Roses vs Garden Roses: The Differences Explained | Dream Plants! (2024)

Having heard someone mention garden roses and standard roses, you wondered about the differences. Keep reading because we will cover the key differences between the two varieties and essential things that you need to know about each.

Growing Conditions: Roses vs Garden Roses

Most florist roses grow in greenhouses where heat and light differ from uncontrolled conditions in the outdoors. Because of this, florist roses don’t require as much heat or light as garden roses.

Some garden roses grow well in greenhouse conditions, but it depends on the variety. They grow standard roses in the greenhouse because it supplies florists with roses to sell year-round. Controlling the temperature and conditions lets them sell year round.

In the greenhouse, roses grow faster, and they flower two to three times more than roses grown outside. They have better blooms because the wind and rain disturb them outside, and they need to learn resistance.

Garden roses, on the other hand, grow outside where they may need defending from pests like squirrels. If you’re curious about squirrels and why they like roses, I wrote about that here.

Taken outside, garden roses add style and flare to any outdoor space. You can turn garden roses into the focal point of your backyard. Garden roses won’t grow as large because they must weather the elements.

Most roses outdoors will grow directly in the ground, but roses in the greenhouses usually grow in pots and raised beds. In the greenhouse, your roses may have greater vulnerability to pests and diseases.

Garden Roses vs Roses: Purpose

If you wanted to know the chief difference between garden roses and standard roses, that lies in the purpose. Garden roses were intended to make the yard look beautiful. You might throw an outdoor dinner party with the rose bushes adding to a sophisticated atmosphere.

Florist roses, on the other hand, were made to sell to customers. Because of that, they receive more protection from the rain and wind. Florists breed them for the large rosebuds and the lack of damage to the flower. For that reason, they shield it from the outside.

Greater Susceptibility to Disease: Who Wins?

Garden roses have less vulnerability to disease and pest damage because the roses know how to deal with it better than the florist roses. Florist roses will usually have less complex branching habits and be leggy.

In comparison, garden roses have greater strength against environmental stress because they know that they will need to deal with these factors. The conditions presented may be less predictable than inside of a greenhouse.

Some varieties of garden roses do exceptional in a greenhouse because of the lack of environmental stressors that they’re used to. They take it like a breeze and flourish better than their standard rose counterpart.

Garden Roses: Less Controlled

Let’s say that you watered your garden roses. Later, it may rain, and they would receive double the water. You have a harder time controlling the environment with garden roses.

To make sure that you don’t overwater your garden roses, check the weather forecast.

Roses vs Garden Roses: Thorns

Floral roses don’t have as many thorns underneath the flower. You have to reach the first set of leaves before you find the thorns. Garden roses tend to have more thorns, but it also depends on the variety chosen.

Floral roses, on the other hand, don’t have as many roses, and while you have very few without thorns, you can lessen the amount of them.

Thorns protect the flower from getting picked, but they serve another purpose. As the plant grows, the surrounding plants will be grown right over. The prickles and hooks anchor the roses into those unfortunate enough to get too close.

Eventually, they starve the other plants of sunlight.

Should You Grow Floral Roses in the Garden?

While garden roses would look fine in the greenhouse, you probably don’t want to put floral roses in the garden. Why? They won’t look good in the garden because they weren’t designed for that purpose.

Florists hybridized these roses for production, which means that they have longer stems.

Roses vs Garden Roses: Water and Fertilizer

Garden roses don’t receive the same level care as floral roses. For newly planted roses, you would water them every two to three days. Established garden roses may require water twice a week.

For the most part, garden roses and floral roses don’t differ much in this way. The biggest difference comes from the amount of care given. You tend to take care of floral roses more. They might also fertilize these roses more heavily. You want to fertilize them every four to six weeks.

You might choose to fertilize them with coffee grounds. I wrote about coffee grounds as a fertilizer for plants here, and I included a bit on roses.

People Also Ask

What is the difference between roses and garden roses? The biggest difference is the purpose. Garden roses were meant for the garden, while roses were meant to sell to customers. Production of blooms is the top priority with standard roses. Garden roses have a puffier and stockier look.

Do black roses exist? Black roses can be found in Halfeti, Turkey. Most say that the roses only turn black for a short time, and in fact, they don’t turn black, but instead, they turn a deep shade of violet or red that appears black.

What is the best month to plant roses? The best time to plant roses is after the frost melts in the spring of the year. For potted roses, you want to plant them in the late spring for picture-perfect results.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this clears the air on the difference between garden roses and standard roses. The biggest difference comes down to purpose. Standard roses were meant for more commercial reasons, while garden roses exist for beauty alone. Garden roses tend to be larger, and they also usually cost more than standard roses, depending on the variety.

Since the blooms from garden roses tend to be much larger, you only need a few stems. Standard roses need more to get the same results.