to the nitrogen fixing ability of the sweet pea. [Click here for a follow-up post with more information and a picture of the sweet pea.]

Dortmund is on the arbor to the Cutting Garden. It repeats strongly throughout the summer, the foliage is shiny and very resistant to fungal disease. It grows with two clematis: Betty Corning and Julie Correvon. On the picture you see the yellow buds of Danea, a hybrid musk, which has woven itself into Dortmund. Dortmund has wonderful sprays of roses which can by themselves create a vase of flowers. The only drawback to Dortmund is that it has big, hooked thorns which makes it unpleasant to prune.

Theresa Bugnet is usually one of the first to bloom. Its a rugosa rose. Each year I appreciate the rugosas more and more. They are great repeaters, strongly fragrant, and very healthy. With prompt deadheading and lots of water, Theresa Bugnet will bloom her heart out until the late fall when her leaves turn yellow and begin to drop.