‘Carefree Beauty’ is the most famous Buck rose,<\/a> bred by ISU professor Griffith Buck. Just about any Buck rose will do well in Iowa with little care (ISU didn’t give him much money for staff or supplies, so he had to make do). ‘Carefree Beauty’ is a large gorgeous rose with tiny pink flowers that bloom from June until frost. It’s so tough and reliable that it’s been crossed with many other roses to develop new types. It’s so showy your neighbors will all ask what it is. 3 to 5 feet high and wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buck roses usually have fun Iowa-related names to boot. ‘Distant Drums<\/a>‘ is one of the most prized for its gorgeous, subtle coloration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n This is the closest you’ll find to a plant-it-and-forget-it rose, mainly because it needs little winter protection, is very pest- and disease-resistant, and it needs very little pruning. The only maintenance, really, is to trim off the dead stuff each spring and mound<\/a> it in the fall. About 3 foot by 3 foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heirloom Gardens in Van Meter outside of Des Moines carries several types of Knock Out roses, including the hard-to-find yellow type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the few climbers that thrive in Iowa, this guy is hardy to Zone 2! (Most climbers are hardy to Zone 6. Don’t believe the claims of being reliably hardy to Zone 5.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flowers are bright pink, aren’t a size or shape that’s anything special and bloom just once each year, but they’re gorgeously prolific. Great for a large arbor or pergola. Canes get maybe 12 feet tall and are very stiff with large thorns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n William Baffin is the name of a Canadian explorer and the rose is one of a series, bred in Canada, called the Canadian Explorer series<\/a>. All are good choices for Iowa because our climate is not unlike that of Saskatchewan, for pity’s sake! Other popular cold-hardy Canadian Explorer series include ‘Henry Hudson’, ‘John Cabot’, and ‘Henry Kelsey’. Size varies widely among each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Country Landscapes<\/a> in Ames and Natural Plus Nurseries<\/a> in Clear Lake carries ‘William Baffin.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n The name says it all. They’re rugged. They actually dislike spraying and pruning\u2014they flower best without it. And rugosa roses<\/a> can take or leave fertilizing, though they do a bit better with it. 3-6 feet high and wide, depending on the type. Some are very fragrant and others not at all. Pink ‘Terese Bugnet<\/a>‘ is my favorite rugosa–beautifully scented! ‘Hansa<\/a>‘ is an excellent type. \u2018Topaz Jewel\u2019 is one of the few yellow rugosa\u2014a sunny yellow. I love the deep, rich red of ‘Linda Campbell<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These Minnesota-developed roses are relatively new on the rose scene. The Easy Elegance collection<\/a> of roses are super-cold hardy and like so many tough roses, are usually fragrant and have soft, subtle colors. About 2-3 feet high and wide. I especially love ‘Kiss Me’ because of its gorgeous peach and pink colors and great fragrance. ‘Kiss Me’ can be hard to find. Search online using the words Easy Elegance roses and ‘Kiss Me’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s hard not to be charmed by this little polyantha rose. ‘The Fairy<\/a>‘ grows maybe 3 feet by 3 feet with an open, somewhat spreading habit, but the charmer is the little clusters of baby pink “sweetheart” type roses. Long, long bloom time. About 2-3 feet high and wide with a tendency to grow wider than it does high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are technically part of the Parkland series<\/a> of roses, but they usually include ‘Morden’ in the name, the spot in Canada where they were developed. ‘Morden Blush’ is one of the best. Most grow 4-5 feet high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hestitate to put David Austin roses in this listing, because they’re not as bulletproof as the rest. But I decided to because most of the really tough roses are well, a little common. They’re not very exceptional in terms of large, complex, beautifully colored flowers. David Austin roses look exquisite and smell fabulous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Austin roses are a little less cold-hardy than those listed above but still do very well in Iowa. Also, they’re pretty disease-resistant, though they do get quite a bit of black spot in late summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Created by British breeder David Austin, these are big, old-fashioned looking roses (think cabbage roses). Also called English roses, they are blowsy, fragrant, and wonderful. Prettily pink ‘Mary Rose<\/a>‘ has been growing in my garden for 20 years. ‘Graham Thomas<\/a>‘ is one of the few yellow roses that grow easily in Iowa. And apricot-colored ‘Abraham Darby is the favorite all-time rose of many a gardener. It’s so beautiful it looks like it would even taste good!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here<\/a> for a printable pdf version of this web page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Links Of Interest:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Buck Roses<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pruning Roses In Five Easy Steps<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here<\/a> for a pdf version of this information<\/p>\n\n\n\n All photos courtesy of Bailey Nurseries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/carefree-beauty-nga-plant-database.jpg\")
<\/a>2. Knockout Roses <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"RosaPinkKnockOutmedpink_CC\"](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RosaPinkKnockOutmedpink_CC.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. ‘William Baffin’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"RosaWilliamBaffindeeppinkclimber_CC\"](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RosaWilliamBaffindeeppinkclimber_CC.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Rugosa Roses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"RosaHansamediumred_CC\"](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RosaHansamediumred_CC.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n5. Easy Elegance Roses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"RosaKissMeGardenArtpinkblend\"](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RosaKissMeGardenArtpinkblend.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n6. The Fairy <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RosaTheFairylightpink_CC.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n7. Morden Roses <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"RosaMordenBlushlightpink_CC(3)\"](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RosaMordenBlushlightpink_CC3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n8. David Austin Roses <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Pat](\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RosaAbrahamDarbyorangepink_CC.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n